Next to our garden is a large rubber plantation. Now that the rainy season has receded, the collection of the milk from the bark of the rubber tree has begun.
The rural economy of the state of Kerala where Anna and I live is closely linked to the different agricultural products. The natural rubber which had good commercial value earlier is no more fetching similar price. Most low income families had converted the land of a few cents around their house into rubber plantations, hoping to give them a steady income. The price has not caught up with cost of living. So many sell the trees as timber to save themselves from debt and use the land to grow vegetables which have a reasonable price in the market.
The cycle of life events for small farmers is a sad story. They borrow unable to pay back on time. The interest accrued doubles the amount borrowed. What a plight of helplessness!
If every family who spends huge amount to marry their children by inviting guests and giving a five course meal could reduce the cost by half and gift the money saved to a needy family who live under debt burden, what a grater cause can be realised at that joyous occasion!
A neighbour who had ten goats and five cows used the uncultivated paddy fields for grazing them. Since the land has been leased out to develop a plant nursery, this family had to sell their goats. This depleted them of about 400 hundred rupees they earned from selling the milk. Soon they will find no where to graze the cows as well. Their income is going to be reduced by about fifty percent or more. They have no other dependable source of income. To provide commercially available cow feeds is too expensive and they would run into loss.
It is in this context the 'Bharat Jodo' padayatra led by Mr Rahul Gandhi receives attention. Because the Yatra focusses on unemployment and the stress on the low income families on account of the high cost of living, among few other issues of national importance.
I find the stress of livelihood issues pressing on a vast section of people living in rural India.
M.C.Mathew(text and photo)
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