Sad tale of Sura Radha amid farmers’ protest in Hyderabad

HYDERABAD: Sura Radha, a 27-year-old agriculture farmer who has seen enough turmoil in her young age, is now the lone breadwinner for her seven-year-old son as also her old parents. She used to cultivate her three-and-half acres of land after her husband committed suicide in 2014 when crops repeatedly failed and he ran into huge debts.

Radha lives at Katkur village in Bachanapet mandal of Jangaon district. She returned to her parents soon after her husband’s suicide when she found no support from her in-laws. She was well supported by her brother till fate played a cruel joke. Their crops failed again and they ran into debts, leading to her brother too committing suicide.

The unfortunate Radha was among the farmers protesting at the Dharna Chowk who spoke to Deccan Chronicle. Misfortune has not left her. Authorities razed her dilapidated house, where she lived with her parents and son. At the time of dismantling her house, officials promised her a double bedroom house within the complex of such rooms they were going to build after razing several houses including that of Radha. She never got it though. “We are living in another dilapidated house. We suffered heavily during rains and recent floods. All our food grains too got washed off.”

Radha sold one acre of her three-and-a-half acres of land to drill a bore well. That too failed and she is now left clutching at straws. “Lives of poor and marginal farmers are very tough. Those dependent on rains find it tougher. Their survival is solely dependent on God and what He lets us produce,” she stated.

Radha wants to educate her seven-year-old son in an English medium school, who also helps her in her field. “I have admitted him into a private English medium school. This year, I have failed in paying his fees, which is more than Rs. 10,000 per annum. Unfortunately, government schools never provide good education, which is a fact known to all,” she remarked. The last straw on her back is that she is unable to educate her son, as she could not pay the dues of fee. She can only console herself saying he is helping her in farming.”

“Government gives lakhs and lakhs to rich landlords in the name helping some farmers. Policy makers should actually help poor and marginal farmers, identifying them after a proper survey,” she added.