Bhaskar Parichha
With farmers’ suicides happening frequently – in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha – and protests across the country showing an upward trend, there is a lot of talk about the agrarian crisis. Non-fiction writers have explicated at length on a variety of issues most of which has led to the crisis that rural India is currently facing. The neglect of the farming sector by the state and the rise of crony capitalism are the two major issues that dominate the narrative. Kota Neelima’s ‘Widows of Vidarbha’, for example, tells the story of sixteen widows who have been invisible to the state, the community, and even their families.
Cut to Namita Waikar’s debut fiction ‘The Long March’ where she recounts the plight of farmers’ suicides, their lost dreams, their diminished worldviews, and their helpless surrender to the dictates of time .P Sainath, author of ‘Everybody Loves a Good Drought’ explains the idea behind the novel rather persuasively: ‘it explores the fallout of the agrarian crisis, especially in Maharashtra, where a fifth of the 310,000 farmer suicides recorded across twenty years have occurred. A moving and humane tale of that great catastrophe, it reflects damage and despair, but also a hope for change amidst one of the greatest tragedies of our time.’
Last April and this week, thousands of farmers in Maharashtra marched from Nashik and Thane and moved into Mumbai to make it impossible for the government to overlook the severity of the crisis that has plagued the Maharashtra farmers over the last few years. So,was Namita’s novel sort of a premonition, a forewarning of the shape of things to come?
Namita who studied biochemistry in University of Mumbai and also into software and management is at present managing editor of People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI).But she is more known for the Grindmill Songs Project which was applauded at the Jaipur Literature Festival some time back.
Namita’s maiden novel is essentially the ‘story of our time; it is ‘urgent and inspiring’. Here goes the plot:
‘In Vidarbha, yet another debt-laden farmer commits suicide. His death leaves his family—especially his twenty-year-old son, Vikram Sonare—devastated and furious. But Vikram’s work with the Agricultural Technology Centre and new-found knowledge of social media inspire him to build a network with youth across India and start a silent revolt. In Mumbai, twenty-six-year-old Mallika Joshi works with an NGO. While on assignment in Vidarbha, she meets farming families neglected by the government and suffering under the weight of increasing debts. Moved by the hardships they’ve faced, and inspired by Vikram’s efforts, she becomes an integral part of the movement. Together they embark on an epic mission to draw attention to the plight of farmers and other underprivileged sections, and finally mobilize millions of people to march into the major cities of India. After the success of the march, the group transforms into a revolutionary political party.’
Based on personal interviews with some distressed families and visits, the narrative is simple and yet gripping. As she explains elsewhere, “my own journey and experience of finding out these things has influenced the way I went about writing the novel.”
Neatly divided into 25 chapters with the storyline flowing flawlessly, the readers are transported into a real word of farm distress. The characters -Sureka, Nilesh, Gulabrao,Dr Kasbekar,Sriram,Anita Dhanraj,Mrs Hattangadi,Bhaskar Prabhu,Manoj Rathod are closer home and so is the portrayal and evolution of the characters. The end lines of the novel are full of optimism:
‘On a day when hope was at an end, a little girl laughed in delight when the very first raindrop fell on her cheek. And then it rained. It rained and rained and rained. The showers soaked on the clothes of men, women and children who danced in the fields and on the dirt roads that became slushy with mud.’
To the extent that the farm issue in India is real and smoldering, to ignore it is to endanger the lives of hundreds of thousands of people – not just those who till the land, but those who expect to eat what comes from it too.Namita Waikar’s ‘The Long March’ is a chilling reminder of India’s continuing rural catastrophe.
The Long March (Novel)
By Namita Waikar
Speaking Tiger Publishing
4381/4, Ansari Road, Daryaganj
New Delhi 110002
Rs 350
