06 August 2010

The farmers' strain

Revised shorter version: 19/20 March 2014 (updated: 9 September 2014)

The farmers' strain,
Across undulating plain,
Without any recourse to feign,
To give us our daily grain.

The Physiocratic brain,
Considered agriculture as main,
Today, farming is in disdain,
How will their lives sustain?

Let their efforts not go in vain,
Break the silence we maintain,
Help farmers form a chain,
To safeguard unfair bargain.

So that their lives remain,
So that our lives remain.

Revised 6 August 2010

The farmers' strain,
Ignoring bodily bruise and pain,
Across undulating plain,
Overlooking muddy stain,
Toiling again and again,
Without any recourse to feign,
To give us our daily grain.

The Physiocratic brain,
Considered agriculture as main,
Today, farming is in disdain,
Scientists avoid the domain,
Bankers do not entertain,
You and I, a silence to maintain,
How will their lives sustain?

Come sunshine or rain,
Let their efforts not go in vain,
Without any loss or gain,
Help farmers form a chain,
To safeguard unfair bargain,
And stop the plunder and drain,
So that their lives remain.

'Help farmers form a chain'refers to something like the federated self-help groups.

30 July 2010

The farmers' strain,
Across undulating plain,
Overlooking muddy stain,
Ignoring bodily pain,
Without any feign,
They toil again and again,
To give us our daily grain.

Let this not go in vain,
Like the Physiocratic brain,
Who considered them the main,
Join us form a chain,
Without any loss or gain,
To stop the plunder and drain,
So that their lives remain.


(This is an ode to farmers and a follow-up of my previous blog/note. I was thinking of putting the same starting line 'In the midst of rain' for both the paragraphs, and also the last two lines at the end but decided against it. Readers may comments on this. Those pondering overy my urge to rhyme are told that this is influenced by my six-year old daughter Nerika. My work on agrarian crisis and farmers' suicides have some bearing here. In India, more than 16000 farmers are committing suicides per year in recent years, that is, more than 45 per day.)

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