Thangar Bachan, Director, Cinematographer and a writer was here in the city to participate in the Pongal celebration hosted by the lawyers at the Combined Court Complex.
Speaking to the press, Thangar Bachan stated that 'It's a heart-wrenching situation here, in the state of Tamil Nadu as every single day a farmer's death is been reported. Without a farmer, there will be no food and eventually none of us can survive. But unfortunately, a farmer is always under-estimated.
In recent times, a major part of the food we consume is adulterated because agriculture is diminishing. Fertile agricultural lands are now transformed into commercial complexes and apartments, creating an irrevocable imbalance.
As drought has struck Tamil Nadu, our farmers are pushed to commit suicide and die out of illness. The Tamil Nadu government has reported that only 17 farmers have died in the state out of drought, which is utterly false. The government has to release the factual numbers. Only, if the government reveals the right numbers, the deceased farmer's family could avail benefits announced by the state and central governments. The Government concealing the death of the farmers will further worsen the situation.
While 60% of the nation is still without basic facilities like toilet, allocating a majority of the resources for research and development and a meager 3.5% for farming and agriculture is imprudent.
The schemes and subsidies announced by the government for the farmers do not reach them because of the officials who mediate the process. The political parties in the state have failed to push the central government to form the cauvery management tribunal.
Standing in queue's for getting freebies has pushed people of Tamil Nadu to a pathetic state. It's dis-heartening to learn, when people don't show any compassion or apathy towards the death of farmers of their own state.
Watching our farmers die to poverty and financial crisis is heart-wrenching, hence this Pongal every Tamilian should hoist black-flags at their homes as a mark of respect and tribute to the farmers, who've lost their lives to drought.