Heggodu (Shivamogga)
Chukki Nanjundaswamy, a prominent leader of the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS), has voiced deep concern over the increasing number of farmer suicides. She passionately called for a collective effort to establish “loan-free villages” across Karnataka, urging society to address this critical issue head-on.
Speaking at the ‘Kalegala Sangada Matukate’ (a conversation with arts) event organized by Ninasam in Heggodu, Sagar taluk, Shivamogga district, Ms. Nanjundaswamy cited alarming statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau: a farmer succumbs to suicide every single hour. She lamented how these tragic deaths are often reduced to mere news snippets. “Why is it only farmers who die under the weight of debt? Others also take loans, yet they don’t end their lives in the same way. We must seriously examine this trend and work towards creating communities free from debt,” she asserted.
Ms. Nanjundaswamy highlighted the plight of many young people from agricultural backgrounds who migrate to large cities in search of employment, often taking on temporary jobs with companies like Swiggy, Zomato, Uber, and Ola. Despite owning land in their native villages, these youths have lost hope of achieving a dignified life through farming. “Marriage proposals are scarce for young men in farming families. Many are driven to seek temporary urban jobs simply to improve their marital prospects,” she explained.
She further elaborated on how farmers, once a community defined by self-respect, have been entrapped in a “chakravyuha” (an intricate maze) following the Green Revolution. The pursuit of agricultural advancements has forced them into endless queues for seeds and fertilizers, effectively rendering them subservient to powerful capitalist forces.
“It is crucial for activists and artists to unite and challenge these capitalist forces that seek to control all our natural resources. We must come together to ensure that the food we consume remains nourishing sustenance, not poison,” she emphasized.
The event also featured insights from Hemalatha Jain, a textile artist and educator, who shared her personal journey as a natural dye researcher. Her work ultimately led her to revitalize traditional weaving techniques in Karnataka. While researching at Kansas State University, she observed that India possessed a wealth of indigenous processes and historical knowledge that its own people had barely documented, unlike foreign entities who were actively recording and patenting these very resources. “Upon this realization, I chose not to be part of such a project and decided to return home to focus on documentation,” Ms. Jain recounted.
Her dedication led her to travel extensively throughout Karnataka, visiting hundreds of villages and interviewing countless individuals. Through her quest to rediscover natural dyes, she successfully identified and began reviving 55 forgotten traditional weaves. Ms. Jain urged the public to support these efforts to document and popularize India’s invaluable native knowledge.
Earlier in the day, the audience was captivated by Poonam Girdhani and Rajesh Kumar’s performance of ‘Dastan-e-Irfan-e-Buddh,’ a rendition in the ancient storytelling art form of Dastangoi.
Renowned Thumri and Dadra singer, Vidya Rao, also engaged in an interactive session with the attendees.
The day’s cultural program concluded with a powerful staging of the play Medea, directed by Manju Kodagu.