Question 1(a) · 10 marks · 188 words written
Farmer suicides in India.
Opening · a figure
As per government's data, about 2 lakh farmers have already committed suicide since 1990. Therefore, farmer suicide needs to be seen as a major sociological 'problem'. In this light, we are reminded of Durkheim who saw 'suicide' as a sociological 'pathology' arising out of lack of integration and regulation in society.
Body · continuous prose
As Jodhka points out, agrarian sector in India is undergoing a big 'crisis' phase wherein due to the State's gradual withdrawal from agriculture and extension services, farmers, specially the middle farmers who aspire for better harvests but are constrained by lack of resources, are getting caught in debt-traps.
Added to it is the social stigma attached to being under debt and the regular threats of the moneylender or bankers on non-payment of debts.
Besides, the `crisis' in rural areas is also reflected in the decreasing integration in villages by which village members are less tied to the community's ways of taking care of its members under distress.
Close
A sense of dissatisfaction and hopelessness arising out of alienation from the act of production plus the product itself because (as cash crops are market-oriented) is also a big reason.