Students protest treatment of Indian farmers

About 30 students stood holding candles in a nonviolent protest for peace and the well-being of Indian farmers Tuesday at the Sample Gates.\nBloomington, along with about 55 other cities all over the world, held a candlelight vigil to spread the news of the ongoing struggle Indian farmers face.\nThe Association for India’s Development sponsored the candlelight vigil for “peace and justice through truth and nonviolence,” an event flier read. About 200 candles were prepared for supporters to light during the vigil, said IU student Giri Krishnan, who has been a member of AID since 2003.\nWithout proper government funding for agriculture, more than 800 farmers in India have committed suicide since January and about 150,000 farmers committed suicide in the last decade, according to an AID pamphlet distributed at the vigil. AID members attributed many of the suicides to desperation arising from large debts and lack of government assistance. Farmers have also been conned into buying seeds from multinational corporations, which then demand a share of the crops’ profits, according to the organization’s Web site.\n“Our main reason for having this is to raise awareness about the severity of the issue,” said Pavithra Rajagopal, a graduate student and president of the Bloomington chapter of AID. “Personally, I think this is an important issue because it’s a violation of human rights; a violation of the right to survival.”\nAID, an international, nonprofit volunteer movement, chose the date of Oct. 2 because it’s the birth date of Mahatma Gandhi. \n“One important message is that this marks Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday, who supported nonviolence,” Krishnan said. “The second reason we are here is because farmers are completely (in poverty) because of their socioeconomic status.”\nThis is not a problem created by just one government, AID members said. The United States charges large tariffs on imported agricultural goods, making it even harder for farmers in India to break even on their crops. \nAID members said farmers need the government to step in. Only 2 percent of India’s government budget goes to agriculture, while 65 percent of the population depends on farming. \n“I expect people to be aware of the issue and that they can do something about it,” Rajagopal said.\nIU sophomore Jaideep Bhattacharya found out about the event through Facebook, and came to learn more. He liked the idea that this vigil occurred on Gandhi’s birthday. \n“I’m a believer of Mahatma Gandhi’s policies,” Bhattacharya said. “He was a great leader.”\nOn the AID Web site, there is a petition to pressure the government to recognize that this problem needs to be addressed in the next political campaign. If the candidates know this is an important issue to other nations, more progress will be made, the Web site says.\nFor more information, visit the AID Web site at www.aidindia.org.