Children raise awareness on farmer suicides along palkhi route
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Pune: Dressed in all white with a streak of tilak on his forehead, Krishna Sable (10) appears dazed amid a sea of warkaris. But there is no mistaking the steely resolve in his voice. "I want to tell people that parents matter.
"
As the crowd around him tries to listen in, he holds forth: "My father committed suicide in 2017. Then, my mother drowned in the river. I was left to take care of my little sister," Sable says, pausing in between to catch his breath.
He has walked all the way from Alandi as part of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj
Palkhi procession
along with 50 children, between the age of 3 and 15, whose parents — all farmers — took their own lives either because they could not repay their debt or due to failed crops.
Adhartirth Adharaashram in Nashik has been their home since their parents' death.
Resting under the shade of a tree near Agriculture College in Shivajinagar on Friday, Sable says, "My relatives didn't want us. They had responsibilities of their own. The village sarpanch took us to the ashram." Then, with a display of maturity well beyond his years, Sable adds, "Killing yourself may end your pain, but it destroys your family."
Walking along the Palkhi route, these children perform street plays spreading the message that suicide devastates families, and children are the ones often left to pick up the pieces.
"We take care of many children whose parents ended their lives because of debt or failed crops," says Tryambakrao Gaikwad who has been bringing different batches of orphaned children on the annual pilgrimage to Pune for the last 15 years.
"Most have been abandoned by relatives who see them as a burden, especially when the land left behind by their parents have nothing to yield."
"This walk gives them the strength. But more importantly, it gives them a platform to tell the world that suicide doesn't end suffering, it just passes on to others," says Gaikwad.
In the skits they perform, these children enact scenes of desperation, helplessness, and abandonment, inspired by moments they've lived and enjoyed with their parents before they passed away.
For Anushka Kher (15) from Jalgaon, the pilgrimage they undertake every year helps people to realise the need to raise a collective voice for farmers. "My father took his life seven months ago. He couldn't pay off his debt. I had to raise my two sisters alone," she says. "Relatives often try to help, but it's not enough. I have to work in the fields to sustain myself."
A bright student, Kher is preparing for her Std X board exams next year. "In our play, I talk about how farmers feed the country but can't feed their own homes. Everyone needs to talk about this," says Kher.
With each step forward, and every skit performed along the way, these young Warkaris carry a message that sorrow should not be any child's inheritance, and the weight of loss should never be theirs to bear alone.
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Children raise awareness on farmer suicides along palkhi route
1 2 Pune: Dressed in all white with a streak of tilak on his forehead, Krishna Sable (10) appears dazed amid a sea of warkaris. But there is no mistaking the steely resolve in his voice. "I want to tell people that parents matter. " As the crowd around him tries to listen in, he holds forth: "My father committed suicide in 2017. Then, my mother drowned in the river. I was left to take care of my little sister," Sable says, pausing in between to catch his breath. He has walked all the way from Alandi as part of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi procession along with 50 children, between the age of 3 and 15, whose parents — all farmers — took their own lives either because they could not repay their debt or due to failed crops. Adhartirth Adharaashram in Nashik has been their home since their parents' death. Resting under the shade of a tree near Agriculture College in Shivajinagar on Friday, Sable says, "My relatives didn't want us. They had responsibilities of their own. The village sarpanch took us to the ashram." Then, with a display of maturity well beyond his years, Sable adds, "Killing yourself may end your pain, but it destroys your family." Walking along the Palkhi route, these children perform street plays spreading the message that suicide devastates families, and children are the ones often left to pick up the pieces. "We take care of many children whose parents ended their lives because of debt or failed crops," says Tryambakrao Gaikwad who has been bringing different batches of orphaned children on the annual pilgrimage to Pune for the last 15 years. "Most have been abandoned by relatives who see them as a burden, especially when the land left behind by their parents have nothing to yield." "This walk gives them the strength. But more importantly, it gives them a platform to tell the world that suicide doesn't end suffering, it just passes on to others," says Gaikwad. In the skits they perform, these children enact scenes of desperation, helplessness, and abandonment, inspired by moments they've lived and enjoyed with their parents before they passed away. For Anushka Kher (15) from Jalgaon, the pilgrimage they undertake every year helps people to realise the need to raise a collective voice for farmers. "My father took his life seven months ago. He couldn't pay off his debt. I had to raise my two sisters alone," she says. "Relatives often try to help, but it's not enough. I have to work in the fields to sustain myself." A bright student, Kher is preparing for her Std X board exams next year. "In our play, I talk about how farmers feed the country but can't feed their own homes. Everyone needs to talk about this," says Kher. With each step forward, and every skit performed along the way, these young Warkaris carry a message that sorrow should not be any child's inheritance, and the weight of loss should never be theirs to bear alone.
