It's that time of the year again when we worry about a drought-like situation in Maharashtra, and probably many other parts of the country.
For a Mumbaiwalla, scarce rains means water cuts in the last four months of the year. For a farmer, it means debt and depression. He has spent all his expensive capital (at an interest rate of 30 to 40 %) on the seeds, and has sweated and toiled to sow them. Now he is waiting for the rains to do their job.
If it doesnt rain by July 31, the government will declare a drought in some areas. And when there are no rains, farmers despair and hope their region is declared a drought. Why? So that they can hope to get work on some EGS scheme (work for eight hours for a paltry 50-100 rupees or so) and they can put roti on the table.
Declaring a region drought-hit is not the end of his worries.
1. He may or may not get work on a scheme. It's not guaranteed.
2. The EGS schemes are run by a highly corrupt administration which makes up names of people on the rolls or, if it feels more adventurous, makes up an entire scheme itself. The farmers therefore may continue to starve while the official records show everybody has got work. In case an IAS officer decides to undo the wrong, she is transferred.
3. The money from EGS is erratic. A debt-ridden farmer may sign on a slip of paper saying he earns Rs 100 per day but he may get only Rs 50-60 in hand. The remainder is taken by those people for services granted
And, we are still not talking about what if the region is not declared drought-hit
And, we are still at the farmer's survival; we are still not talking about his heavy duty loan for the seeds which drives him to commit suicide.

Does the sickening Congress wheeling-dealing on July 22, or Rahul Gandhi's `brilliant' speech (how much are we going to fuss over him?), or even all those endless but mindless reality shows make any sense to you now?
Don't you think we have lost all sense of reality somewhere, that reality is not all about dancing and singing?