This Dussehra, farmer Pitabasha from Matupali village in Odisha made a difficult decision. Instead of the usual tradition of seeking the Indian Roller bird, believed to grant wishes, he stayed home. Pitabasha, 30, has also stopped calling himself a farmer. His one-hectare paddy field was destroyed by heavy rains in September. He showed his government-issued farmer card and recalled his college days. He remembered reading in textbooks that farmers were the happiest people. He enjoyed farming and earned a good living from it. After graduating in history, he returned to his village to farm, despite his father’s advice against it. He believed that human history is deeply connected to land and food production.
A week before Dussehra, Pitabasha felt his life was about to change. He explained that ‘low pressure’ systems, not the monsoon, are what farmers now discuss. These systems, occurring in September or October, bring continuous rain, destroying crops and his year’s investment. Over the last 10 years, his crops have failed in eight of them. He is accumulating debt each year as he borrows money to start again. His current debt is ₹3 lakh. He calculated that even with two good years, it would take four normal seasons just to repay his loans. Including living expenses, it would take him 10 years. This highlights how extreme weather and unusual climate patterns have become a normal part of a farmer’s life. Like Pitabasha, farmers across India are now at the mercy of unpredictable weather. Pitabasha noted that history books always described rain and seasons as predictable. Farming evolved with this certainty. For over 12,000 years, predictable seasons made farming possible. But he feels this is no longer the case.
Eight years ago, Pitabasha adapted his farming schedule. He stopped sowing in June, the traditional time, because the monsoon was not arriving on time. Even in July, the rains were inconsistent, so he waited. When the rains finally came, his paddy fields looked healthy. However, in August, which had become a peak rain month, the pattern became erratic again, stunting the crops. Then, in September, when the plants were ready to bear grain, excessive rain caused the crop failure. This pattern is common across India, with September now causing the most crop damage. Pitabasha has not yet decided on his future plans. He has simply stopped farming. He is one of an estimated 2,000 farmers who leave agriculture every day in India. Farming is no longer profitable. The changing weather patterns have made it a dangerous venture. He questioned the purpose of a livelihood that cannot even support one’s life. He shared a story from his grandfather about a village that lost all its farmers due to a curse from the rain god Indra. Pitabasha remarked with a sad smile that perhaps that curse has returned, but this time it is called climate change. This situation underscores the severe impact of climate change on Indian agriculture and the livelihoods of its farmers.