Kashiram Indore, 76, was the 42nd farmer to end his life within the last 50 days.
A 76-year-old soyabean farmer ended his life on Friday evening, lighting his own funeral pyre in drought-hit Vidarbha's Akola district. He was the 42nd farmer to commit suicide in the last 50 days in the region's six worst-affected districts.
Kashiram Indore, 76, a resident of Manarkhed village, was depressed after his one-acre farm produced only one-and-a half quintals of soyabean this year against the possible 10 quintals. When the standing tuar crop - a legume - became badly affected by pests, it proved the last straw.
On Friday, Kashiram had built a pyre in the middle of his tuar field and climbing atop it, set it ablaze, said Ganesh Devnare, a local police constable. By the time the locals had gathered, it was too late.
This year, the rainfall has been late and scanty and the state government has declared over 7,000 villages of Vidarbha drought-hit. There is no irrigation system and no more moisture is left in the soil, the local farmers said.
With the moisture, disappeared any hope of their being able to repay loans. And like every year, the farmers got caught again in the cycle of crop failure, draught and poverty.
The villagers, though, did not know if Kashiram, a respected man, had any loan to repay.
Forty-five-year-old Sarangdhar, one of Kashiram's four sons, said his father was a self-reliant man who detested the idea of borrowing money. "My father never borrowed a penny from anyone, he never wished to fall into a debt trap," he said.
His father's suicide, he said, was brought on by depression at the failure of his crops yet again, said Sarangdhar, who is a soyabean farmer himself. Kashiram had divided his four of his five acres of land between his sons a few years ago.
Over the last decade, more than 10,000 farmers have ended life in six of the 11 drought-hit districts of Vidarbha -- Akola, Yavatmal, Amravati, Washim, Buldhana and Wardha. Activists say if the figures from the other districts were available, it could mean one suicide a day.
Maharashtra has sought Rs 4,000 crore for drought relief from the Centre. The funds are still awaited.