[G]overnment officials came to ask the villagers in Lohandiguda in Chhattisgarh state, who are mainly illiterate farmers from the Gond tribe, to relinquish their fields for the promise of cash, jobs and a better future.
For Banga Ram, the 65-year-old patriarch of a large family, the request was absurd. “What will we do with the money?” he asked. “We have to do agriculture to feed these children.” But local officials were not taking “No” for an answer.
Banga Ram was arrested. After he spent 13 days in jail, he says his sons signed away the land and accepted compensation.
Lifted out of poverty! Another success story.
And just as soon as Banga Ram ships his daughters to the far-distant urban workhouses, New York Times columnists will sing songs about their positive impact on the traditions of patriarchy in rural India. Thirteen-year-old girls like their independence, and cosmopolitan lifestyle.
1 comment:
and they wonder why the maoists are so popular.
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