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By:

Akhilesh Sinha

25 June 2025 at 2:53:54 pm

Beyond the Waiver Reflex

As Tamil Nadu approaches a high-stakes election, its farm policy will test whether voters favour a blend of immediate relief and long-term reform over familiar short-term populism CM MK Stalin uses a handloom during an early morning outreach campaign ahead of the state Assembly elections in Ramanathapuram. Pic: PTI New Delhi: India’s farm policy is generally trapped in a loop. Each crisis, whether drought or flood has shown state governments usually reaching out for the same palliative...

Beyond the Waiver Reflex

As Tamil Nadu approaches a high-stakes election, its farm policy will test whether voters favour a blend of immediate relief and long-term reform over familiar short-term populism CM MK Stalin uses a handloom during an early morning outreach campaign ahead of the state Assembly elections in Ramanathapuram. Pic: PTI New Delhi: India’s farm policy is generally trapped in a loop. Each crisis, whether drought or flood has shown state governments usually reaching out for the same palliative instruments – be it loan waivers, raising procurement or subsidising inputs. However, these are measures that do not solve the problem, The underlying system of fragmented holdings, fickle markets and water stress remains brittle. What distinguishes Tamil Nadu’s recent approach in recent years - particularly under Edappadi K. Palaniswami’s tenure as Chief Minister - is not that it broke from this cycle, but that it tried to bend it. That matters all the more in a poll-bound state. As Tamil Nadu edges toward its next electoral test, farm policy is poised to become more than a ledger of promises. It is a referendum on whether voters reward immediate relief or longer-term repair - or, as this model suggests, a calibrated mix of both. Take the Rs. 12,110 crore crop loan waiver of 2021. The waiver came in the wake of the economic dislocation caused by COVID-19 and the destruction wrought by cyclones Cyclone Nivar and Cyclone Burevi. It functioned as a stabiliser during systemic shock. Crucially, it was paired with measures designed to reduce the likelihood of such distress recurring. Among the most consequential was the notification of the Cauvery delta as a Special Protected Agricultural Zone. Covering eight districts, the policy imposed restrictions on non-agricultural activities, effectively redrawing the boundary between industrial expansion and fertile land. In a country where urbanisation often consumes prime farmland, this was an explicit political choice: preservation over encroachment. Revival and Expansion Water management - Tamil Nadu’s perennial Achilles’ heel - was tackled through a blend of revival and expansion. The Kudimaramath scheme, rooted in traditional community-led tank restoration, was scaled up significantly, with thousands of works completed. Alongside this decentralised effort, the state pushed forward with the Athikadavu-Avinashi project, a large-scale attempt to divert surplus water from the Bhavani River to drought-prone regions. River-linking proposals and negotiated land acquisitions aimed to extend irrigation benefits further. The logic was that resilience begins with water security. Yet improving production is only half the battle. Farmers’ incomes depend less on what they grow than on what they earn. Here, too, Tamil Nadu attempted incremental correction. Procurement under price-support schemes was expanded beyond staples to include pulses and copra. The state set relatively generous support prices for paddy and sugarcane, seeking to inject a degree of predictability into an otherwise erratic market. Such measures cannot eliminate volatility, but they can soften its edges. Mitigating Ecological Risk Diversification has formed another layer of the strategy. India’s long-standing bias towards water-intensive monocropping has heightened ecological risk. Incentives were therefore introduced to promote millets and horticulture - crops better suited to changing climatic conditions. By integrating millets into the public distribution system in cities such as Chennai and Coimbatore, the state attempted something more ambitious: aligning production incentives with consumption patterns. It is a subtle but important shift. Lowering the cost of cultivation was another priority. Subsidised solar pump sets hinted at a convergence between agriculture and renewable energy, while assurances of continuous three-phase electricity addressed a mundane but critical constraint on farm productivity. These are not headline-grabbing reforms, but they shape the everyday economics of farming. Beyond the farm gate, attention turned to value addition. Plans for Mega Food Parks in districts such as Dindigul, Krishnagiri and Salem sought to integrate farmers into processing-led supply chains, reducing post-harvest losses and capturing greater value. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University released dozens of new crop varieties and hybrids, spanning cereals, pulses and horticulture. Such investments in research and development rarely yield immediate political dividends, but they underpin long-term productivity. Institutional reform, too, has been part of the picture. Proposals for a State Agricultural Commission suggest a move towards continuous policy calibration rather than episodic intervention. Efforts to strengthen Farmer Producer Organisations through financial support, federated structures and tax relief reflect an understanding that aggregation is essential in modern agricultural markets. The contrast with the broader Indian pattern is instructive. Agriculture is often treated as a sector requiring periodic rescue rather than systemic redesign. Tamil Nadu’s approach, imperfect and incomplete though it is, hints at a different framing: farming as an economic system that must be made more resilient, diversified and knowledge-driven. The emphasis shifts from producing more to earning better. Under subsequent administrations, including that of M. K. Stalin, improvements in irrigation and output have continued, though the translation into higher farm incomes remains uneven. Tamil Nadu does not offer a ready-made template for India. Its geography, politics and institutional capacity are distinct. But its experience illustrates that where political intent aligns short-term relief with long-term restructuring, the contours of a more stable agrarian system begin to emerge. Over to the voters now.

The Rebel Who Refused to Sing by the Rules

New Delhi: Asha Bhosle chose unpredictability in an industry that thrived on predictability. She quietly turned that into a power that could not be robbed, replicated, or replaced. She didn’t just lend her voice for playback singing; she challenged norms and redefined femininity in films. She went on to build a career spanning over eight decades on choices many wouldn’t dare to make.


She defined herself not with rebellion that shouted but with one that sang boldly, sensuously, playfully and unapologetically. While others stayed within the safe boundaries of melody and tradition, Asha broke them – note by note!


In O. P. Nayyar’s compositions, her voice discovered its fearless, untamed spirit. Songs like Aaiye Meherbaan spoke volumes about their musical chemistry.


Beyond Shadow

Coming from the legendary Mangeshkar family, she often found herself in the shadow of her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar. While others perceived that shadow to be suffocating for her, she turned that challenge in her favour and shaped her individuality. When she embarked on her career, she was offered what the industry considered “leftover” songs – cabaret numbers, club songs and bold compositions. Often picturised on vamps and bad girls! But this was the moment when she began writing her own destiny. She didn’t reject those songs, she transformed them and made them her identity.


Songs like Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaja, Dum Maro Dum, and Yeh Mera Dil weren’t just chartbusters – they were cultural shifts. Asha brought a raw, uninhibited energy that the industry had never experienced before. She was never afraid to sound different, to experiment, to take risks. Asha infused a playful sensuality and attitude in these songs that made them timeless. Her voice didn’t just follow the music, it owned it. She deliberately did not limit herself to a “good girl” image – because for her music had no moral boundaries, only emotional ones. And that’s what made her a rebel.


Sound of Freedom

Her collaboration with R. D. Burman was electric. Together they created magic that still defines an era. Whether it was the intoxicating rhythm of Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyaar Tera or the hypnotic energy of O Haseena Zulfonwali, Asha owned the songs like a pro and captivated the listeners.  


To box her into just “bold songs” would be a mistake. By singing Dil Cheez Kya Hai and In Aankho Ki Masti Ke in Umrao Jaan, she silenced every critic who doubted her depth. The same voice that once defined cabaret now delivered ghazals with haunting grace and classical finesse. Her brilliance and versatility didn’t go unnoticed.


Asha has won multiple National Film Award for songs that highlighted her vigor and range! She has been conferred with the Padma Vibhushan and the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India’s highest award in cinema, celebrating her lifetime contribution to music. Yet awards only capture a fraction of her story!


What’s truly fascinating about Asha is her valiant evolution. With every decade trends changed, she adapted – singing pop albums, collaborating internationally, and exploring genres that many of her contemporaries hesitated to touch. She never allowed age, expectations, or labels to limit her. In a world where stars slip into oblivion with time, Asha remained relevant – because she refused to stand still.


More than Music

There is something deeply inspiring about her life. Her journey has not just been about success but also about resilience. She found her voice and her ground, when the music industry tried its best to cage her. She has silently turned every ‘no’ into a new possibility. She has often expressed that she sang for joy and not for validation.


She represents every person who has ever been underestimated, every voice that was told to stay within limits. She reminds us that sometimes, the roles we’re given are not restrictions – they are opportunities in disguise. And in every note she sang, there was a quiet rebellion…one that continues to charm generations.


At 92, time may have claimed her but it could never silence her. Somewhere between the rhythm and the silence, her voice still lingers – softly echoing, “Janam Samjha Karo”! 

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