By Shyama Nair

INEQUALITY has grown a lot more in last 20 years became of neoliberal economic policies than any other period in the history of independent India, said famous journalist and Magsaysay Award winner P Sainath. He was delivering the second C Sarath Chandran Memorial lecture on "Inequality, livelihood and agrarian crisis" organised as part of VIBGYOR International Film Festival-2012 at Sangeeta Nataka Akademi KT Muhammed Memorial Theatre yesterday.

Kerala is the most globalised economy in India. So, the state is more vulnerable to the volatility of global market prices. The neoliberal policies followed by the central government will be implemented full-blooded after the coming elections to five states with various international treaties affecting the farm sector in the state, which is focused more on export-oriented cash crop cultivation, he warned.

In 90s, there were only two bus services between Kerala and Karnataka, Wayanad and Kutta town. Cash-crop rich Wayanad had been a district of "in-migration" until the farm crisis struck. Today, almost 24 services are running between two states with most of the travelers are from Wayanad going to Kutta to work for less wages.

Sainath focused on four issues of migration, land, health and livelihood. He said that 2001 census shows urban India adding more people (91 million) than rural India (90.6 million) for the first time in 90 years. And there is a huge migration of people seeking work because of deep agrarian crisis. The urban population and towns are swelling.

Sainath added that the last parliament session was held for 38 days to discuss Lok Pal, and during those 38 days, almost 1,786 farmers committed suicide owing to agrarian crisis and 10 to 12 times of this number of farmers attempted to suicide. Around 78,000 farmers quit agriculture altogether and migrated to other places seeking work during this period.

He added that 1000s of women farmers committed suicide who were not included in the farmer's list, as the women were never considered being as the farmers.

During the 38 days of last parliament session, around 4,000 to 5,000 children died of malnourishment and hunger. Most of the children suffer from the grade 3 and grade 4 malnourishments which is a point where the damages are permanent both physically and psychologically. According to Human Development Report, malnourishment in Indian children is two times higher than that of the children in Sub-Saharan Africa.

He outlined seven procedures which are implemented as part of neoliberal policies including the withdrawal of the state from the public sector, imposition of various user fees and burden of taxes on the people, huge cuts in life supports like food subsidies, unprecedented rise of corporate world, privatisation of everything including one's soul and intellect, stunning rise of inequality and market fundamentalism.

Earlier, festival director Meghnath gave introduction to the VIBGYOR-2012. Film makers should take the side of the camera to defend people, he said in his speech.

CS Venkiteshwaran delivered commemorative speech on late documentary maker and one of the founders of VIBGYOR festival C Sarath Chandran. In his speech, Dr Venkiteshwaran said that a hegemony of consensus being created in Kerala society, such as infallibility of market and inevitability of capital. Sarath Chandran tried to break this consensus by highlighting the margins through his documentaries. He focused on environmental and human right issues such as Plachimada, Mavoor, etc.

President and executive director of the film fest Seena Panoli welcomed the gatherings and the guests.