Every day Quote by Eduardo Galeano
““THEY ARE NOT NEWS In the south of India, at the Nallamada hospital, a failed suicide revives. Around his bed, smiles from the ones who brought him back to life. The survivor eyes them and says: “What are you expecting, a thank-you? I owed a hundred thousand rupees. Now I’m also going to owe for four days in the hospital. Some favor you imbeciles did me.” We hear a lot about suicide bombers. The media blather on about them every day. But we hear nothing about suicide farmers. According to official figures, India’s farmers have been killing themselves steadily, at a rate of a thousand a month since the end of the twentieth century. Many suicide farmers die from drinking the pesticides for which they cannot pay. The market drives them into debt, then unpayable debt drives them into the grave. They spend more and more, earn less and less. They buy at penthouse prices and sell at bargain-basement markdowns. They are held hostage by the foreign chemical industry, by imported seeds, by genetically modified crops. Once upon a time, India worked to eat. Now India works to be eaten.””
About This Quote
Source Essay: The Open Veins of Latin America, 1995
The quote highlights the tragic cycle of farmer suicides in India driven by debt, market exploitation, and foreign agribusiness, contrasting media focus on terrorism with ignored agricultural crises.
In simple terms: Indian farmers are trapped in debt and die by suicide, while media ignores their plight.
Key Takeaway
Address agricultural debt and reform market practices.
Themes
agricultural crisis
economic exploitation
media bias
mental health
global inequality
Mood
angful
angry
determined
Type
social critique
political commentary
When to use this quote
- rural development programs
- fair trade initiatives
- mental health support
- regulation of agrochemicals
- public awareness campaigns
Key Concepts
debt cycles
neoliberalism
colonial legacy
social injustice
policy failure
Questions to Reflect On
- What policies could break the debt cycle?
- How can media shift focus to agricultural issues?
A Different Perspective
The quote may overlook regional variations and other factors like climate change.
![“The question is whether [suicide] is the way out, or the way in.” quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/be1/ralph-waldo-emerson-6_inspirational_the-question-is-whether-suicide-is-the-w_18966.jpg)
![“This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. I have signed two or three Licences every Day [as a Fairfax Justice of the Peace] since I have been at Home. I wish I knew where to get a good one myself; for I find cold Sheets extreamly disagreeable.” quote by George Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/b92/george-mason-8435_bedfellows_this-cold-weather-has-set-all-the-young_3953.jpg)
