Wilted soybean plot in Marathwada
Yuvraj’s neighbour, Shankar Dinde (27), described him as a quiet boy. “The boy’s school trip was scheduled around Oct 22, and his father had asked him to wait until Oct 20 for new clothes.
His father, a marginal farmer cultivating barely an acre of soybean, told him to wait until the crop was harvested and sold. Kendhe said children in drought-hit areas grow up witnessing and eventually accepting the effects of drought on daily life. All that Yuvraj Munjaji Mudwar wanted was new clothes for a school trip scheduled later this month. The harvest itself remained uncertain as scant rainfall has battered soybean crops across Marathwada this season. “He was not stubborn like other boys of his age. His school trip was almost two weeks away. When his father asked him to wait for the new clothes, he didn’t complain and went inside the second room. His parents also did not suspect anything wrong. The boy knew how badly soybean farmers have been affected by this drought. He perhaps feared that his father would not be able to make enough money from the crop, or that there would be little left to spend on clothes after spending on food or basic necessities. ”
On Sunday, he asked his parents for money.