Sekar's sister Mina had also taken a loan from the trader. She does not want to sell her paddy to him but she will pay back her loan. Write an imaginary conversation between Mina and the trader's agent and the arguments given by each person.
What are the similarities and differences between Sekar and Thulasi's lives? Your answer could be based on the land that they have, their need to work on the land that belongs to others, or loans that they need and their earnings.
Read again Sekar and Thulasi's accounts. What do they say about Ramalingam, the large farmer? Together with what you have read fill in the details below:
(i) How much land does he have?
(ii) What does Ramalingam do with the paddy grown on his land?
(iii) Apart from farming how else does he earn?
From the figures (data in NCERT Text-book) would you say that a majority of the country's farmers are quite poor? What do you think can be done to change this situation?
Poor rural labourers like Thulasi often do not have access to good medical facilities, good schools, and other resources. You have read about inequaIity in the first unit of this text. The difference between her and Ramalingam is one of inequality. Do you think this is a fair situation? What do you think can be done? Discuss in class.