The year 2021 has been a roller coaster ride for the country that has struggled with problems on almost every front, be they of health, economy, livelihood, climate change, agriculture or human-animal conflict. 

Gaon Cafe, Gaon Connection’s live show, gave voice to rural India where two-thirds citizens of the country live. 

Amid the pandemic and the second wave when most people were locked up indoors, Gaon Cafe emerged as an important platform that reached the concerns of rural Indians to policymakers and the government. 

We invited scientists, social activists, environmentalists, agriculturalists, wildlife activists, farmers, rural women and doctors to share their views on topical issues. The voices and opinions aired cleared up confusion, explained ambiguities and articulated the concerns clearly and succinctly.  

While there has been little to cheer about in the year gone by, there were glimpses of hope as the guests on Gaon Cafe also pointed towards the silver lining of what the coming year could bring with it.  

Top 1 Gaon Cafe: Small farmers, big problem

Will bringing corporates into play in Indian agriculture benefit small and marginal farmers? Are the contentious farm laws that are being so vigorously condemned by the farming community good, bad or indifferent to those farmers who farm on five or less than five acres of land? 

Watch Devinder Sharma, a distinguished food and trade policy analyst, agriculture expert and an award-winning Indian journalist answer these questions and bring into perspective the farmers’ agitation in a conversation on Gaon Cafe.

Watch: क्या छोटे और मझोले किसानों का भला कर पाएंगे नए कृषि कानून? देविंदर शर्मा के साथ लाइव चर्चा 

Top 2 Gaon Cafe: The chicken and egg struggle 

As the country struggled to find ways to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, another virus, the bird flu, delivered an additional blow. Poultry farmers in the country woke up to a debilitating situation that led to the price of poultry and eggs plummeting. 

Poultry farmers had to cull birds, rumours spread about the dangers of consuming poultry and there were unprecedented losses. Sanjay Sharma, secretary, Poultry Farmers’ Welfare Federation, and Ali Akbar, head, Poultry Farmers’ Association of Uttar Pradesh discussed the bird flu outbreak in India on Gaon Cafe and provided the ground reality.

Top 3 Gaon Cafe: The anatomy of a flash flood

The flash floods in Uttarakhand in February 2021, killed people, damaged property and left thousands in distress, besides bringing down a power plant. Flash floods, their implications, the pros and cons of dams and hydro power projects in ecologically vulnerable areas were discussed on Gaon Cafe by experts Himanshu Thakur,  co-ordinator, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP); Raj Bhagat Palanichamy, GS and Remote Sensing Analyst; and Kanchi Kohli, environmentalist and senior researcher.  

Top 4 Gaon Cafe: The nuts and bolts of Union Budget 2021

Union Budget 2021. What does it mean to the common Indian, more so the rural Indian. Ravi Duggal, sociologist; Vijay Jawandhiya of Kisan Adhikar Manch; Smriti Singh, social activist on women and children; and Ambrish Rai, convener National Forum, RTE, discussed the the hopes and disappointments, the promises and the nuts and bolts of the Union budget and its likely impact on rural India on Gaon Cafe. 

Top 5 Gaon Cafe: The vaccine trials

Tough questions were discussed and answered on Gaon Cafe about the emergency clearance of the Covaxin and Covisheild vaccines. How efficient are they, what happened at the clinical trials? Were there enough trials? What are the fears on the ground over inoculation?  

Panellists Raghunandan D of All India People’s Science Network; Amulya Nidhi of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, and Sashi Yadav Secretary ASHA

Top 6 Gaon Cafe: Budget 2021 implications for women, children and the Adivasis 

What does the Union Budget 2021, bring for women, children and the adivasi communities of the country, who are particularly vulnerable?  

Manjit Kaur Bal, who works with tribal communities in Chhattisgarh; Rakesh Kumar Malviya from Madhya Pradesh who has researched on the impact of the budget  on childhood; senior economist Jawed Alam Khan; public health experts and gender activists analysed the Union Budget 2021 and what its implications were, especially for the unheard and the unseen on Gaon Cafe. 

Top 7 Gaon Cafe: Crimes against women

The statistics about crimes against women in the country are grim. The Nirbhaya case provided the watershed after which it was expected that matters of women safety would gather strength and improve. But has it? 

Senior police officers, women’s rights activists, lawyers and reporters on gender matters discussed the state of affairs in Gaon Cafe. The discussion laid bare the inadequacies, the red tapism and the continuing fears, insecurities and crimes against women. 

Top 8 Gaon Cafe: Raining troubles

As the COVID-19 pandemic turned life upside down and unleashed chaos in the country, the monsoon that arrived much later than anticipated, added to the misery of the citizens. Is the monsoon rainfall pattern changing? Why? What is its link with climate change? 

Associate professor with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay and a weather expert Sridhar Balasubramanian explained the reasons, the impact and the implications of the Indian monsoon on Gaon Cafe.

Top 9 Gaon Cafe: The elephant story

Biswajit Mohanty, secretary, Wildlife Society of Odisha threw light on the alarming increase of elephant-human conflict in Odisha and in the country at large in Gaon Cafe. These animal-human encounters have led to loss of life for both sides. Shrinking forests, increasing mining activities and other associated matters have resulted in the grave problem. Are there any solutions to this?

Top 10 Gaon Cafe: The cold truths about winter crops

The freezing winter temperatures leave many farmers in the country in distress as they struggle to protect their vegetables and pulses from the biting cold and frost. Agricultural scientists of Krishi Vigyan Kendras and experts from Agriculture Universities, discussed the annual phenomenon on Gaon Cafe and suggested ways and means of tackling the more sensitive produce.

As 2021 draws to a close, Gaon Cafe has brought on board voices that have discussed, debated and explained major issues that have marked the year. Hopefully, 2022 will have happier stories to tell. And Gaon Cafe will be there ensuring you hear the right voices telling you those stories. Keep watching. 

Written by Pankaja Srinivasan