Crisis upends rural social rhythm

The scarcity of fertiliser has begun to upset rural social rhythm. In Timmapur, many farmer families had to skip Nagar Panchami festival for the first time in their lives as they were stranded in queues in expectation of grabbing a bag of urea.

- Raghu Koppar

Yallappa Babari was standing in one such queue during the festival. His wife, Nirmala, spent time watching the fields. The Babari family grows maize, wh