Venkatesh P, a 30-something progressive farmer in Panakanahalli of Mandya taluk, the hub of the Cauvery basin in Karnataka, talks about how the rice they grow and eat has run out. Karnataka has had continuous drought and it's been two seasons since farmers have been able to grow rice. All the grain stored for the figurative rainy day has been used up this year."My family, which grows rice and which has sold it to feed the town's people for generations, is now dependent on rice from the public distribution system. Is there anything left for me to say?" he asks.As the 125-year-old dispute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu over sharing the waters of the Cauvery runs its latest course this year, there are heated debates, intense politicking, hate speeches and street protests ­ this time spilling over to social media also.However, the real issue is not Karnataka versus Tamil Nadu, as was the case in 1991 ­ it is the shortage of water in Mandya for its standing crops. The situation could affect everyone in Mandya, including the sizeable Tamilian presence in the district ­ many farm workers are Tamilian, each village has a Tamil colony and most of the farm equipment comes from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu."What are the Tamils here going to eat if we don't grow our rice? Why doesn't anyone understand that it's a human problem, not a language one?" asks Mukudappa, a farmer who took part in a tyreburning protest in Mandya city.The official website of Mandya district describes it as 'the land of sugar and rice' and 'a prominent agricultural district.' In 2014-15, which was the second successive drought year for Karnataka, state agriculture department figures show that paddy and sugarcane cultivation in Mandya district was almost 60 per cent of its target. This year, despite copious rains all over the state, except in the traditionally rain-rich Malnad region, the catchment area for the Cauvery, Sharavathi and Tungabhadra rivers, farmers have sown 26,757 hectares of paddy and sugarcane, 63 per cent less than the target of 72,460 hectares.This has provoked rage on the streets, with traffic blocked on the Bengaluru-Mysuru state highway leading to estimated losses of over Rs 100 crore in just four days. Farmers pin their woes on water mismanagement by the state government and the perceived "inadequate preparation and presentation" of their case in the Supreme Court."We planted our crops this year two months late, only after district in-charge minister DK Shivakumar told us to go ahead. He promised us water. Last year, though there was water in the Cauvery, the government took up repair work of the Visvesvaraya canal that feeds our district and didn't release water. We have missed two crops of paddy, three crops of sugarcane. If they give whatever water we have now to Tamil Nadu, what are we to do? Even if we starve, what are our politicians sitting in their cushy houses in Bengaluru going to eat?" asks a furious farmer, Vivekumar TC of Tandasanahalli.Acre upon acre of standing crops in Mandya will wilt unless water is supplied through the canal. "We have spent Rs 15,000 an acre for paddy, Rs 25,000 for sugarcane. If we don't get crops this year also, we have no option but to kill ourselves," says Ramu of K Gowdagere, raising the bogey of last year's 400-odd suicides in just this district.Ramesh and Govindaraju point to their newly planted crop in Hosabudanuru. "If this doesn't get water and dries up, we will have to migrate, take up labour jobs and forget farming," says Ramesh.The Congress government in the state, caught in a cleft stick with hardly 46.7 thousand million cubic feet of water in all four Cauvery basin reservoirs, has released some water into the Visvesvaraya canal as well as to Tamil Nadu, while complying with the Supreme Court's September 5 directive to release more water to the neighbouring state. Angry farmers have attempted suicide by jumping into the swirling waters going to Tamil Nadu, while others are sitting by the Visvesvaraya canal, waiting for water to come.While their children protest on the streets, other farmers are quickly sowing more paddy, hoping for divine intervention, rains or relief from the Supreme Court and fervently hoping the state government will find a way to provide them with water in accordance with the schedule up to November 10.On the streets, however, there is visible fury against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah , whose face is being hammered even on ambulances carrying patients. Water resources minister MB Patil and senior advocate Fali S Nariman, appearing for Karnataka, are the other favourite targets, while there is both anger and grudging admiration for Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa , who has managed to get a favourable verdict from the Supreme Court every single time.There are references to Jayalalithaa's childhood in Melkote of Mandya district. "She is a woman born here and yet each time, she targets us. M Karunanidhi (DMK chief and former CM of Tamil Nadu) has more concern and understanding ­ he doesn't behave like she does, he tries to be fair to everyone," says Chetan, another protester at Mandya's Sanjay circle."She can get things done. Our politicians are useless," protester HK Nandakumar of Holalu chimes in. There are the usual vitriolic Congress-Janata Dal (S) political discussions and some references to Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the youngsters, who want their protests WhatsApp-ed to the PM in the hope of some relief.There are, however, no discussions on whether water conservation methods and alternative cropping patterns suggested by the state's agriculture and water resources departments could solve the problem."Forget the government ­ our traditional methods will work in this situation. Why can't we try to grow crops from water that we conserve ourselves? There is absolutely no awareness or knowledge of how to sustain and work with nature. We have lost all that our ancestors knew and are instead sinking bore wells for water. At this rate, we will also turn into an arid district like Chikballapur," says SC Madhuchandan of Sunaganahally, who runs a farmers' cooperative in Mandya that is trying to revert to water-conservative organic methods in the district.Another member of his cooperative, Mahadev KN of Karaswadi, says he has managed to sow one acre of paddy at a cost of Rs 3,000, which makes growing it more sustainable. "We need to opt for such methods and all our farmers have to stop taking water in the canal for granted. Not just us, even the people in Tamil Nadu have to think along these lines," he contends.State agriculture minister Krishna Byre Gowda says he has been constantly advocating a change in the cropping pattern and has issued directives asking people not to plant paddy this year due to the distress. Water resources minister Patil has been trying to promote the use of drip irrigation for paddy and sugarcane, which cuts water usage to a trickle and doubles output. He has even chalked out a project involving the government, private sugar mills and farmers, but this has yet to get off the ground."We need to think along these lines of conservation and better use of water and soil for our crops.Nature is changing and we have to adapt. We cannot depend on governments and courts to bail us out when the rainfall itself is inadequate," says Sridhar, another progressive farmer from Holalu.The man on the street, however, is still burning wood and tyres, blocking traffic and burning effigies of Siddaramaiah and Jayalalithaa. Groups of them threaten to block water supply to Bengaluru and Mysuru to force the "city people" to fight for Cauvery. The political class is let through the blockades to address street meetings and plan padyatras against the governments and courts, rabble rousing as always, using distress to their advantage.Ugramma at Rudrakshipura, however, is left wondering where to get grains to feed her family of six the next day. All the shops are shut and her home granary is empty.