At one point of time, Chaturbhuj Jadhav was a proud farmer, or Annadata (food provider), as a farmer is known in his community. Now the owner of 3.5 acres of land works as a sweeper and cleans gutters in Latur. He says never even in his worst dream did he imagine that he will have to clean sewage to survive.

"The consecutive drought in the last three years and the government's indifference has reduced the farmer community to menial jobs to avoid starvation. Once we used to feed the entire community. Now look at our condition. We are struggling to get two meals a day. Some of us couldn't bear the starvation and committed suicide," laments Jadhav, a resident of Sarola in Renapur tehsil of Latur district, nearly 500 km from Mumbai. Latur is the hometown of late chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

"My two sons were very good in studies. But now they have quit studies and do whatever work they can find. I feel very bad and frustrated when I look at them. But I am helpless," he says.

Earlier this year, Jadhav had sown cotton and jawari in his land. "There is nothing to harvest. This is the harvest season and we used to be very busy during this time. But here we are, sitting at home. Most farmers have become labourers," he says.

A few years ago, after the family's condition started deteriorating, a relative gave Jadhav a cow. "It is good to have animals at the time of crisis. My cow's income was enough to run the household. But we have to walk 3-4 km daily to fetch water for it. We do not want to starve our animals. It is difficult but we have decided to sell our cow in the market. We are in trouble and we cannot take care of the cow," says Jadhav.

He says he travels 40km every day to Latur in search of work, and has to spend Rs80 on bus tickets. "Earlier, people used to get work at construction sites. Now there not many such sites and so people have to clean gutters or sweeping the colonies," rues Jadhav.

Another crisis is that the value of his land has plummeted. "Earlier, agricultural land was sold at a rate of Rs5-6 lakh per acre. Now, no one is willing to buy land at that rate. In fact, there are no buyers at all. Vilasrao Deshmukh's demise has orphaned us," says Jadhav.

He had taken a loan of Rs 1.5 lakh for construction of his house. Now the money lenders are breathing down his neck and he says he has even contemplated suicide. "Our farm is of no use any more. My wife is also worried. The thought of how to repay the loan has made me sick," he says.