The Post-Truth Analysis of Farmers Suicides Explored in Shoes of The Dead by Kota Neelima

Abstract

The infamous farmer-suicides in India, owing to the incapability of debt-repayment house a major concern in the nation. The irony of it is, although more than 70 per cent of the Indian working population is engaged in agriculture, this sector remains gruesomely neglected by the media attention as they do not benefit any profit or merit from them. The news narrative is generally predetermined by the media editors, curated to address the popular ideology of the dominant rule. Post- Truth claims that news is “manufactured truth” highly influenced by the emotional appeal aspertheoristLeeMcIntyre. KotaNeelimaanalysestheissueoffarmer'ssuicide from the journalistic reportage angle. The article studies subverted theory of post- truth in the indigenous scenario of her novel Shoes of the Dead. These novels present the dual narratives of the agriculturists as well as the policy-makers to bring out an approach to the reality at the ground level and the media projected level. The article encompasses a study of Marxist' Reification' by examining the political influences on the media-inconspicuous author exposing the moral blindspots that determine the reasons behind the suicides, and their coverage on national media. The fictional narrative of Kota Neelima infuses her journalistic influences reflecting on the tussle between media ethics of journalism and corporate political demands of the media editors. The current farmer's protests regarding the repeal of the new Farm laws are an outcry of farmers disgusted by the failed promises of compensation of failed crops.