The government needs to learn from the hundreds of farmers who, right in the so-called suicide zones of Vidarbha, have initiated efforts for debt-free, low-cost, environment-friendly farming practices, says Bharat Dogra AS A suicide is a very deep, very sad human tragedy, public discussion of suicides is expected to be careful and cautious. Unfortunately, this caution has not been observed in the case of so important an issue as farmers' suicides in India, with the result that exaggeration and over-simplification, which are supposed to help the farmers' cause are actually harming them. Generally, the suicide rate of an occupational or other group is highlighted when it is much higher than the world average. In India the reported figure of 17,000 farmers' suicides a year (during 2006) has been highlighted. By going back to about a decade, it is stated that about one lakh farmers have committed suicide. Another frequently used figure is to say that 47 farmers commit suicide in a day, or two farmers commit suicide in one hour. It is easy to inflame passions by shouting that in this country two farmers are committing suicide every hour, but we would like to quietly ask