Swardham documentary (Reality of organic farming)

Why don't farmers go organic? Swardham (Self-Centred) is a short documentary filmed in Ballanpally, Telangana, in October 2026. I went back to my family's village to ask the people who actually farm the land: my grandfathers, Rangareddy and Pandurangareddy, and Madasu Narasimha. One farms with chemicals. One tried organic farming and gave it up. One has watched farming change for decades. Their answers reveal what city buyers rarely see: the extra work, the missing markets, the buyers who only want perfect-looking fruit, and families who simply can't afford the risk. We often blame farmers for the chemicals in our food and soil. This film asks a different question: who can actually afford organic? In Telugu with English subtitles. Researched, filmed, directed and edited by Avyukth Reddy. Thanks to my family and the people of Ballanpally for their time and honesty. SOURCES FOR THE NUMBERS • Workers in agriculture (India): PLFS Annual Report 2025, MoSPI (via PIB) • Workers in agriculture (Telangana), farm household income, salary comparison: "Agriculture in Telangana" report, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture, June 2026 • Farm household income (India): NABARD NAFIS 2021-22 (via PIB) • Fertilizer use per hectare: Agricultural Statistics at a Glance, via RBI Handbook of Statistics, Table 94 • Certified organic area in Telangana: Telangana Agriculture Department, via Deccan Chronicle (Jan 2026) • Paddy area in Telangana: Deccan Chronicle (Jul 2026) • Cost of switching to organic: an estimate built from Telangana paddy cost data (Telangana Today, Feb 2025), MSP 2026-27, and Indian studies on organic paddy. Not a measured farm.