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Weather forecasting company Skymet, which pitches itself as a viable and reliable alternative to the India Meteorological Department, has released a new advertisement on its services to farmers.

In the film, a child tails her father to his field every day before going to school to reassure herself that he will not commit suicide. At home, she remains alert for his return and even goes as far as hiding a rope he might use.

At first glance, it seems to be a well-made and sensitive film that asks the right questions. Why don't we think often enough of the impact farmer suicides have on children? What must it be like to be a child living in constant fear of losing a parent when adults all around seem to be disappearing?

The agrarian crisis is a real and serious issue that people tend to ignore if not thrust under their noses and any attempt to raise awareness about it ought to be welcome.

Yet when a company uses that situation for commercial profit, the messaging begins to ring false. Even by advertising standards, the link between Skymet and preventing farmer suicides is tenuous – it is not clear what updates the company offers or more importantly, who their target audience is.

Real-time weather updates can indeed mitigate losses due to crop damage, but weather is only the tipping point behind farmer suicides and the advertisement elides all of that. When an estimated three lakh people have killed themselves in twenty years, is the company trivialising the issue?