Mahendra Suryavanshi, a young farmer from Kajawade in Malegaon taluka, once devoted his life to farming. However, back-to-back droughts and crop failures made agriculture an unviable option for him. Despite his education, he struggled to find stable income. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Mahendra balanced college studies during the day and drove an autorickshaw in Nashik at night to support his family. When the lockdown hit, he was forced to return to his village with his rickshaw.
Hoping to revive his farming career, Mahendra started cultivating onions alongside his father. However, excessive rains damaged crops, and when he finally harvested onions, the prices crashed due to increased supply and government-imposed export duties. Frustrated by these losses, he garlanded Fisheries Minister Nitesh Rane with onions at a religious event in December, drawing attention to farmers’ struggles. Though detained by police, he later apologized to the gathering and was released after giving an explanation.
With farming no longer providing income, Mahendra returned to Nashik on January 1, once again driving a rickshaw to make ends meet. On Monday night, a poor laborer accidentally left his mobile phone, worth ₹20,000, in Mahendra’s rickshaw. The next morning, when the owner called, Mahendra asked him to meet at Adgaon police station. There, in the presence of Senior Police Inspector Sachin Khairnar, he handed over the phone, earning praise from the police for his honesty.