The unseasonal rain has not only pushed farmers in the state into depression but their children, too, are struggling to pay for courses they are pursuing at Mumbai University. Most of the students, who depend primarily on their families' earnings to pay the fees, have started to look for part-time jobs to be able to continue studying.

Fee crisis

Son of a Beed farmer, Abhiman Unawne, 24, who is a first-year student of Folk Theatre, has no clue how he will pay his remaining fees and continue staying in the city. His family back home is struggling to cope with the crop loss because of the rain. "Other than our own land, we have also taken a couple of acres on rent to grow cotton. This helps us earn more. We had grown cotton on a 5-acre plot but the rain has damaged everything. My family is already in debt," said Abhiman. Even as several students, who come from farming backgrounds, are facing a major crisis, student unions have demanded that either the university waive off their fees or give them some time to pay.