Farmers Movement Archive

Protesters at Singhu border welcome global lens on stir

“ Ik American singer aa Rihanna, jine sadde lai tweet kitta ae… ode tweet de baad, 5.5lakh lokkan ne sadde baare gal kitti ae (There’s an American singer Rihanna who has tweeted about us after which 5.5 lakh people have talked about us),” announced a speaker from the main stage at the Singhu border protest site. On Wednesday, the global icon was repeatedly mentioned in several speeches in front of a crowd where the majority didn’t know who she was but lauded her for her support and for bringing the protest onto the international stage. The speaker said the singer supported the protest on social media following which many international social activists and personalities also spoke up in favour of the farmers. Owing to Internet suspension around Delhi’s borders, most protesters are unaware of what the nation’s take is on the agitation. If there is some important information to share, we do it through announcements on the stage, said Charanjeet Singh, a volunteer. “Why aren’t we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest”, Rihanna had tweeted on Tuesday. Dalbir Singh from Moga said he doesn’t know who Rihanna is. “I haven’t heard of this name. Who knows about big English artists in our villages? but if she is talking about us then it’s great because any help for our struggle is welcome,” he said. Coordination problem Stage management committee member Arshdeep Singh Atwal, 22, from Jalandhar, said they have WhatsApp groups for duty roster and coordinating with hundreds of volunteers, but the system has collapsed because the Internet was suspended. “We have resorted to making calls to coordinate, but it’s not as efficient,” he said. He added that lawyers who are collecting data on arrested and “missing” persons are also facing trouble coordinating among themselves, and sending lists to other lawyers. “We need to send out information on missing persons on WhatsApp groups and we haven’t been able to do so,” he said. Jay Sandhu, 30, from Amritsar, who runs a tea-pakoras langar said he hasn’t been able to contact his family members in Canada and London. “I can connect with those who are in Amritsar but not those abroad. I can’t send them pictures of what we are doing here and how we are doing,” he said.

The Hindu

2021-02-04

NEW DELHI