Farmers Movement Archive

Football player who runs Singhu’s laundromat

Tony Sandhu, a 43-year-old former football player who represented Punjab at various national competitions in the late 1990s, was among the first few farmers to reach the Singhu Border on November 26. The next day, he and a host of other current and former sportspersons -- some kabaddi players, some wrestlers -- helped set up a stage and organise a langar.About 10 days later, however, Sandhu and his team mates realised that, to camp on a road for months, needs much more than food, tents, or even toilets.“The farmers’ clothes were getting dirty, and had no way to clean them,” said Sandhu, who is from Jalandhar.So he and some fellow sportspersons requested some farmers and locals in the vicinity to arrange for a few washing machines. By December 10, three machines and several packets of detergent arrived. Such is the clout of these sportspeople in the Punjab and Haryana, that machines kept getting added over time.The decision to set up camp at a mall in Kundli, about a 1km from the Singhu Border, came in handy as well. “The mall management provided us water and power to run the washing machines. And we are using our donation funds to pay their water and power bills,” said Sandhu, who, along with his band of compatriots, is now the de facto laundry incharge at the protest.At any point through the day, there are at least six sportspersons handling the machines as thousands of clothes are washed here every day. Sandhu oversees the laundry operations, and services at a langar -- one of the largest ones that caters to about 4,000 people every meal.“Some sportspersons in our team also look after the security at the stage,” said Sandhu.In the last 100 days, several farmers have come and gone, but these sportspersons have faced little trouble.“Whenever we fall short of anything, be it parts of the washing machine, detergent or ration, all I have to do is hand over a list to farmers returning home. They send us everything we ask for,” said Sandhu.Until the Republic Day tractor rally that descended into chaos, Sandhu had returned home just once -- for a single day. After that, he has been back twice to meet his two children, for two days each time. “We are now looking at the possibility of us protesting here for six months, a year or even beyond,” he said.His family does pester him to return -- they know what it is to have relatives gone away for long durations. “There are so many people in my village serving in the army or working in other countries. Sacrifices have to be made to achieve something,” says Sandhu, who took to farming after his career in sports.He is confident that the protests can continue uninterrupted for much longer. “We sportspersons are disciplined people. That is ensuring we don’t get scared by adverse situations, and never stray from the right path,” he said.

Hindustan Times

06-03-2021

Delhi