Farmers Movement Archive

Man cycles 470km from Tarn Taran Sahib to lend solidarity to protesting farmers

Dilbagh Singh,48, does not own a motorised vehicle or a piece of land. But he says he was extremely keen on joining the farmers protesting at Delhi borders. So, Dilbagh took his bicycle, packed some essentials and cycled 470 kilometres from his hometown in Punjab’s Tarn Taran Sahib to the Singhu border. “Mere paas jameen nahi par zameer to hai” (I don’t have a piece of land, but I do have a conscience). I was pained by seeing many of the famers from my hometown marching to Delhi in tractors and other vehicles. My conscience was not letting me sleep. So, I decided to join my brothers and sisters here at Singhu border. It took me four days to reach here on my bicycle,” said Singh, adding that he is a daily wager by profession and his family survives on his daily income.Standing next to his bicycle on which he carried his bedding, clothes, daily use items including utensils, Singh said that he only had R500 with him when he left his home for Delhi. The money, he said, was not enough for his long journey and he was concerned.“All my worries were gone because throughout my journey, many people extended their support by providing me meals and shelter free of cost, after they learnt about the cause for which I was cycling to Delhi. Most of those good Samaritans were farmers. Some gave me money as well to cover the journey’s expenses,” added Singh, who has been living with his mother and two children in Tarn Taran Sahib, after his wife passed away 11 years ago.A small banner tied around Singh’s bicycle mentioned his name, residential address, the kilometres he covered and the reason for his journey. Asked how his family members have been surviving back in his hometown since the sole earning member was at Singhu now, Singh said, “They will manage somehow. If they ate two rotis earlier, they can now cut it down to one. But I will not leave until the demands of the farmers are met,” he said.Four days ago, Satyadev Manjhi, a 60-year-old man from Bihar’s Siwan reached Tikri border after completing a journey of nearly 1,000 kilometres in 11 days on a bicycle to participate in the ongoing farmers’ protest against three new farm laws.On Sunday, three Punjab and Haryana-based biker groups also arrived at the Singhu border on their bikes to express their solidarity with the agitating farmers.

Hindustan Times

22-12-2020

Delhi