Farmers Movement Archive

Couldn’t wait for tractors, so cousins decide to reach Singhu border by Activa

Tribune News ServiceSinghu, December 26Tejinder Singh stands beneath an Airtel umbrella at the Singhu border to get his SIM ported out. A while later, his cousin Manpreet, all drenched in sweat as he was helping out at a langar nearby, also joins him. Jalandhar cousins Tejinder Singh and Manpreet Singh drove 348 km from Jalandhar to Singhu border on their Activa to join farmers’ protests.Hailing from Kandola village at Nurmahal, a spur of the moment plan led the duo to undertake a day-long journey to Singhu to express solidarity to farm protests.While tractor-trailers have been leaving for Singhu from their village, the duo said they made an instinctive decision to head out to the protest site as they wanted to join farmers in their struggle.Tejinder said: “We felt an emotional connect with protests. We are from farming families and hearing the elderly men slug it out in the winter chill on the Delhi border stirred us from within. We wanted to put in our bit in the movement. Although tractor-trailers have been going out from our village, we didn’t want to wait that long. So, we picked our Activa and headed for Singhu.”While Tejinder heads to an Airtel stall to get his number ported out, Manpreet, too, joins him. Tejinder adds: “We are with farmers. It is hard for them already, they are doing this to secure the future of coming generations. Since there are many Airtel stalls here, I decided to get my number ported out too!”While the duo headed to Delhi with little belongings, they camped with farmers and did sewa on langars at the border. Manpreet said: “We have fields back home. Our families are into farming. We know how high the stakes are. We feel it is important for young people like us to do our bit and be a part of protests. We are glad we made the decision to come here. It is a happy occasion for us. The energy of the elderly farmers and the congregation of men here is infectious.”

The Tribune

2020-12-27