Farmers Movement Archive

‘Desi geysers’ a boon for farmers to beat the cold

With another cold wave being forecast in the national capital, “Desi Geysers” have made their way to the farmers’ protest at the Singhu border to help protesters heat water for bathing purposes, among other utilities. On Wednesday, hundreds of protesting farmers were seen carrying the steel geysers back to their trolleys, some of which were stationed kilometres away from the main stage that has been erected at the protest site. Vikram Singh, a resident of Kaithal district in Haryana, said that with the temperature dipping regularly, bathing had proved to be a difficult activity since his arrival to the Delhi border. Biting cold “We have been here for almost over a week now. Our trolley has been parked nearly six kilometres away from the main stage. In fact, our trolleys are towards the beginning of the other side of the protest. All these days we were having to take a bath from tankers kept in some of the open spaces but the biting cold had made it difficult. However, now with these geysers it’ll be easier as we can just put some wood and heat the water before using,” said Mr. Singh. Harwinder Singh Tony, another farmer from Mohali said, “I have been here since the first day. It’s been nearly a month now and with the cold getting worse, bathing in petrol pumps was becoming difficult. As for the tankers, we had to share the water with several other people. But now we can have these ‘desi geysers’ to ourselves and heat water whenever we want to.” The “desi geysers” are also a common sight in their respective villages, farmers added. Big relief A farmer from Ludhiana’s Rauni village, Palwinder Singh, who is also volunteering at one of the langar services said, “We have been using these geysers to heat water which can be used to wash utensils and boil water. Though we do not use it for drinking purposes much, now that it’s being distributed is a big boon for those protesting here.” The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on Wednesday distributed hundreds of such geysers, free of cost. Hardeep Singh Oberoi, a Delhi resident and one of the volunteers with the DSGMC said, “We have procured around 500 of these “desi geysers” with contributions made by several people and distribution started from Wednesday. Sitting in our homes when we are ending up using heaters, these geysers can only be considered as a basic necessity for these farmers who are sitting outside in the cold without no such facility.”

The Hindu

2020-12-24

NEW DELHI