Farmers Movement Archive

Thousands continue to flow to Singhu

Amid strict foot patrols and discussions on parallels between their current agitation and the struggle of Sikh Gurus and those of revolutionaries from the erstwhile undivided Punjab, the farmers’ protests at the Singhu border gathered more steam on a cold December night over the weekend. Thousands, predominantly from Punjab, were understood to have joined overnight — police estimates put the gathering at around 25,000 on Sunday morning, up from around 20,000 to 21,000 on Saturday — with farmers aboard tractor trolleys lining up behind one another along a road connecting Narela to National Highway 1, proudly asserting they drove for days through fields, dirt tracks and untarred roads to reach the site. As both fog and the temperature cut a difficult path for them, the bustle of sloganeering protesters and the din of rousing speeches blaring from loudspeakers placed along the highway subsided for the day, some rearranged the warmth-inducing stubble stuffed below mattresses in trolleys and others adjusted their turbans before settling down on quilts. Peaceful gathering “We have groups of young men patrolling the perimeter of the site from late evening till dawn; we don’t want any undesirable element to enter the area — whether it is criminals or a ploy by the government or intelligence agencies to provoke or try to bring any kind of shame to the protest,” said Zorawar Pal Singh from Amritsar. As the area got increasingly out of bounds for “outsiders”, including journalists, Jaswant Singh, a farmer from Gurdaspur, was chatting with companions preparing to turn in for the night. “My explanation about what is happening is simple: imagine something as essential as water,” he said. “What if I forced you to drink water when you are not thirsty? Either you will get wet or I, or both of us, if I force something I think is essential for you on you without your consent. It’s the same with these laws. We don’t need them no matter how much the government thinks we do,” he said. A few metres from police barricades near the toll plaza, Baljinder Singh, a retired commerce professor from Amritsar’s Khalsa College, was sitting on a carpet marking a makeshift common bed over a single layer of cloth on the road. From a farming background himself and among the several speakers who had addressed the substantial gathering earlier during the day, Mr. Singh underlined what he said had emerged as the biggest strength of the protest: discipline. “We have so far been successful in being perhaps the most successful protest gathering of this size in the country but that in itself presents a challenge. On the other hand, what this protest has also succeeded in achieving so far is conveying the message of brotherhood. After decades, the people of Haryana and Punjab have come together and how,” he said. “The people here, no matter what the odds, find motivation in the message and lives of the Sikh Gurus and the revolutionaries of Punjab and Haryana. In many ways, the month of December is especially dreary for us; it is during this time that Guru Gobind Singh ji’s family was separated with tragic consequences. In the same way as the Gurus and our warriors left their families for battle, those here have left their families in the countryside for this, so far, peaceful battle,” he said. ‘Thousands more’ “There are thousands more tractor trolleys with thousands more protesters moving to Delhi from several sides. If you go to any access point leading to the city, you will see lines upon lines of people like me who are willing to undergo any weather and any consequence to get these black laws repealed,” said Balwinder Sharma from Bhatinda. By 6 a.m., with no sight of the sun on an icy Sunday morning yet, the border is abuzz with activity.Announcements begin from the stage to increase the size of the pandal to accommodate those who have joined overnight. Multiple langars (free kitchens) begin operations amid the melodious kirtans (hymns) that fill the air, ahead of the fiery speeches. “We are here for the long haul and know that the government can do anything to make that as short as possible,” said Sukwinder Jaswal from Doda as he helped install banners asking those at the protest to ensure that the gathering remained peaceful. “At this point, it has become a game of who blinks first and achieving what we want is as important to us as how we do it,” he added.

The Hindu

2020-12-14

New Delhi