January 13, 3 pm
It바카라s Lohri바카라the festival of harvest and bonfires; the day the farmer community is celebrated. But the mood is far from festive at Shambhu바카라a prominent toll point at the Haryana-Punjab border on National Highway-44 that has been closed since February 2024. Once a busy interstate passage, it has now been converted into a protest site for farmers.
Hundreds of trucks, tractors and trolleys바카라covered with blue, black and brown tarpaulin sheets바카라are parked on the highway. Some occupied and some locked, they double up as homes of protesting farmers바카라women and men, old and young바카라who have been coming to Shambhu from different districts of Punjab and Haryana for the past one year.
On the roadside, beside a dhaba, a langar is organised. Since it바카라s Lohri, meethe chawal, popcorn and peanuts are being offered. The topic of conversation revolves around the 바카라big event바카라 planned at 5 pm. Inside a tent near the langar, the women are making rotis and curry. The tandoor provides some warmth on a chilly January afternoon. Adjacent to the tent is a big tin shed바카라that바카라s the space provided to the women farmers at the protest site. Around 50 women바카라in the age group of 50-75바카라are sitting in groups on mattresses on the ground. Piles of blankets are seen in different corners. It바카라s warm inside the tin structure. One can only imagine the space turning into a furnace in summer.
Noon is the time when these women come back 바카라home바카라 to rest바카라after attending the daily meetings organised from 11 am to 2 pm that are conducted by union leaders. Some are knitting sweaters for their grandchildren back home; the others are picking and sorting rice and millet in giant plates, or peeling kilos of peas from the pods. While the men help with preparing, cooking, serving meals and washing utensils, these duties are primarily taken up by the women.
They readily agree for interviews. 바카라You could do some now and some after the 5 pm event,바카라 suggests Raj Kaur, 60, a regular at Shambhu, who has come from a village in Firozpur district. It took her one day to reach in an open tractor.
All the women in the room have something in common바카라wrinkled faces and white/salt and pepper hair. 바카라Usually, hundreds of women바카라young and old바카라are at Shambhu at any given point in time. But the young ones stayed back this time with children because of Lohri. Also, it is very cold. They will come here after we go back,바카라 she says.
To keep up the momentum of the protest, the farmer unions have decided to rotate protestors on the basis of districts. 바카라Most protestors present at Shambhu are from Firozpur. After 10 days, women from other districts will come. It will continue like that till our demands are met. We, after all, have a common mission. It바카라s a fight to the finish,바카라 says Manjeet Kaur, 70.
In 2021, the central government, following a year-long protest, repealed the farm reform laws and committed to setting up a panel to find ways to ensure support prices for all produce. Farmers now accuse the government of turning around on that commitment. Their demands also include a legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops, debt waivers, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, no increase in electricity tariffs, withdrawal of police cases, justice for victims of the 2021 Lakhimpur Kheri violence and compensation for the families of farmers who lost their lives during the 2020-21 protests.
바카라The government바카라s inaction and complete silence have angered the farmers. There are so many issues that need the urgent attention of the government; the main ones being the demand for MSP and loan waivers. All farmers are suffering, but the small farmers and the ones who don바카라t own any land, who are suffering the most,바카라 says Raj Kaur.
Sitting next to her, Harwinder Kaur, initially hesitant to speak on camera, says she has an important point to make and would like to be interviewed. 바카라What will you all eat if there are no farmers left? It바카라s not easy to be a farmer in this country. Our children are not interested in farming. Despite being graduates and post-graduates, they could not find jobs and hence many have left the country. In many villages, you will find people like us, old people, who now don바카라t have the energy or resources to invest in farming but have no support system.바카라
She talked about how earlier there was no dearth of farm labourers who came from neighbouring states. 바카라It바카라s not at all lucrative for them. So now they migrate to other states and do odd jobs. You must have seen the 바카라No Farmer, No Food바카라 stickers on trucks and tractors parked outside. That is how important we are. The government should listen to us. We are angry and upset with our leaders for ignoring our demands,바카라 she adds.
From migration, the discussion moves towards inflation and unfriendly government policies. While knitting a sweater, Rajwant Kaur, 60, talks about the dirty water they are forced to use in farms and the heavy debt burden on farmers. 바카라Everything from gas cylinder to ration to medical facilities is expensive. It must be pinching you as well. Now think about us, or the small farmers,바카라 she says. It바카라s time for the 바카라big event바카라. The women hurriedly rush to the open ground outside.
5 pm: The 바카라Big Event바카라
The scene outside has changed. Shambhu is suddenly buzzing with activity. Around 300 people, including many village pradhans and farmer leaders, have gathered, along with other protesting farmers who have come from villages nearby. More flags are fluttering now. Piles of sheets바카라the new draft of agricultural policy바카라are kept on a table. Recently, the state government rejected the Draft National Policy Framework on Agriculture Marketing saying it was an attempt to bring back the contentious provisions of the three farm laws that were repealed in 2021, following a year-long stir by farmers. The plan was to burn the policy in the Lohri bonfire.
A group of men are assembling wood and cow dung cakes. The other men and women have circled the bonfire. Amid much sloganeering, the bonfire is lit and the sheets of paper are thrown into the yellow and orange flames.
The lack of media바카라national and local바카라is quite evident. 바카라It does not matter. Our social media reach is quite effective,바카라 says Raj Kaur. 바카라We are planning to organise a tractor rally on January 26. If we manage to reach Delhi, the media will have to shift its focus back on the protesting farmers,바카라 she adds.
6 pm: Time to Retire
The sun has set. The temperature has dipped. Some people are sitting around the Lohri bonfire. Elsewhere, men have lit small bonfires and are sitting in groups and chatting. Women go back to their shed. 바카라It gets very cold at night. We have limited resources. Back home, we have extra blankets and blowers and heaters. We can drink warm water and have an unlimited supply of hot water for bathing. There are limitations here. The washrooms for women, for instance, are some distance away. It바카라s not convenient to walk there at night but most of us are senior citizens so sometimes we have to,바카라 says Harwinder Kaur.
Earlier in the Day
By 11 am, the protesting farmers head to the stage, erected some distance away from the trucks and trolleys, to attend the meeting. From 11 am-2 pm, farmer union leaders address the crowd and apprise them of the status of the protests and the ill-effect of government policies.
After the meeting that day, the women walk out in groups. 바카라We don바카라t know each other but we bond and end up becoming friends. We are each other바카라s support system. Looks like it바카라s going to be a long fight, but we will continue to come here, no matter how long it takes,바카라 says Manjeet Kaur.
바카라Assi jeetne aaye hai, assi jeet ke javange바카라 (we are here to win and we will win) declares Rajwant Kaur.
Swati Subhedar at Shambhu border
(This appeared in the print as 'Frontliners')
