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Ground Report: Farmers at Ghazipur Border Mark Year of Protest, Vow to Keep the Fight On

Indra Shekhar Singh

27 Nov 2021, Ghazipur (New Delhi): The morning smog hadn’t cleared yet. The sun was still behind a greyish blanket of clouds. However, the Ghazipur border was already buzzing with activity. There was a heavy police presence too. Men and women, young and old had already begun preparing to celebrate their success and to mark one year of their protest on Friday, November 26.

Notwithstanding the fact that the government had announced its intention to repeal three contentious farm laws, the farmers have vowed to continue their agitation until “all” of their demands are met.

At first sight, the camps were beaming with energy, as hundreds of people with red caps and green gamchas were seen sloganeering “MSP is our right”, “Modi give us MSP”, among other slogans. In a week’s time, new slogans had been put together. However, the constant honking in the background drowned out sloganeering a bit. In an hour, over a hundred cars and tractors passed by on the adjacent road.

A number of new faces surfaced at the tents. Farmers representing Left allied groups, factions that broke away from BKU (Bharatiya Kisan Union), Jai Kisan Andolan, among others showed up. A few posters of farmers’ leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni came up too. On the one side, women were seen making rotis on chullahs while langars served food freshly made food to a gathering of people. A little away from this gathering were a few Sikh young men bathing in the sun.

When asked what was hustle bustle about, 25-year-old Balkirat Singh responded with a smile and said, “Don’t you know farmers have won. Laws are repealed and now there is a celebration organised here. We are getting ready.”

As this reporter continued to stroll past the tents, vivid images of year-long protest of farmers, who braved all odds, came back rushing to his mind. An hour later, he walked into Rakesh Tikait’s tent only to find it vacant. Tikait wasn’t there. However, there were a few senior journalists, BKU representatives, and the air was filled with hope, and more so with a feeling of satisfaction of having achieved a victory.

“It’s only a matter of days before our demands are met,” said Naresh Phehalwan, a 52-year-old BKU member from Shamli, Uttar Pradesh. He jokingly added, “If Modi listens… after Monday our tractors can carry all the tents too.” He was apparently referring to the march which the farmers had planned to take out at the start of the Winter Session of parliament. Whether or not will this prediction come true, only time will tell.

It was already around 1:30 pm, a meeting, marking the victory, had already begun at the main stage. As he was on his way to the main stage, this reporter spotted a few farmers from Allahabad. Among them was the general secretary of All-India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha (AIKMS) Dr. Ashish Mittal.

“Today, we have become a new agro-political force and the world is watching us. There are people of all ideologies here, but we are all united under one banner. This is a new political phenomenon,” said Mittal, his voice exuding confidence.

“In all the rallies, about 70% of the tractors and people come on their own, without our support. This is a real people’s revolution,” he added.

A little away there were a group of 30 farmers from Tamil Nadu. Among them was Eesun Murugasamy, founder of Tamilnadu Farmers Protection Association, who had been part of Tikait’s Tamil Nadu campaign earlier this year and had traveled from Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu to the Ghazipur border in Delhi.

“Since the last rally, support has really grown in Tamil Nadu. Today all towns and villages are celebrating the anniversary, and honouring 750 martyrs,” said Murugasamy.

All of a sudden, there was commotion as a Punjabi song and an announcement blared from the speakers. “We welcome Rakesh Tikait to speak,” said the announcer. As Tikait took the microphone to address, the whole arena with around 3,000 people turned silent. Crews from media sat down focusing their cameras on the speaker.

“Today there’s strict control on the camera and pen. The media (corporate) asks only one question: when are the farmers leaving? People have to be alert and answer,” began Tikait.

“The three black laws and Corona are one disease. They came together as a disease and farmers and our country fought valiantly and defeated them. But the laws were a very deadly disease because of which our farmers are pushed back a year and a half,” said Tikait as the crowd received his observations with applause.

Citing poor health and a train to catch, Tikait wrapped up his speech in seven minutes. Nonetheless, he covered a whole host of issues ranging from MSP, banking sector and farmers, fertilisers, National Green Tribunal order on agricultural equipment and air pollution in his terse characteristic Western Uttar Pradesh style. The crowd was elated. The microphone was handed over to Medha Patkar and eventually to Yogendra Yadav.

Maintaining the celebratory mood and reminiscing on the year-long protest, Yadav said, “This is the time to celebrate victory. Remember, our farmers reached Delhi on Constitution Day to ask for their rights. But the ruling party showed their divisive politics instead: Jat versus non-Jat in Haryana, Hindu versus Muslims in UP. However, we remained united as one, as farmers.”

Yadav comments equally elicited a loud cheer from the gathering.

When it was farmers’ leader B.P. Singh turn to speak, he told the gathering not to become complacent in their fight, after the repeal of farm laws.

“Don’t be fooled by the repeal. The international cartel that rides on Modi’s back will come back. We have to get corporate cartels out of agriculture.” Singh echoed the sentiments of many farmers’ unions. “Despite the repeal, the corporate hijack of Indian agriculture has not been derailed. Treaties like the WTO seek to destroy our PDS and MSP. We must resist them too,” he concluded.

After about 40 speakers addressed the gathering, the crowd began to thin. As this reporter was leaving, he ran into Medha Patkar. When asked what she thought of the farmers’ movement so far, she said, “This victory is good, but the corporate tyranny remains alive. The government has backed now, but the corporation of Indian agriculture is not completely stopped. Look at Punjab, there is serious water and health crisis, along with mounting debt.”

On being asked who can avert such crises, she said, “We need to move towards self-reliance and ecological methods of farming. Indian farmers need to adopt traditional methods, decrease input costs and save water too.”

The sun had turned bright orange and in the distance, a group of kites overhead was seen in search of food. The 365th day of farmers’ unprecedented movement thus concluded on a determined note to keep the agitation on until all their demands are met.

(Courtesy: The Wire.)

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Protest Anniversary: Songs, Slogans Rent Air as Thousands of Farmers Throng Delhi’s Borders

Newsclick Team

New Delhi: Batches of farmers with their colourful flags, many of them on tractors, had started reaching Delhi’s borders at dawn on Friday to mark the completion of one year of their valiant movement. By afternoon, the crowds swelled as farmers from PPunjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand started descending on the capital city’s three protest sites – Singhu, Ghazipur, Tikri — which have become symbols of their historic and peaceful struggle.

The jubilant farmers have made the Narendra Modi-led BJP government “bend” and announce repeal of the three farm laws, despite trying all tricks of the trade that failed. The farmers were termed “terrorists”, “tukde tukde gang”, “Khalistanis” merely for raising demands to save their livelihoods as well as the agricultural secotor, on which over 60% of the country’s population depends for survival.

They braved police lathicharge, teargas, barricades, digging of roads, nails driven on roads to stop tractors from proceeding to the capital. That’s when they decided to begin sit-in protests on Delhi’s borders and managed to snatch what they call “half victory” of their demands.

The protests, which were spearheaded by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), a collective of over 40 farmers’ organisations, has now written to PM Modi about six pending demands of farmers, including the law for MSP, withdrawal of Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2021, cancellation of criminal cases lodged against the farmers for participating in protests, compensation to the farmers who died in the struggle, among others.

At Ghazipur border, farmers were in no mood to retreat on the anniversary of their historic struggle. They reiterated that the Centre must immediately resume talks with the leadership of SKM on pending issues, including withdrawal of the police cases against the farmers and compensation for the families of those who were killed during the agitation.

Hundreds of farmers, hailing mainly from Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Uttarakhand thronged the Ghazipur border to participate in what was termed as a ‘panchayat’ organised to mark the first anniversary of the protest at Delhi borders as well as the ‘historic victory’ of the cultivators.

Prompted by the passage of the three Bills in Parliament last year, thousands of farmers at the joint call of their respective unions had marched to the national capital on November 26 last year.

“The sheer resolve of not only the farmers but all those who stood shoulder to shoulder with them forced the Modi government to relent,” said Joginder Singh, 52, who arrived at Ghazipur border from western UP’s Muzaffarnagar district to participate in the anniversary celebration.

Tejveer from Shamli, while distributing jaggery, claimed that he’s among the farmers who squatted at the Ghazipur border in protest last year. “I have seen many ups and downs here. There were times when we were not allowed to set up our tents or even the toilet booths. There were moments when we were told that the farmers would have to leave,” the 55-year-old said referring to the confrontation at the Ghazipur border soon after the January 26 Republic Day parade. “Yet we survived all of that. Now, we are nearing a complete victory,” he added.

Neeru Senger, 50, from Ghaziabad, shared similar sentiments. “I’ve been coming to Ghazipur border, at least, once every month. I can never forget the people I met here. Now, as and when the pending issues will be resolved, the farmers will go back home but not without many lessons,” the AIKS member said.

Among leaders who addressed the gathering were SKM leaders, including Rakesh Tikait of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), Yogendra Yadav of Jan Kisan Andolan and Hannan Mollah of AIKS.

Friday’s anniversary celebration also triggered a discussion on the upcoming elections in UP and Uttarakhand. Modi’s backpedalling on the farm laws last week was seen by many as directed more toward appeasing voters. Parvinder Chaudhary, 37, said that farmers “don’t forget things easily”. “Nearly, 700 of our brothers and sisters died because Modi took one year to change his mind,” Chaudhary, hailing from Ghaziabad, said. “Surely, we will retaliate—but in elections. Modi ji ko vote ki chot denge (We will inflict an electoral wound on Modi).”

At Singhu Border, the farmers were happy and triumphant. After one year of painful journey, they had won. The environs at the Singhu border were charged with energy, happiness and confidence. As the folk singers began their song ‘Sabr Jabr ki Ladai Dilliye, Tu Ek Baar Phir Haar Gayi,’ the cheerful audience greeted them with slogans and claps. This, perhaps, summed up the celebrations of the first anniversary of farmers’ protests against three Central farm laws and a law guaranteeing MSP.

Ajit Pal Singh, a PR professional who made the border his home for the last one year, told NewsClick that the sudden announcement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on national television about repealing farm laws left him speechless.

“We were too much emotionally invested into it. It was a moment of realisation that we would only win if we resisted. My family was under the impression that I would return with my farmer brothers after a few days. When I came here, I realised that this was not a small struggle. My 12-year daughter never slept without me by her side since her birth. I left her for one year. My sacrifice does not count when I see that 700 farmers died on the borders for their just rights. The partial victory did come at a cost. However, we are not going anywhere until other demands are met,” Singh said.

Darshan Singh, who travelled along with his friends from Fatehgarh Sahib to participate in the celebrations, said he was now hopeful that the government would listen to the demand regarding MSP.

“They need to understand that the law on MSP on our crops would reduce uncertainty and fluctuations in prices. The prices of wheat and paddy have been relatively stable in previous years. The consumers also benefited from it. Now, when you see the prices of vegetables like potato and tomato, you find a heavy variation. Now, tomato’s price is above Rs 100/kg, and no one benefits from it- neither consumers nor farmers. So, the MSP, as per Swaminathan Commission, will save both stakeholders. The precious lives of farmers will be saved who commit suicides under the burden of unbearable debt,” he said.

Anand Singh, another farmer who sustained injuries in the Karnal lathicharge, furthered the argument by saying that farmers were seeing this “plunder straight away that his tomatoes are getting sold on Rs 100/Kg. In contrast, he is hardly getting Rs 30/kg. However, he is hopeful that the pending issues will resolve as the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party feels the heat before Assembly elections in five states. They will listen. It’s a compulsion.”

Balbir Singh Rajewal, a veteran farmers’ leader and President, Bharatiya Kisan Union Rajewal, said the movement should be seen from the perspective of building the society, not mere repealing the farm laws.

Addressing the jam-packed protest site, Rajewal said that the victory came after the farmers realised they remain the epicentre of politics and no policy could be framed by sidelining them.

“It’s our victory, and we clinched it. On the one hand, we were called annadaatas, and on the other hand, the supporters of BJP called us names, branded us as Khalistani, terrorists and what not! Remember, they do not deserve our sympathy. I urge you to recognise the power of organisation. The ruling party backtracked because we started asking them difficult questions! When we asked for MSP, the government supporters told us that it would hit consumers. When the farmers asked for the right prices, they said industries would be hit! Why should we bear the responsibility for everything under the sun? I just want to assure you that we will not let this guy sell our national assets at his whims and fancies.”

Reminding people about the power of organised struggles, Rajewal appealed to the audience to “always put the flag of your union on your doors. The leaders will fear you that he will be asking for responsibility. Only your organisation will save you!”

The partial victory seems to have enthused other movements of students, pensioners and workers who constituted a significant part of the mobilisation. While the workers’ unions demanded the withdrawal of four labour codes, the students’ organisations mobilised to show their opposition to National Education Policy.

At Tikri border, Rajendra Singh Deep Singhwala of Kriti Kisan Union, said: “The peasant movement has made the government, which was becoming a dictator, bow down. Germany’s dictator committed suicide admitting his defeat and the dictator of our country (Narendra Modi) conceded his defeat in the media and has committed political suicide. This is the first victory of the movement as it has re-established the values of democracy in the country.”

Sumit Singh, a young farmer, who is secretary of Haryana Kisan Sabha and was present on the Delhi border from day one, said today the farmer had gone back to where he was before the introduction of these laws. “But even today, his questions remain the same. We were demanding guarantee of MSP from the very beginning. That was one of our main demands and it has not been resolved. So, the movement will not end.”

Since the beginning, the farmers movement has drawn support from labourers of Haryana and Punjab. This support still persists and was evident in Tikri, where where many workers had landed up. Jagwanti, 45, who is an ASHA worker in Haryana was there with her entire family. She said she was not a farmer but eats what they grow, so she “was and will always be with them in this movement.”

(Extract. Courtesy: Newsclick.)

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Changes One Year of Agitation Have Brought in Farmers’ Life

Tarique Anwar

Moradabad/Rampur/Bareilly/Pilibhit/Budaun (UP): Harendra Singh has 2.5 acre of land in his village — Manihar Khera at Bilaspur block in Rampur district of Uttar Pradesh. He had sown paddy on the entire land. Barely three days before he was about to reap the crop, torrential rain in October this year destroyed it completely. His investment was Rs 30,000.

He estimates the loss he suffered: the production on one acre of land, if the weather favoured, generally stands somewhere between 25-30 quintals. If one calculates the loss, taking into account the MSP (Minimum Support Price, which was Rs 1,940 for the common variety for the 2021-22 crop year), the total loss will settle between Rs 1.21 lakh and Rs 1.45 lakh.

Based on the general market rate (procurement price outside APMC which varies between Rs 1,200-Rs 1,300 per quintal), it would lie between Rs 75,000-81,250.

“Mind you, it is just a rough estimate wherein cost of labour, interest on expenditure and rent of land are not included,” he clarified.

Asked how he and farmers in the hinterland learned about such microeconomics of agriculture (interest on capital investment, imputed cost of capital, rent on the land, etc.), the prompt reply was: “A year-long farmers’ protest.”

Farmers from across the country have been staging peaceful sit-ins at four sites near Delhi since November 26 last year, demanding withdrawal of the three controversial agriculture laws and a legal guarantee of the MSP. Three major entry points of the national capital have been blocked since the past year.

The agitation forced the government to repeal the three legislation. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 19 announced that the contentious Acts would be withdrawn in the upcoming winter session of Parliament.

As the farmers’ stir set to mark one year, NewsClick spoke to farmers across several districts of poll-bound Uttar Pradesh to know the awareness and the changes the strike brought in their lives.

MSP — now a household name

A majority of farmers, including himself, claimed Harendra, did not know earlier that the MSP was their right.

“The agitation has made farmers aware of the MSP. We have now realised that the procurement of our farm yields by the government is not charity, but a right of every farmer. Though it is still far behind benefiting every farmer of the state, the footfall in APMC has substantially grown. Beyond the lip service of hiking the procurement target, the government has to do a lot and make serious attempts to fulfil its words,” he added.

Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) leader Tajinder Singh Virk, who was seriously injured in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident wherein protesting farmers were allegedly run over by the cavalcade of a BJP minister’s son on October 3, said that paddy procurement in Uttar Pradesh was “disappointing.”

“The purchase began from October 1. Against the announced target of 70 lakh metric tonnes, the government has so far bought in only 4.98 lakh metric tonnes. In order to achieve the target, it was promised that 4,000 procurement centres would be set up. But only 1,712 centres are functional in the state,” he alleged while talking to this correspondent at his residence in Uttarakhand’s Rudrapur.

Given the “strict” and “unpractical” terms and conditions, and corruption, he added that farmers are left with no option but to sell their paddy at significantly lower prices, which ranges between Rs 1,250-1,350 per quintal, whereas the MSP is Rs 1,940 per quintal.

“Against the registration of 6,42,224 farmers for procurement benefits, the government has purchased paddy from only 71,352 farmers,” he said, alleging that the procurement is being denied on silly technical grounds such as moisture content in the yield and other quality parameters which farmers have no control over.

For Gurjeet Singh, who has 20 acres of land, the protest has enlightened farmers about existing government policies for their betterment. It has made them more vocal than ever.

“It was a general perception that agriculture is a loss-making business. But now everyone will explain in detail that it is actually not true but has been made so, and the credit goes to anti-farmer policies of successive governments,” Singh, whose three successive crops have been destroyed by the weather, said.

He had sown pea on five acres of land. Eight days after it was sown, rainfall destroyed the seeds completely and made him suffer a loss of Rs 75,000. He sowed it again but got little return because of the higher input cost.

Following peas, he cultivated paddy on 25 acres. Unfortunately, he faced another blow as incessant rains wreaked havoc across north India. He lost 40% of the total crop, suffering a loss of at least Rs 7.5 lakh.

He also failed to sell in the APMC the leftover paddy he reaped as it had a high content of moisture, which was brought by floodwater.

“The paddy failed to meet quality parameters for government procurement. It has moisture and a high quantity of silt, making lose its golden colour. The maximum price I have been offered outside APMC is between Rs 900-1,000 per quintal and that too after convincing the buyer. The paddy is still lying in my trolley parked at home. I am clueless about what to do,” he stated.

Sharda river, which enters Uttar Pradesh from bordering Uttarakhand, led to the flooding of several villages on its banks after water from the Sharda Banbasa barrage in Uttarakhand was released because of continuous rainfall.

Asked about the Prime Minister’s statement that ‘MSP tha, MSP hai aur MSP rahega’ (MSP was there, MSP is there and MSP will remain in the future), he said the tall claim stands fully exposed, at least in Uttar Pradesh.

Prime Minister Modi had made the promise in Rajya Sabha on February 8 this year amid the ongoing farmers’ agitation.

Singh had made a big investment in a guava orchard, but the plants failed to bear desired quantity of fruits because of adverse weather. This was his third consecutive loss.

Gurjeet has a debt burden of Rs 20 lakh, a big chunk of which he inherited from his father. “Agriculture farming is gambling and the farmer is a big gambler who borrows money either from banks or private money lenders to invest it on their crops. If it gets destroyed, he has to borrow additional sums from other lenders to pay interest for the previous loan. If the second crop fails, which often happens, he is left with no option but to sell his land and stop farming or commit suicide. Selling land is considered a social stigma; therefore, indebted people prefer to end their lives,” he said, talking to NewsClick near his orchard in Bilaspur.

Amir Ahmad, a 52-year-old farmer from Devapur village in Rampur district, too reiterated that the ongoing farmers’ strike had made him realise the nitty-gritty of the MSP and how agricultural farming has “systematically” been made a loss-making business to “turn farmers into skilled labourers of corporates.”

“We had accepted losses after losses due to crop failures, mounting debt and rising poverty as our fate. But the agitation made us realise what the MSP is and how farming is systematically being turned into an unprofitable affair. There are several takeaways from this protest. It has also made us realise that strong determination, resilience and not bowing to the situation are the key to success,” he added.

He said that the government is making tall claims of hiking the procurement, but the reality is farmers are forced to sell their crops in the open market at a price much lower than the MSP.

“I had sown paddy on two acres of land, but the rains completely destroyed 90% of the crop. Against the expected yield of at least 35 quintals, the production was just 3.5 quintals. After the government-appointed centre refused to buy, I had to sell it to a trader at Rs 1,500 per quintal,” he narrated.

He further said selling crops on MSP in the APMC is not as simple as taking the produce there and selling it. One has to follow a complex and exhaustive official process for the same. The farmer has to get himself registered with the tehsil having jurisdiction of his area at least two months before the procurement starts. The application follows an intense verification process, which takes at least 20 days.

Finally, the applicant is issued a registration number. Following their registration with their tehsil, farmers go to the government procurement centre, which issues them their serial number and date of procurement.

This is not all he has to go through, said Ahmad, alleging that as the farmer reaches the procurement centre on the given day with his yield, the centre in-charge raises several objections on technical grounds such as quality of the product etc, perhaps to force him to sell the product in private mandis.

“Those who manage to sell their product at the government centre get payment of 95 kilogram instead of 100 kilogram. It is basically corruption where farmers are robbed of their hard-earned money if he wants to sell it on the MSP,” he alleged and added, “Therefore, farmers have to sell their products to private traders, who make instant payment against cash. Though they suffer a loss, they save transportation costs, etc. Government procurement is done for a fixed period of time. As it expires, the rate of the product in the market drastically go down,” he explained.

Restoration, Hike of Subsidy for Fertilizer

The Centre in April 2020 had reduced subsidy for nitrogen-based fertilizers to Rs 18.78 per kilogram and phosphorous-based fertilizers to Rs 14.88 per kilogram. However, fearing protests over fertiliser prices, the government later not only withdrew the decision but also increased the subsidy on di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) by 137% to Rs 1,211.55 from Rs 511.55 per 50-kilogram bag.

Even after fertiliser manufacturers had hiked retail prices, political compulsions led to the move.

Re-Engaging Youth in Agriculture

Unable to find a meaningful, stable and well-paying source of income, young people in large numbers were losing interest in farming — threatening the agriculture sector. They were migrating to big cities and going abroad for jobs.

Twenty-seven-year-old Manveer Singh, who is a postgraduate in information technology and hails from Baheri in Bareilly, dropped the offer of serving a US-based company as a system analyst after actively taking part in farmers’ protests at the Delhi-UP Ghazipur border. He turned to farming, refusing a job that would pay a modest wage.

“After my education, I tried to get a white-collar job and got one. As I was about to join the firm, the protest began, and I started frequenting Ghazipur and Singhu borders. After listening to farmer leaders, I researched the agriculture economy and found it more profitable if it was using modern technology. I also realised that the government brought the new laws just to destroy the sector so that big corporates can be supplied with cheap labour. I decided to take a plunge in agricultural farming instead of serving a big firm, where there is job security,” the young man, who defies the typical image of a farmer, told NewsClick.

Kulwinder Singh, who belongs to Puranpur in Pilibhit, wanted to shift to Canada. But he junked the idea as the protest began. The 32-year-old has 40 acres of land, which he says is enough to sustain his family.

“The loss of livelihoods during the pandemic has made me insecure. We have such a huge population that we and even our future generations have no hopes of finding a job. Our successive governments have failed to create enough non-farming jobs for a country where two-thirds of the 1.3 billion population is under 35. So, it is better to work on the farmland instead of going anywhere,” he added.

(Courtesy: Newsclick.)

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Farm Laws Protests: How Punjabi Songs of Resistance Kept the Movement’s Flag Flying

Kusum Arora

The Punjabi singers who played an important role in the farmers’ movement against the three farm laws passed by the Union government last year have arrived at the Singhu and Tikri borders to celebrate the first anniversary of the movement on November 26, one week after the government announced the repeal of the laws.

A year ago on this day, farmers from Punjab and Haryana had marched to Delhi in protest against the controversial laws and, despite repression by the Haryana government, finally settled into camps at the Singhu and Tikri borders at Delhi. The movement then went through several ups and downs till the birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev on November 19, 2021, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the three laws would be repealed.

One of the things that kept the morale of the farmers high in the camps at Singhu and Tikri was the support of several Punjabi singers whose songs of revolution struck a chord with every age group and gender, from the elderly to women to the youth thanks to witty and sarcastic lyrics on the burning issues of society.

Nearly all the songs by the Punjabi singers supported the farmers’ struggle via lyrics encompassing Sikh history and religion, stories of valour, Punjabis in the armed forces, pre-partition Punjab, the freedom struggle, the Punjabi diaspora abroad and the unity of the farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

Using sarcasm as their medium to deliver the message, the singers raised their voices against ‘Delhi’ (referring to the Union government), the godi media (lapdog media) and its fake narratives against the farmers, the arrest of young people after the January 26 violence this year, Bollywood’s silence on farmers’ movement and other issues.

Sample these lyrics from Kisan Anthem: “…Bik gaya bhawe India da media, BBC de utte jatt chaye hoye ne (So what if the Indian media has sold itself, Jats are famous on BBC News).” This was sung by 11 singers, including Shree Brar, Jass Bajwa, Mankirt Aulakh and Afsana to name a few.

In a song titled Punjab Bolda (Punjab Speaks), singer Ranjit Bawa sang: “…Dhakke nal dasi jande attwadi aj da, national media bhi keda bhala chaj da (Forcibly, they [the Indian media] are calling farmers terrorists, the national media is good for nothing).”

Similarly, a couplet from renowned Punjabi singer Kanwar Grewal’s song Ailan became a slogan of the movement: “…Tainu Delhiye ekath pareshan karuga, par faslan de faisle kisan karuga (Delhi [Union government], this farmers’ gathering will trouble you, but it is farmers who will make decisions about their crops)”.

When Kanwar’s song received a massive response on YouTube, the Union government even had it removed, although it was restored later.

‘It was history in the making’

Kanwar Grewal was perhaps the only singer to stay with the farmers at the Tikri border camp from December 2020 to April this year.

Harinder Singh, Kanwar’s associate who had remained with him at the camp, said, “Since the day the farmers’ protest started in Punjab, Kanwar Grewal remained with the farmers. He joined the protest at the Shambu border in Patiala during the Punjab bandh on September 25 last year and after that there was no looking back.”

Renowned Punjabi singer Jazzy B, whose Twitter account was suspended by the Union government, also stayed with the farmers in their tractors at the Singhu border camp for more than a month, celebrating the new year with the farmers.

Talking to The Wire from Canada, Jazzy B said, “It is important for whoever is popular, whether singers or actors, to stand up for what is right. I will always be part of such movements. I was overwhelmed to see our elderly men and women living on the roads and in their tractors to fight for their rights. I took it as my duty to support them the way I support my parents and grandparents and feel their pain.”

The farmers’ movement helped to bridge the communal divide between Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs and Christians, said Jazzy B.

“It was all about unity and humanity. I was glad to see the people at the Delhi borders allow the farmers, especially the women, to use their washrooms when the camps were just being set up. It was history in the making and it feels amazing that I was part of it,” he said.

The singer calls the Union government’s pressure on Twitter to suspend his account with 1.2 million followers “childish”.

“India is a democratic country and I represent the people’s voice. Twitter is supposed to be the people’s platform and I didn’t break any Twitter guidelines. I didn’t indulge in hate speech or do anything wrong. My attorney from the US wrote to the Twitter India and US staff but there was no response,” he said.

Now that the farm laws will be repealed, he will soon visit India again, said the singer who was honoured in Canada for his contribution to the farmers’ movement. “And on the occasion of the first anniversary of the farmers’ protest, I will post videos to motivate them,” Jazzy B said.

Congratulating the farmers on the repeal of the controversial farm laws and the first anniversary of the protests, Manmohan Waris, part of the famous Waris Brothers, said: “This is not just an issue of a farmers’ movement. Governments should respect the people’s voice. We all know what happened during demonetisation. Before implementing any such law, the government should have conducted a survey or taken people into confidence about what they were planning to do. The protest against the black farm laws will serve as a reminder for future governments and keep reminding people of their power.”

The Waris Brothers, namely Manmohan Waris, Kamal Heer and Sangtar, had sung the song “Asi jittange zarur, jaari jung rakhyo, jari jung rakhyo (We will definitely win, just continue your struggle)” in support of the movement.

Manmohan Waris, who recently arrived in Punjab from Canada, said, “We sang this song for the first time at a Punjabi Virsa event in Canada in 2016. It was a song on human triumphs against life’s troubles, but we never knew that four years later, it would become a slogan of the farmers’ protest. Now our only concern is that the government should make a law on minimum support prices (MSP) because inflation has put prices way beyond the earnings of a farmer.”

Similarly, Punjabi singer Rajvir Jawanda’s pro-revolution song, “Uthi jedi lehar tainu yaad rahugi, Zindabaad hai Kisani, Zindabaad rahugi (The farmers movement that started, you [Union government] will remember it forever, long live farming, it will live long)” was a major hit with the youth.

In the song, Rajvir lauded not just the elderly farmers and women who left behind their families for the sake of the protests, but also thanked reporters from the independent media who went to the Delhi borders to cover the farmers’ struggle.

‘The lifeline of the struggle’

Mandeep Singh, who heads a group of Punjabi youth at the Singhu border, told The Wire, “Whether going to the fields, visiting Singhu or Tikri border, at weddings or just in our daily lives, we played the hit farmers’ songs. They defined our lives and kept us in high spirits. Punjabi songs boosted our confidence and made us feel that victory is ours.”

The songs in support of the farmers’ protests are also played during weddings in Punjab amidst slogans of ‘Kisan Mazdoor Ekta Zindabaad’.

At kisan mahapanchayats (farmers’ meetings), even non-Punjabi farmers from Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan were mobilised via Punjabi songs of resistance.

“Historically speaking, Punjab has had a spirit of resistance spanning centuries,” said Chandigarh-based senior journalist and author Jagtar Singh. “Every invader in this region came via Punjab. The new dimension was the emergence of Sikhism. Sri Guru Nanak Dev was the first rebel. He was the voice of resistance against Babur, who was the ruler at that time. Sikhs have been fighting oppression since the beginning. Punjab and West Bengal are the states from where the freedom struggle started. These two states made the maximum contribution in the freedom movement. Even after partition, Sikhs led the Akali Morcha. When we were in university, the Naxalite movement started, which had its roots in West Bengal and then spread to Punjab.”

In the 1980s, according to Jagtar Singh, Jarnail Singh Bhindrawale had also led a movement. “In fact, Punjab had both peaceful movements and radical movements in parallel. While the Babbar Akali, the Ghadar party and Shaheed Bhagat Singh were radicals, the Guru Ka Bagh Morcha in Amritsar in 1921 was a peaceful protest. When the farmers’ protest started, it affected every section of Punjab and the younger element was inspired. It is in the Punjabi psyche to fight oppression,” he said.

According to Binnu Dhillon, the famous Punjabi comedian and actor from Canada, since the people were upset by the farm laws, it became a collective responsibility to stand against the oppression.

“Punjabi singers and actors played a significant role in the farmers’ movement. While the elderly guided the movement, the youth was motivated through the Punjabi music industry. The fight was not just about the farm laws but also about the identity of Punjabis. I think every individual deserves accolades for their role in farmers’ struggle. In fact, I took my children to experience the historic revolution so that they too remember how the farmers gave direction to the country,” he said.

The role played by Punjabi singers in the movement was “remarkable”, said agriculture policy analyst Devinder Sharma.

“The Punjabi singers brought life to the farmers’ movement. They were the lifeline of this struggle. Not only did they mobilise the youth, they even took an interest in serious talks on how to save farming. When I addressed the farmers at the Singhu border, I noticed that all the celebrities, including Babbu Mann, Amitoj Mann, Jass Bajwa and others, shortened their speeches to listen to me. This is the vibrancy of Punjabi culture and anybody who knows Sikh society can relate to this movement,” he said.

When Modi announced that the farm laws would be repealed, Punjabi singer Shree Brar, who had held farmers’ rallies in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan along with fellow singers, congratulated his fans on the victory.

Brar told his fans via a video on YouTube that he had been all set to release Kisan Anthem 3 when Modi made the announcement.

“Soon we will sing a ‘Fateh’ (victory) song for the farmers’ protest. We support our farmers and feel equally concerned by untoward incidents in Kashmir, Haryana, Maharashtra and any other state of the country. It is our responsibility to rise up to the occasion,” he said.

The Rajasthan-based singer is vocal about major unsettling incidents on his social media pages, inviting comments from his fans.

“An artist is an artist. I am not in favour of any political party or religion. But it is our duty to speak out against anything wrong happening in the country,” he said in the video message.

(Courtesy: The Wire.)

❈ ❈ ❈

From Students, Dalits to the Punjabi Diaspora, Volunteers Made the Farmers’ Protest a Success

Kusum Arora

Jalandhar: The much-awaited repeal of the three farm laws has brought people from different worlds – located thousands of miles apart – on the same page. In India and in the West – especially in the US, UK and Canada – the same celebratory mood is evident.

If the youth of the Naujawan Sangharsh Jatha would stand every evening on the Jalandhar-Hoshiarpur highway in the Punjab’s Adampur town protesting against farm laws, their counterparts would also gather at Scott Road in Surrey from four o’clock to nine o’clock every evening in Canada’s British Columbia province to support the protesting farmers.

On November 19 too, they came out on the roads to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that the farm laws would be repealed. From the farmers and NRIs who put the protest on the global map to the Dalits, students, players, businessmen and activists who extended their support, the protest saw the voluntary participation of one and all.

As second-generation Canadian-Punjabi Simar Sahota from Surrey said, “Initially, I was in disbelief when I got a call from my grandmother that the farm laws have been withdrawn. I hurriedly checked the news and Instagram pages to check if it was true. The moment it was confirmed, we rushed to Scott Road where people have been gathering to protest against the farm laws for over a year. A group of youth used to gather every evening in solidarity with farmers here and slowly everybody joined in. People celebrated as if there was no tomorrow. From bhangra, farmers’ songs to crackers and car rallies, it was a sight to behold,” she said.

A graduate student at the Simon Fraser University in Surrey, Sahota continued, “Back home in Punjab, we come from a farmer’s family. As I have been born and brought up in Canada, we had almost lost connection with our roots but the farmers’ protest enthused us once again. Now, I am eager to visit my village and meet those farmers’ who fought for their rights and got the farm laws repealed,” she said.

Similarly in Adampur, where the youth used to protest against the farm laws every evening, November 19 was a day of victory and celebration.

Calling it a sewa to farmers, a volunteer, who is working as a private veterinary doctor, said under the condition of anonymity, “We used to stand on the highway every evening and yesterday was our 250th day. We distributed ladoos, had a cake cutting ceremony and danced till late night to celebrate the historic day. Whether it was the scorching heat, rains, storms or now winters, we stood on the highway religiously. It was after seeing the grit of our elderly farmers in the extreme cold of December last year that I decided to hold this protest every day. I am glad we also contributed to this protest,” he said.

The farmers’ protest has reconnected second/third generation Punjabi emigrants to their roots

The contribution of the Punjabi diaspora to the farmers’ protest can be gauged from the fact that people settled in the US, UK, Canada and Europe not only held protests abroad but also visited protest sites and assisted financially.

“For us, it was a do or die battle. Back home in Punjab, we remained in touch with the villagers and made sure that the farmers’ protest did not face any trouble. NRIs contributed generously,” said a Punjabi settled in the US, requesting anonymity.

Tara Gill, another second-generation Punjabi emigrant said that in Surrey, the farmers’ protest became a rallying point for everybody. “The protests started spontaneously. People started bringing tents, arranged tea, langar and basic necessities at Scott Road. Initially, protests were held in downtown Vancouver and some parks too, but Scott Road emerged as the protest site. I am happy that not just that the farm laws have been repealed but also because our children, who were born and brought up in Canada developed an interest in the farmers’ protest, Punjab’s history and culture. They also developed social network through Twitter and Instagram with people back home in India and, in fact, kept us informed about the developments in farmers’ protest,” he said.

Gill’s elderly parents, who are settled in the UK were also elated over farm laws being repealed. “Coming from farming families, we got involved in the farmers’ protest across countries. As Punjabi diaspora is settled across the world, we got in touch with them.”

Arsh Nijjer, another college student from Surrey said, “Last year, when the farmers’ protests began, I thought that people usually protest in India and this is also one of those routine protests. It was only when I noticed my brothers, cousins, parents and friends, who are international students from Punjab, talking about it that I got interested in the protest. Then there was no looking back. The farmers’ protest became a part of our lives, so much so that our daily conversations revolved around them. When the news spread that the farm laws have been repealed, we were overjoyed,” she said.

National Director for Khalsa Aid, Canada, Jatinder Singh said, “While the farmers were protesting in India, we led constant protests, rallies in favour of farmers and amplified their voice. When the farm laws were repealed, it was very personal for us. During the protest, we started joining webinars on farming, getting banners and posters made and even following independent journalists like Sandeep Singh and Amaan Bali to stay up-to-date about everything. The farmers’ protest was a game changer beyond words. We have never been connected with people back home in Punjab the way we are now. Also, we pushed the ‘Godi media’ back through our campaigns and followed select media houses who were committed to facts,” he said.

Dalit’s contribution

The farmers’ protest epitomised the ‘Kisan-Mazdoor Ekta’ slogan. Farm labourers, despite facing the worst social and economic setbacks in agriculture and the society, remained at the Delhi’s borders to get the laws repealed.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi was announcing the withdrawal of the laws, Makhan Singh was busy with the cremation of his father, Harcharan Singh Khalsa at the Hakam Singh Wala village in Punjab’s Mansa district.

Harcharan Singh (65) was a landless farm labourer, who was so committed to the farmers’ protest that even after having met with an accident on October 1 at the Tikri Border, he kept pleading with everybody not to take him home.

His son, Makhan Singh said, “My father was associated with Mazdoor Mukti Morcha, Mansa. He was admitted to PGI, Rohtak just because he was not willing to go home. He breathed his last at the Tikri border on November 17. His only wish was to either get the farm laws repealed or to die as a martyr at Tikri. When Prime Minister Modi announced the repeal of farm laws, it was an extremely emotional moment for me. I was in tears, both of grief and joy.”

The hospitality and tourism graduate who managed a langar

A young hospitality and tourism graduate from a college in Singapore, Jagjeet Singh had come home to his village in Rurka Kalan in Jalandhar for a vacation in February, 2020, when the nationwide lockdown was announced. “I was waiting for my work permit in Singapore when the lockdown was announced. Within months, the farmers’ protest started in Punjab and since then I had been associated with the ‘Maa Dharti de Waarisan da Langar’ at the Singhu border. I was solely responsible for managing the dry ration, utensils, LPG supply, water, milk, timely cooking of food and running the kitchen. Yesterday, when we got to know that farm laws have been repealed, we celebrated big with a special langar where we distributed sweets,” he said.

Jagjeet’s brother Sukhpal Singh, a Kabbaddi player who also remained at Singhu border and served the farmers said, “We took it as a god sent opportunity to serve the farmers and moreover, as I was free, it made things easy for us.”

A farmer, Nirmal Singh Cheema from the Cheema Khurd village in Jalandhar did his duty by providing tents, bedding, bedsheets, maintaining identity records of visitors who used to avail the tent service at the KFC Mall where Jagjeet’s langar was running. “I went home just once, that too after six months of protest. Even now, as the winter season started, we were almost ready with the washing and drying of our blankets, bedsheets and mattresses. As the farm laws have been repealed and the first anniversary of farmers’ protest is just six days away, we are getting busy,” he said.

Ram Singh Rana and the Golden Hut dhaba

Ram Singh Rana, owner of the Golden Hut dhaba near Kurukshetra’s Pipli also featured in the news, not just for his sewa to the protesting farmers but also due to his suppression at the hands of the Haryana government when National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) officials blocked the entrance of his dhaba with boulders. The NHAI officials had claimed that the boulders had been placed there for road safety and it was only after the BKU (Charuni) group held a protest against the high handedness of the Haryana government that access to the Golden Hut was restored.

Situated on the Ambala-Delhi highway, the dhabha was open to farmers, especially women, during the harsh winters and rains in January and February. He also provided free milk and langar sewa for farmers.

Rana said, “We faced some problems during the farmers’ protest but when the victory is historical and earned well, one forgets everything. I come from a farmers’ family and supporting the protest was natural. Governments come and go but farmers will stay here forever. For me, they are my family and I stood by them despite all odds. Zameer zinda rakha maine aur zubaan pakki (My conscience remains alive and I keep my word). All that I have earned in this protest is love, friends, family and life long relations, which is the only asset I value in life,” he said, proudly.

(Courtesy: The Wire.)