New Delhi—“Vela aa gaya jaag kisaana, de system de halak ch fana…” (Farmers, it is time to wake up and take the system head-on). A recently released song by Harf Cheema and Kanwar Grewal has become the anthem of the farmers’ protest that entered its fifth day today. The riveting Punjabi song that talks about plight of farmers and the Centre’s indifference, egging the former to brace up for a long drawn war, is carrying the momentum of their struggles on its musical shoulders.
Braving harsh cold, police brutalities and an uncertain future, the song is the energy booster shot thousands of farmers turn to daily. From the lyrics to its music, Cheema-Grewal duo has weaved an infectious revolution in Pecha Pai Gaya. Walk through the site where they are camping and it is very rare that lines like “Khich le jatta, khich taiyyari…pecha pai gaya Centre naal”(Get ready, farmer..Now it is direct confrontation with the powers that be)do not reverberate in your ears. The song can be heard at langars, also during day when the men and women calculate their losses with the new farm bills, at night when the elderly contemplate what the new dawn will bring. In fact, the massive sea of farmers that started their march towards Delhi on March 26 soared on the song when Haryana police unleashed brute force to crackdown on them. “They did not attack us physically but attacked our spirit. This song pushed us to carry on because ae sadde hakk di ladai ae(we are fighting for our rights),” Jasmeet Brar, a student from Patiala who has joined his father and uncles, says.
Not just the song, Cheema and Grewal have pitched themselves at Singhu border as show of allegiance to the community. Pecha Pai Gaya is just an extension of this solidarity with their farmer brethren. “Pind pind cho bharo trallian…gal nahi banni canter naal”(Bring everyone from villages and get them on trolleys, small vehicles won’t do anymore), the lyrics urge people to march towards Delhi in large numbers. “We are sons of farmers and no one understands the struggle better than us. Our survival is at stake right now. I will stand by them till my last breath,” says Grewal who had composed another number, Ailan, indicating impending rebellion against the farm laws. Tenu Delhi eh ekath pareshaan karuga Tere fayede nalo jyada nuksaan karuga par faslan da faisla kisan karuga(This unity of farmers will trouble you and will do more harm than benefit..Farmers will be the final word on agriculture).
