Chhavi Bhatia
Tikri—Incessant rain, icy cold winds, below one degree temperature, and water logging. Yet lakhs of farmers pitching at various Delhi borders remained defiant towards weather’s fury and government’s apathy.
On Sunday when Delhi and parts of the region woke up to a gloomy wintery morning with heavy rains and thunder, farmers brushed off the shivering cold as a minor blockade in their revolutionary fight. They valiantly said that the inclement weather only steeled their resolve to fight on regardless till the three controversial farm laws are resolved. Thousands of farmers sat out in the open, listening to their leaders as is the morning routine at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur, unmindful of getting drenched in the drizzle. They even cheered those who took to the stage to speak about the laws, their tussle with the government and how the imminent victory requires patience and grit.
“Gurbani sahnu sidak te sabr sikhaundi aa(Gurbani teaches us perseverance and faith). We are going ahead with the same message. Rain and cold do not matter when you have faith in your Gurus,” said Gurnam Singh from Thikriwala village in Barnala. Others like Sultan Singh from Mehem, Haryana laughed off the inclement weather as nothing compared to what they combat in fields. “We go as early as 4AM in sub zero temperature to water our fields. This weather cannot stop our movement,” he said.
To send out a strong message to the government that has refused to accept their demands of rolling back the laws, some farmers went shirtless and took out a procession in the morning. The mercury had hovered between two to four degrees Celsius at that time. “Farmers do not get intimidated by minor issues like freezing cold. We want the government to know how determined and headstrong all of us are,” asserted Ranjeet Singh, a farmer from Rohtak.
Rains also led to severe water logging in many areas in Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur and Chilla where farmers have parked trolleys—their makeshift homes. At Singhu and Tikri, they could also be seen cleaning the slush and clearing the stagnant water.
As weather took a turn for the worse over the weekend, the peaceful sit-in claimed six lives in 24 hours, taking the total number of deaths since the stir started to 60. 18-year-old Jashanpreet succumbed to cardiac attack and another 64-year-old farmer from Haryana was found dead in his trolley. A 70 year-old farmer also committed suicide on Saturday, dejected with the Centre’s indifference towards their plight.
