Updated: December 14, 2020 7:46:34 am
On the Singhu border on Saturday night, one of the 3 key border points that have become the epicenter of the protests. Praveen khanna
A little after 7 p.m., a thick fog comes in and the air becomes colder. Near the main stage, volunteers begin rolling rugs, removing halogen lights, and stacking chairs. The farmers, many wrapped in thick shawls, begin to walk slowly towards their tractor wagons. The day has come to an end at the Singhu border in Delhi. And the night has come alive: from noisy langars serving food until midnight to groups guarding tractor cars until the first round of tea is served around 6 a.m.
Singhu, in north Delhi, marks the capital’s border with Sonepat in Haryana. And over the past 17 days, this is one of three key border points that have become the epicenter of farmers’ protests against the Center’s new farm laws. Thousands of farmers, mainly from Punjab, have set up camp here with parked trucks and carts stretching up to 10 km on the GT highway. (Follow LIVE UPDATES of farmer protests here)
“Several people have asked us what we will do if it rains. We are farmers. For us, the rains are a sign of prosperity. We welcome the rain. It’s already cold and we’re challenging it. A little rain won’t hurt us, ”says Swaran Singh, a 70-year-old farmer who has stayed here for the past fortnight.
It is 7:30 pm and Singh is sitting cross-legged on the road divider, just 50 meters from a police barricade. He is from Ropar and is accompanied by dozens of farmers in the area. For them, the bed is a mattress inside a small fabric tent on the divider.
For others, the night is still young. Nearby, a large screen has been taped to the side of a tractor. Starting at 7 pm, a film is screened, mainly about Sikh culture and history, for two hours. The screen is connected to a laptop and the film is streamed over the Internet. From time to time the dialogues are overshadowed by chants of “Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal.”
Between 8 pm and 10 pm, volunteers clean the main stage area and place plastic bottles and other garbage in disposable bags. Others put speakers and audio equipment in boxes or cover them with plastic sheeting. After the lights go out, the protest stage turns into an open hut with rows of beds.
“The stage is open everywhere and it’s windy but we have no problems. We have our blankets and anyone is invited to sleep here as long as there is space. We wake up in the morning, put the mattresses and blankets aside and set the stage for speeches during the day, ”says Harinder Singh, a farmer who has been assigned to manage the stage.
At the Guru Langar, run by the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, dinner is served from 8 pm to 12:30 am. After 11 p.m., a steel flask with a tap is used to serve tea along with dinner. On Saturday night, soan papdi was served as “prasad”. “Even if someone is hungry at 2 am, they can just wake someone up and they will be given food,” says one volunteer.
At midnight, the shadows come to life under the twinkling lights. These are men with flashlights and sticks, standing in the narrow space between the tractors, taking turns guarding the area until morning. There are around 500 of these volunteers in Singhu, all wearing uniforms that say “pehredar”. Their job is to regulate the movement, “prevent the entry of antisocial elements” and ensure that there is no violence.
“We designate areas between ourselves. For example, there are 3-4 people to monitor an area of about 200 meters. This continues until the last tractor in the line. It is possible that someone could come and steal things and carry out activities that could defame the protest, ”says Jagtar Singh, who has been posted just 200 meters from the barricade.
Even though the farmers come from different regions of Punjab, they share a sense of community. Until 1.30 am, the groups exchange mattresses and blankets, when the need arises. If someone requires additional material, it is provided from a tractor cart with the understanding that it will be returned the next day.
Around 4.30 am, the night watch ends and the men working in the langars begin preparations for breakfast. Outside, tables are set up with plastic baskets filled with toothpaste, toothbrushes, soaps, wash bars, and shampoo bags. Most of these items have been donated by civil society groups, while the rest have been obtained by farmers.
At 7 a.m., the speaker comes alive with a morning prayer. Several people are seated, their eyes closed in meditation. Many others head straight for tea, which is served alongside cookies, cupcakes, and bread. Volunteers clean the night spray from the team decks and the stage is reassembled. Many make video calls to their families at home before the day gets louder and busier.
“This is our life now. We have developed a system, we are feeding ourselves and keeping problems out. The government must understand that we will not give up because our fight is genuine. This is history in the making, ”says Gurtej Singh, a“ pehredar ”. Then he begins cleaning up the remains of a campfire from the night.
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