December 21, 2020 5:00:24 am
Farmers use mattresses and crop stubble to keep the space warm. Amit Mehra
As the protest at the Singhu border crosses three weeks amid freezing temperatures, farmers have converted their tractor-carts into mini houses, complete with beds, blankets, stereo, groceries, water and other essentials.
Raspinder Singh (31), a farmer from Patiala, and 10 of his friends sleep in a cart every day. While the vehicle deck is covered with mattresses and parali (crop stubble) to keep the space warm, the top is covered with a long yellow tarp.
Singh, who has also placed an electrical distribution board on the side to charge phones and light bulbs, said: “This is our house now. We have made all the arrangements to be able to stay here for a long time. Khalsa Aid and some other volunteers gave us more blankets. We have fixed a bulb on the top to illuminate; we also have a can of Bisleri water. “
The men have also bought mosquito repellent and plastic covers and wear it at night. Singh and his friends are the only ones in their families protesting in Singhu, they said the other members are tending the farms in Patiala.
About a kilometer from Singh’s cart, a group of elderly farmers placed paralí on the ground and sat on them while Rajinder (65), a farmer from Fatehgarh Sahib, made tea in a small kettle. His truck doubles as a living room and kitchen for more than eight farmers.
The truck is covered on all sides with a blue tarp and has light bulbs inside. On the side of the truck, a small platform is used to store medicines, cosmetics, and a small mirror. “We know this will be a long stay. I get up every morning around 6 and make tea for my friends. We bathe in the nearby factory and then change clothes inside the truck. I also put up a mirror so everyone can comb their beard and see what they look like, ”Rajinder said.
The farmers have placed an inverter inside the truck to supply power to their loudspeakers and distribution boards, and they have attached strings to the side of the tarp to hang clothes.
While most women farmers remain at the protest site for only a day or two, citing the lack of access to clean toilets, a group of older women have been sleeping inside their carts for the past two weeks. Amarjeet (65), a farmer from Patiala, sleeps in a cart with five other women. He walks 4 km every day to use a clean toilet and take a bath, but he has planned to stay and help other farmers.
“We have everything we need here in our homes. My knees hurt from sleeping inside the vehicle, but I won’t go. We have covered this with many mattresses and my son gives me vegetables, ”said Amarjeet. The women place logs outside the car to protect the vehicle at night.
They also cook meals for over 100 people every day (roti, tea, sabzi and pinni) and have brought 4-5 cooking cylinders of LPG for that purpose.
The protest site has more than 2,000 tractors and cars parked on the road. Farmers use tractors to make announcements and play songs at night.
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