365 days away from home for their right, farmers recall yr full of struggle & grief

New Delhi: Even as most protesting farmers at Delhi's borders are clear that the repeal of the three contentious farm laws was just half a victory — what has been undisputed is the fact that whatever success the movement has brought for farmers has come because of people like Amurak Singh (67), who has been at the Singhu border protest site for all of 365 days — away from his home and family in Punjab's Ludhiana.

Like Singh, hundreds of farmers have set up tents at border protest sites at Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur — with some even thinking what they would do if the government ever ended up meeting all of their demands. It is not so much that they would miss being part of the protests but that they would miss the camaraderie they had found there.

"Day in and day out, we have been living our lives at the borders here now. Sometimes, it feels strange as to what we would do when we wake up one day to find out we no longer have to be here. It is not just the protests but the relationships we have developed here. Till now, we did not even know whether such a day would come but now that we have won half the battle, we at least have hope," said Chaudhary Tasavvur, a farmer from UP's Bahraich area.

But at the same time, the struggles of having to take care of the farmland while being part of the movement have also taken over those who had to spend a year at the borders. While their families played a huge role in supporting them by taking care of the farm work, they kept on protesting — and losing their loved ones to either vile attacks from rogue elements, the vagaries of the weather and accidents.

"We are protesting the three farms since the first day. I have lost my two friends, who were also farmers at the protest site. My family is suffering from financial loss due to no farming last year at our village in Punjab. But still, we will be protesting until the government assures us in writing. My son also comes at the protest from time to time to support fellow farmers," Amurak told Millennium Post.

65-year-old Pritam Singh from Patiala said, "It is been a year now, why was the government in a slumber? Why did not they feel the necessity of talks and did not form any committees?" he asserted. But even as farmers reap the benefits of their struggle, many like 61-year-old Moni Kaur have also made a home at the Singhu border site.

From Rohini's Swaroop Nagar area, Kaur has been sitting at the protest site since day one — stitching kasheras for the men there free of charge. She had lost her husband in 2011, following which her 20-year-old son too died due to an undiagnosed illness.

"It is a year now we are sitting at the border and will remain seated here till we get a written assurance by the government," she said.

With inputs from Abhinay Lakshman