New Delhi: There is song and dance in the air and sweets are being distributed across Singhu, Tikri and Ghazipur borders — much like it was the day the Prime Minister was forced to take back the three farm laws. The protest is now over.
But even as the farmers started taking down tents and temporary fixtures at the protest sites — underneath the joy of victory, was a deep sense of nostalgia — they were all going to miss their makeshift homes, their brotherhood and the bonds forged by the hard knocks of a year-long battle with the State. The protest was now over.
Amrik Singh, aged around 65, from Patiala said he felt at home in his tent at the Singhu border and thought of the possibility of leaving it with a heavy heart. "I don't feel like leaving it all behind and all those memories of struggle, moments of joy and friendships we have formed," he said, adding, "It often occurs to me that I should rent a house here if the protest ends."
Riding hundreds of tractors and other vehicles, farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in the last week of November 2020 moved towards Delhi demanding repeal of three farm laws of the Narendra Modi government. Despite what any would call unsurmountable challenges and difficulties posed by the establishment — they prevailed.
On Wednesday, as farmers started dismantling their tents and utilities, all maintained that they will move towards their hometown in unison on December 11.
At Ghazipur, machines like bread makers and milk boilers will be removed from Thursday night with many protesters starting the journey back home on Thursday itself. They said it will take a few more days to remove the temporary structures and accommodations at the Ghazipur site.
Saudagar Singh, a middle-aged farmer from Ludhiana, reminisced his struggles during the yearlong protests, narrating the bonds he forged and how many new friends he found at the protest site. "We thought the government will not listen to us and we will have to stay here. But finally we won and farm laws are gone. Now it's time to go home and we are feeling strange now," he said.
Preparing to go home, many farmer protesters said they will dispose of items of daily use and back carrying their personal belongings and vehicles. "There is not much to take back home. Most of it will be given to local people, many of whom are regular visitors for us," Saudagar Singh said.
Khalsa Aid, an NGO, which has been at the forefront of providing utility services to protesting farmers, has also said that they will hand over the leftover materials to locals who need it before wrapping up their stalls at protest sites. Like Khalsa Aid, many other NGOs have stepped up in the past year to offer services and utilities to the protesters — come what may.
Meanwhile, many farmers reminisced about their struggles, which included the brutality of the State and nightly slurs being shouted at them from television news studios. They hoped that their struggle inspires more to fight for their rights.
The thought already planted firmly in his mind, Raushal Alam, an MTech from Bihar, said he will go back to his village and make sure that he narrates the success story of the farmers' agitation to inspire people to fight for their rights.