NEW DELHI: Gurupurab was special this time for the agitating farmers at Singhu. At first, they could not believe that the contentious agriculture laws were repealed. It took some time for the feeling to sink in among the men, women and children present at the protest site.
Rooted at the national capital’s margin for more than a year, these sons of soil and their families have braved vagaries of weather, police action and the deadly wave of Covid pandemic. Now, all the suffering felt vindicated.
Smiling faces greeted each other on the success of the protest which started on November 25 last year when thousands of farmers — mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh — marched towards Delhi and pitched their tents on the borders.
By 10am, the stage was set for celebration. While union leaders discussed the Centre’s U-turn and their course of action, the youngsters were in a celebratory mood. Kisan Anthem, a song sung by Punjabi singer Mankirt Aulakh, reverberated across the protest site. Chants of ‘Kisan Ekta Zindabad’ were resounding. An 80-year-old farmer from Haryana broke into a song with the lines of “Modi sarkar ne duniya dukhi banayi.”
This was followed with laddoos and tea. Many farmers invited mediapersons and expressed their opinion on the development. “We are happy with the announcement. This is the first time the PM has said something. This Gurupurab has brought happiness, hard work has paid off,” said Nirmal Singh of Kisan Majdoor Sangharsh Samiti.