Protesting Centre’s agriculture laws, farmers camping at Delhi’s Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur & Chilla borders have come prepared, with months worth of ration and blankets to fight the cold, turning tractor-trolleys into makeshift homes.
It takes around two hours for Baljeet Singh, a farmer from Moga in Punjab, to reach the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Every winter he pays a visit to the holy city. But this year, it is different.
For the last 25 days, Singh has been sleeping in a tractor-trolley amid the bone-chilling cold and offering prayers at a makeshift gurdwara — the only religious place at the Singhu border in New Delhi.
At the border between Delhi and Haryana that has emerged the epicentre of the agitation against the Centre’s new farm laws, farmers sit quietly under a canopy of orange and white drapes for some time, offer their prayers — one after another — before heading for the protest every day.
Like the Golden Temple, this gurdwara is open to people from all faiths.
Stretching over several kilometres, the border looks nothing short of a small village, rather a “mini Punjab”, with thousands of farmers, along with their tractors and trolleys, staging a sit-in protest since November 26.
At Tikri, Ghazipur and Chilla borders, too, farmers, several of them over 70 years, have been camping from across the country. Most have arrived in tractor-trolleys which have now been doubled up as night shelters. Some of the vehicles are also being used to carry ration and even fuel for cooking and bikes.
Many say the protesters have replicated their villages here — a langar at every 100 metres, youngsters preparing food throughout the day, and some listening to the radio or watching televisions.
The NH-1 which has been blocked for nearly 25 days is housing more than 35,000 protestors.
The ‘Delhi Chalo’ protest, which has begun with just about 5,000 farmers, has now garnered support from all walks of life across the nation and abroad, starting from artists, Punjabi actors, international NGOs, students and techies, among others.
The farmers have also made massive makeshift kitchens to feed whoever is visiting these sites, including police personnel, some of whom had been deployed to stop the protesters from entering the national capital initially.
A dental camp, medicine stalls, libraries and laundry services —several other arrangements have also cropped up at the borders as the protest has entered its third week.
At the Singhu border, a group of sportspersons has bought two washing machines for the protesters, especially the elderly, and installed solar panels on tractor-trolleys to charge mobile phones.
To feed the farmers, homeless and even journalists, different gurudwara committees from Delhi, Haryana and Punjab have installed a gigantic electric roti-makers which can churn 1,500 rotis every hour.
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“We are here not only to cook for farmers but also for the needy. With the number of supporters swelling every day, the gurdwara committees have placed this machine to ensure that the langars are served without delay,” says Hardeep Singh, a member of the Delhi Gurudwara Sikh Management Committee (DGSMC).
A dental camp, medicine stalls, libraries and laundry services —several other arrangements have also cropped up at the borders as the protest has entered its third week. The roti-maker serves rotis to at least 5,000-6,000 people per day.
NGOs lend helping hand
Besides the farmers’ organisations and gurdwara committees, NGOs such as Khalsa Aid has also made elaborate arrangments to keep the sites clean after langars every day.
Hundreds of its volunteers pick up heaps of garbage comprising paper plates and cups.
Without waiting for authorities to clean up the sites, they have decided to take matters in their own hands and removed the piles of dirt.
The international humanitarian relief organisation has also installed 25 foot-massager machines, geysers and heaters at the Singhu border for the farmers. It is also organising langar services daily for the protesting farmers.
Why washing machines?
The farmers use the washrooms at nearby petrol pumps to take a shower, but as the mercury started to drop, the some of them decided to arrange washing machines to wash their cloths.
“In the beginning, we used to go back to our villages to wash our clothes. But it was not possible for all the protesting farmers. Hence, I decided to bring two washing machines while returning to the protest site so that the farmers, especially the elderly, could get their clothes washed. Later, other people also come forward to support us with three more machines,” says Prince Sandhu, 30, a farmer from Ludhiana in Punjab. According to Sandhu, at least 300 people wash their clothes every day.
“We wash, rinse, dry and pack them in packets with the person’s name. The laundry service begins at 6 am and continues till 8.00 pm. The locals and the owners of petrol pumps and shopping malls are also helping us a lot with electricity and water,” the young protester says.
The ‘tent city’ at the border
Also, at a petrol pump at the Singhu border, a ‘tent city’ has been set up to provide accommodation to the protesters as they battle harsh winter. The area has around 200 tents where over 400 plus farmers are residing.
It provides all the facilities free of cost, which include mattress, quilt, blanket, bedsheets, towels, toothpaste, toothbrush, and oil. Mobile charging ports with extensions, toilets, and bathing facilities are also available for protesting farmers.
Tent city’s managing team members Jatin Singh and Baghel Singh said that the initiative has been taken up by Hemkunt Foundation and the petrol pump owner has permitted to use his premises.
"We started with 50 tents. These are tents used for trekking. They are waterproof and windproof and shield them from cold. We start booking these tents from 6.00 pm and give preferences to ladies and those who are coming from outside and cannot bear the expense of hotels,” Baghel said.
“We had come here for just for a day in solidarity with the farmers. But after witnessing their spirit, we wanted to do something good for them. Initially, not many women farmers had joined the protest. However, now you can see many women are reaching here with their children to support their husbands, fathers and brothers. The main aim was to provide safety, security and comfort for these women and the elderly,” says Lovedeep Singh, another member of the foundation.
Jatin says the foundation has set up different-sized tents for children and adults.
“In smaller tents, two children are accommodated, while the larger ones accommodate five people. The farmers are coming in shifts and leave accordingly,” says Jatin.
Mobile charging station
A few steps away from the laundry sewa, Pushpinder Singh from Haryana’s Karnal has set up a mobile charging station with the help of two 100 watts solar panel atop his tractor.
“Everyone here has come far from their home to fight for their rights, and mobile phones are their only source to get in touch with their family members and get the latest updates on the protest. Many of us have now installed solar panels which also help illuminate the site at night,” he says.
Medical services for farmers
As farmers continue to protest, nurses and medical staff from Punjab have joined the protest at the Singhu border. Some of the nurses joined the stir to provide the farmers with medical assistance if the need arises.
Besides, the Red Cross Society has provided its ambulances, doctors from the AIIMS-Delhi, the Shiromani Akali healthcare and other charity healthcare organisations have set up camps.
Interestingly, libraries with slogans “Udta Punjab nahi, padhta Punjab” have also been set up at the site.
Youth ink protest tattoos
A group of tattoo artists from Punjab are also drawing the attention at the Singhu border.
The group’s name is ‘Krazy Tattoo Club’. The artists of this group are giving free tattoos to the people involved in the movement.
Senior citizens undeterred
Earlier this month, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had requested farmer leaders to ask senior citizens and children at the protest sites to go home.
Many senior citizens and children have joined the farmers in their agitation. Farmer leaders, however, did not accept the request of the minister and said they had supplies to last a year.
“They may have broken my leg but not my spirit. They used water cannons and beat us with lathis, but we stood still. The Narendra Modi government is trying to kill us by not repealing the black laws. We will die here but won’t move an inch,” says 85-year-old farmer Jagraj Singh from Punjab’s Raikot.
Despite sleeping under the open sky and trucks, taking a shower in public mobile toilets, set up by the municipal corporation, even as the cold waves continue to sweep Delhi-NCR, thousands of farmers like Jagraj are determined to stay at the site till the end of the protest.
“Due to my age, my son and grandsons didn’t let me come here initially. But I fled in the early morning and joined my fellow farmers to join the protest at the Singhu border,” he says.
Moda Singh, 72, from Mogah in Punjab asks what is the use of such laws when the farmers themselves are against the legislations.
“Whenever the government proposes a policy or a bill, it is presented before the public for their opinion. Then, why the government didn’t do that with these bills?” he says.
“Thousands of people are here and everyone has their reason. What do they think, we are enjoying here in this winter, sleeping under trucks, watching our brothers die in the cold?” asks an angry 70-year-old Darshan Kaur from Bathinda in Punjab.
When asked how they are coping with the winter, Mihir Kaur from Punjab’s Barnala, says: “We are farmers and such winter is nothing new to us. Although it is very cold here, farmers work hard in all weathers. Back home, we wake up early to work in the field and now, we get up early to cook and participate in the protest. Both are done for our children.”
Kaur along with a group of women from her village makes more than 500 rotis a day. Shaindeep Singh, 8, from Amritsar says she has skipped her mid-term exam and reached the Singhu border along with her father.
“I will write my exams in the next term. I wake up early, help others clean the area and my father at the langar sewa these days,” she says.
Lane for ambulance
The farmers have kept an alleyway for auto and e-rickshaws and ambulances.
The lane is also used by the farmers for transporting goods, vegetables, fruits, blankets and other items. Besides, no other vehicle is allowed to enter here.