PUNJAB: After living as a dutiful housewife for 25 long years, something suddenly stirred in Samita Kaur (now 51) in 2020. Back when the world was reeling under the Covid-19 pandemic and the farmers were holding protests on the outskirts of the national capital against the three contentious farm laws (later repealed), Samita was fighting her own battle.
She had spent years looking after her ailing in-laws and playing the role of a nurturer at home. But she had made up her mind to walk out of a marriage that she felt was suppressing her. And she didn’t care how society would react. “Divorce, in my opinion, shouldn’t be seen as a taboo. It can be seen as a positive step, too,” she muses.
Ask her why she suddenly decided to part ways with her husband, and pat comes her reply: “I wanted to set an example for our children. I had to tell them that they must not compromise on their principles. That they shouldn’t be okay with violence. To stand up against atrocities and look adversities in the eye. It’s unfortunate that our society often pressurises a woman to stay in a marriage for the sake of their children. It is time for all to realise that in order to safeguard our children, it is sometimes important to walk away. My marriage ended because I was being degraded and abused in front of my kids.”
But it wasn’t as easy as it sounds now. Samita barely had a small set of clothes and little money when she walked away from her husband. But she soldiered on. Luckily, there was a happy ending.
“The broken relationship between my husband and me has now turned into a friendship that we are taking forward for our children. It just shows that something positive always comes out of everything. When you have seen the worst in life, you stop fearing anything. And you start treating tomorrow as just another day.”
And it was those testing times that made her realise who would always have her back. “My children, father, friends and our extended family were my biggest support system. It’s during those tough times that you realise how superficial money is. It comes and goes. All that matters is who stands with you.”
The struggle in her personal life prompted Samita to feel more strongly about a number of social issues. She became more vocal about pollution and the agrarian crisis in Punjab. Reflecting on how it all started, she shares, “My journey as an activist started back in 2020. There was so much going on. Covid cases were going through the roof, and farmers were protesting against the three disputed agriculture laws brought by the Centre. I was just done being suppressed and submissive.’’
Asked what drew her towards these issues, she says, “So, I came across this Facebook page called ‘We Support Our Farmers’. As I started doing research on the agrarian crisis and began writing about it, I finally understood the link between agriculture and environmental issues.”
Samita soon got in touch with some like-minded people. “While working on farmers’ issues, I met a group of women called ‘Warrior Moms’ and joined them in the fight against air pollution. I spearheaded campaigns regarding the landfill in Dadumajra and motivated people to understand the severe health implications of unsegregated waste,” she tells us.
When the Mattewara forests came under a threat from a textile park project, she didn’t sit quietly. She wrote to Punjab Assembly Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan in a bid to save one of the last remaining sacred forests of Punjab. “We wrote to each and every MLA, and the Speaker did initiate a debate. He read out my letter on the matter in Vidhan Sabha. With the support of the masses, politicians and the government, we managed to protect those jungles,” she says with an air of humility.
Her activism is not limited to plastic pollution or poor waste management alone. She also feels strongly about groundwater depletion and the worsening air quality in Punjab. “We do not see clear blue skies anymore,” she rues, adding, “Air pollution is something every resident of Punjab acknowledges, but sadly no firm action is taken against those who violate the environment-related laws.”
Expressing her frustration over the “scapegoating” of farmers every time north Indian states struggle with smog, Samita expresses, “It bothers me how farmers get the blame for pollution in Delhi. Meetings were held with scientists to understand the scientific reason behind how the wind speed during stubble burning is less than five kilometres per hour. This blot on Punjab had to be wiped off. The country is oblivious of the fact that the key cause of air pollution in the state is the industries’ disregard for environmental bylaws.”
Dwelling on the issue of poor waste management, she laments, “The concept of Swachh Bharat is not well understood in Punjab. Solid waste management needs to be implemented. Amritsar, for example, has become the most polluted city. So, we aim to make it plastic-free.”
She hopes that people wake up to the grim ecological conditions of Punjab. “Our state is in an environmental emergency,” she warns. And to avert a bigger crisis, she needs more support.
So, what piece of advice does Samita have for others who want to bring about a positive change in the world? “I have learnt that if you are armed with facts and conviction to speak the truth, it means you are on the right track. People respect you for your work and dedication,’’ she concludes.