 "Singhu")
Celebrations erupted on Saturday morning at the Singhu protest site as hundreds of thousands of farmers geared up to head home after over a year of agitation at the Delhi-Haryana border, the epicentre of the protest and one of the three agitation sites, Tikri and Ghazipur being the others, on Delhi's borders. Large convoys of tractor trolleys bedecked with flowers and lights packed with farmers in their colourful turbans rolled out of the protest site blaring ‘victory songs’. Emotions ran high as they tapped their feet on “Jittke Punjab Chalya ni, tanu Delhiye", while chanting "Assi Delhi jit layi si".
“I never thought it would be this hard to go back home as I have established a deep connection with the people and the place. This agitation will be in our memories forever," said Kartar Singh from Patila as he gathers his belongings to pack his luggage.
Ladders, tarpaulin, poles and ropes lay scattered at the once-buzzing protest site, while blankets, pillows, mattresses and chairs were neatly stacked on the roadside.
It’s a sweet victory for farmers as the government has given ‘written assurance’ to them with promises of forming a committee on MSP and withdrawing cases against them with an immediate effect. “It has been a pleasant experience.The govt used to think that we are powerless but we showed them our unity and strength," said Gurpreet Kaur Punia, a protester.
Amid blaring music and morning prayers, gatherings were also seen at langars which served breakfast to the returning protestors.
“Probably, this will be our last langar here at the site. There’s no counting of langars we made here. It is all due to the blessings of Guru Sahib ji. We did it out of compulsion. It’s indeed a happy moment for us as we won against the government but the real happiness would have been there if those 700-plus farmers who laid their lives would have been with us, celebrating the glorious victory,” said 49-year-old Pargat Singh as he picked up the leftover plates.
Unlike other days, there was a thin police presence on Saturday at Singhu and those present looked relaxed.
While many farmers have kickstarted their journey back home, a few of their peers have decided to stay back and could be seen cleaning the protest sites where they stayed for over a year.
Though the majority of farmers are celebrating December 11 as ‘Vijay Diwas’, a group of farmers is still sitting in protest against the farm union's decision to call off the protest.
"Why did nobody come to listen to us? We have been protesting since December 5. Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) -- an umbrella of over 40 farm unions -- leaders have sold this movement. They had said that they will not move until we get MSP guarantee, Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni's arrest, and cases against our fellow protesters are taken back. But what did they do? We will not leave until our demands are met," says 72-year-old Navdeep Singh from Sonipat.
Joginder Singh, a 35-year-old farmer from Patiala, felt that SKM leaders have betrayed them. "They (farmer leaders) say they will protest again if the government didn't not accept their demands. But we know, nobody can bring so many people back again. The government wanted this protest to finish ahead of the assembly poll and our leaders have given them that," said a disappointed Joginder.
Not only farmers but local shopkeepers were also happy seeing the protesters leave. "This protest has been a nightmare for us. We had never thought that we would be living for 1 year under this siege with no income. At last we are happy that farmers are going back with their hands full," said Amit Kumar, a shopkeeper.
The site also created some fond memories of the women protestors heading towards their hometown. From reading religious books as they reserved their seats in the trolley and buses to buying accessories from locals, these women protestors bid adieu to each other with a warm heart.
“It’s been a year now since I’m sitting here at this site. I’m all alone in my family, my husband and son died. But I’m here for my fellow protestors, my brothers and sons. Everyone fights for himself but I have decided to fight for others. We will go to Amritsar now but it will eventually take around 4-5 days as we’ll move slowly. For me, this place is very special as it has given me a new identity. Everyone calls me ‘maa’ here. Everyone has given me so much love. This is my extended family. I would also like to thank PM Modi as he gave us an opportunity to gather here and now that he has repealed the laws, we would leave this site with all the love and care we have received here,” said Kulvir Kaur who hails from patiala, Punjab.
What gained massive attention was the car that was kept to record those beautiful moments of the ‘Vijay Diwas’. Installed with various recording equipment, the car was kept behind the bus carrying ‘Guru Granth Sahib’. This documentary will later be available on all social media platforms.
“We want to capture the beautiful moments of the last day. This will be a kind of documentation for our young generations. They will see how their fathers and grandfathers fought for their rights and emerged victorious,” said Gurcharan Singh as he checked the system.
SKM on December 9 formally announced that it will call off the physical agitation after the Centre agreed on all pending demands, including dropping police cases filed against farmers during the protest.
