Singhu: Farmers from Punjab and Haryana have been camping at the Singhu border for over a week. They are demanding the revocation of the three farm laws passed by the Narendra Modi government earlier this year.
Among the protesters are children who joined the protest to show solidarity with the movement, arriving at the Delhi-Haryana border with their parents aboard tractors, buses, and trucks.
ThePrint’s Manisha Mondal met a few children at Singhu border and chronicled their experience, which includes balancing their studies with participation in the protest.
Gursimrat Kaur, a student of class 6, told ThePrint that she joins the protest after finishing her studies. Her routine includes a cup of tea in the morning and solving mathematical problems for two hours while the elders discuss protest strategies.
Kaur, 11, is the only daughter of her farmer parents. “All the farmers protesting here are educated. Hence, they could understand the flaws in the laws introduced by the government. I am studying so that, in the future, no one can cheat me with such draconian laws.”
“Agar Modi ziddi hai toh ye kisan bhi ziddi hai (If Modi is stubborn, so is the farmer),” she added, while solving equations. “Hum apna hak lekar hi wapis jaynge, chahe kuch bhi ho jaye (We will only go back after claiming our right, no matter what).”
Wearing a red turban with a kisan badge pinned to it, 13-year-old Gursewak Singh is here with his father and other relatives. He studies in Class 7 at a private school in Amritsar, and said he has been a part of the protest since it first began in September.
According to Singh, he tries to study for two hours every day, with his teachers handing out assignments online.
Singh, who aspires to become a farmer, said farming “today is going down the hill”. “The new laws will cause problems for the farmers, and the rich people will benefit from them,” he added.
Some other youngsters have arrived at the protest site temporarily, briefly abandoning their studies to give their full participation.
These include Ramanvir Singh, a class 10 student, and Puneet Singh, a class 11 student, both of whom are here for a week from Mohali.
Puneet said they will catch up with studies once they return home.
“Hum ye hak ki ladai ladne aye hai, apna hak lekar hi jaynge (We have come here to fight for our rights, and will only go back once we get them),” he said. “Joining the protest was necessary.”
