As farmers began to vacate the borders of Delhi after suspending their year-long sit-in protest, a “House on Wheels” they built at the Ghazipur site has been kept intact to keep the memories of their struggle alive for future generations.
The house now stationed at Ghazipur on the border of the national capital with Uttar Pradesh captures the perseverance of the farmers who had camped on the outskirts on Delhi from November 2020 braving the chilly winter, rains and the bristling summer.
For many farmers, the tractors they arrived in at the protest sites doubled up as temporary homes while others erected tents using tarpaulin and bamboo or just simply threw down mattresses on the ground and slept in the open, braving the elements.
Guddu Pradhan a farmer who hails from Bulandshahr said, “A lot of tents that we had built initially were washed away in the storms. So the farmers of Bulandshahr thought of making such a home that would be permanent as the duration of the protest was not known, it could have lasted for five to 10 years. So all the farmers collected money and made this ‘House on Wheels’. We want to make it into a heritage centre as a mark of our struggle for future generations to see.”
Talking about the house, the farmer said that the house was constructed at a cost of Rs 4.5 lakh. It stands on wheels, making it easy for it to be shifted from one place to another
Materials used in the construction of the house includes a mix of bricks, cement, iron, plywood and straw for the roofing. Inside, the two-room structure has all basic amenities including a refrigerator, air conditioners, television etc. Farmers during their protest used to take turns to sleep or just recharge themselves before heading out to join others.
“This house is 30 foot long and measures 10 foot in breadth. It was built at an expense of nearly Rs 4.5 lakh. We want future generations to remember this protest,” he said.
Another farmer Captain Bishan Sirohi said the farmers will not hesitate to resume their protest if the government reneges on its promises.
“The government should do its job and not stand against the farmers. If it does, it will be finished and such protests will be carried on,” he said.
He also said that during the protest, many farmers had lost their lives.
“The government is arrogant because of which the matter got extended for so long. The government had to pay the price and so did we. More than 700 farmers have lost their lives, which is now recorded in history,” he said.
The farmer said they would be returning home with memories of newly forged friendships and brotherhood.
“It is the brotherhood that we are taking back. Earlier we were split into castes, but during the protest all of us sat together and had our meals, we fought together for the same cause, i.e. for farmers. The farmers have become revolutionary and with the experience, we got in the past one year, we are ready to fight everywhere there is a need,” he said.
Farmers had been protesting against the farm laws on various borders of Delhi since November 26, 2020.
On December 9, the Samyukta Kissan Morcha the umbrella body under which the farmers had banded together announced the suspension of their year-long agitation after they received a letter from the Central government, with promises of forming a committee on Minimum Support Price (MSP) and immediate withdrawal of cases against them immediately.
The farmers will hold a review meeting on January 15. “If the government does not fulfil its promises, we could resume our agitation,” the SKM had said in its statement.
On November 19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Centre will bring necessary bills in the Winter Session of Parliament to repeal the farm laws. (ANI)
