When eyes have water

It is rejuvenating to see Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, Gujaratis, South Indians and many others bonding and hugging at 2 am in the morning, sipping a cup of shared tea to stay warm in the chilly winter... All this while the authorities continue to question them, their motives, backing and antecedents, continually tormenting and badgering them. What the hell is happening; is this my India in Year 2020?

For the record, I am a brown-skinned Madraasi Iyer Brahmin. Mind it, I have grown up with fair-skinned Kashmiris, some equally-brown Bengalis, patka- and pagdi-clad brothers who taught me to enjoy mutton and kukkad, even refugees from Afghanistan, diplomats from Bangladesh (one of my friends now flies an F-16 for the Bangladesh Air Force) and my veshti-clad eyebrow-raising family. I am a thoroughbred galloper, a Delhi-ite.

My family disagrees, even as it continues to treat a now chastened buzurg as an infant. "Chhi chhi, pa (loveable one). Unacceptable, kanna (my love). Wake up to life's reality. We are different than them. We are Tamilians. Our people have culture, education and a history of accomplishments," my elder Madraasis told me as I was growing up. How quaint, and totally wrong they were. I disagreed with them vociferously, dear ancestors. And half a century has now taught me that – my friends and neighbors have made me what I am, and am I happy to have been blessed with them. They made me a proud and true Indian.

Along Delhi's borders…

And scores of others like me are now lining Delhi's many borders. Like a lady from Shaheen Bagh with her buckets of tea for the protesting farmers. A middle-aged man from Jama Masjid and his biryani for those participating in the farmers' protest. Like a horde from California which has funded many langars which are helping feed the thousands living out in the open in North India's chilly winter season.

And then I saw something heart-wrenching, as a tyrannical intervention by the authorities led to a minor tumult. And it was good that it happened, for it opened thousands of eyes to what India and Indians stand for today, regardless of all the attempts to create rifts and divides. It also showed everyone around the world what we are as a people, as every incident large and little is being captured by the thousands of Smartphones present on Delhi's borders and transmitted across the globe within minutes. It also showed that this protest is only about the very basic rights of the farmers who feed us, and have and shall for generations. It is about the strongest stream and team of people that we have ever produced in this country – the Sikhs, Haryanvis, and Marathis, Gujaratis and Madraasis.

So what happened?

In love with a 70-yr-old

I fell in love with a 70-year-old woman. Serving tea and biscuits to the farmers at 2 am, she was suddenly accosted and questioned by some men in uniform and sporting. And the reason for the raised eyebrows was why she was serving foodstuff to the farmers when she was a Muslim?! The new love of my life turned out to be no pushover, as she all but waded into the uniformed men. "Yes, I am a Muslim and here to help my brothers from Punjab and Haryana. Who are you to dare question me for this? Don't you have any conscience left?"

Needless to say, the cops were nonplussed and all but jumped back over the barriers. Me, even as I was experiencing brand-new love, I was ashamed for a bit to have witnessed this and had little trickles of water running down my cheeks. What grace and damn guts my lover has!

Over the weekend, the Millennium Post wrote of many other similar people manning and fanning Delhi's borders. There was the instance of a group of Muslims from Malerkotla in Punjab, around 250 km from the Singhu border, who are doing their bit to support the protesting farmers and keep them well-fed. "We have to support our farmer brothers; without them, our life will come to a standstill. This is the least we can do," said Iliyas, who supervises the kitchen, adding that he keeps calling in workers from Malerkotla to keep up with the rising footfall as the agitation grows.

With neither the Government nor the farmers agreeing to back down on some of the controversial aspects of the new farm laws, repeated meetings and sit-downs between the two sites have yielded no results. And with a billion-plus Indians watch from the sidelines, many of them are beginning to head to Delhi's borders, adding to the crowds. And a growing number of non-farmers are heading to Delhi, to keep the protestors full of stomach and vigor.

Unity in diversity

India is a land of many religions and cultures, and India's unity in diversity has been a standout embellishment of ours for centuries. Sure, sporadic instances of religious strife have occurred now and then, but the country's people at large have always recognized these incidents for what they are – largely motivated and instigated by certain vested interests and / or political parties to drive their own agenda. The real India has always stood united. And the farmers' protest in Delhi has repeatedly showcased the true face of this real India I am talking about. Many a time, adversity and a moment can impact the people as a whole in a big way.

For instance, the simple gesture of Sikhs and Hindus standing around a group of Muslims as the latter offered their daily namaz (prayers). What more can one ask for, this simple example of unity and harmony, in the midst of this adversity? Fellow-journalist Rana Ayyub posted this emotional sequence on Twitter and the images of Sikh and Hindu farmers encircling the Muslim farmers so that they could offer their prayers in peace went viral. "This made me emotional. Sikh brothers standing in solidarity with Muslims while they offer namaz at the farmers' protest," Ayyub wrote in his Twitter post.

'Vested' plans backfired

Paradoxically, what is visibly bringing the people together once again is attempts by various parties to stoke unrest. And infuriatingly enough, a large part of the stoking is being done by mainstream politicians and sections of the media, so much so in fact that the farmers have banned both from the protesting podiums and grounds.

For instance, in the early days of the protest, India's leading TV channels repeatedly showed clips of the farmers picking up barricades and large rocks from a blocked highway and throwing them off a bridge. "Farmers on the Rampage," "Agitating Farmers Get Violent" and "Riots Moving Towards Delhi" were the 'Exclusive' headlines. WhatsApp-aficionados went crazy with forwards and doomsayers got busy with phone calls. It was only a day later when the truth came out – all that the peaceful farmers were doing was clearing the road for a stranded ambulance, whose driver was begging for a clear path as the patient inside was in a critical condition.

The above is one the incidents that boomeranged and unwittingly led to a larger congregation at Delhi's borders! This was because farmers and non-farmer supporters alike realized that there were larger forces at play here, forces that wanted to tarnish the farmers and their protest at the outset itself and snuff out the agitation.

"When I saw the 'real' clips on social media, I was so angry that I got together with my friends and headed out to Delhi the same day," says a law student from Odisha. Scores of others followed suit and the canter turned into a full-blown gallop.

The path forward

This one is quite a no-brainer – the farmers appear to be in no mood to recant and go back to their homes without the farm laws being torn up and thrown away. The Government doesn't seem to be willing to relent all the way either, leading to a standoff.

And as they fear for their livelihoods and very safety, farmers are now being extremely cautious of their image. A clear and clever approach has thus been taken – a segregation of the protestors into various groups, such as speakers and sloganeers, cooks and cleaners, supply chain managers and, finally, the 'protectors'. A cadre of young agitators has been formed to ensure that peace and calm prevail and no untoward incidents occur, especially any triggered by mischief-mongers who try and infiltrate the protest for their own reasons.

And there we have it. As the farmers brave it out and wait for the Government to buckle under and recall the farm laws, hundreds are pouring in from all walks of life, castes and religions in support and to show their solidarity. One only wishes this celebration of Indian-ness had been catalyzed by a happy occasion and reason, not one that the farmers say threatens the lives of 50 per cent of India's workforce.

The author is a communications consultant and clinical analyst. [email protected]

Views expressed are personal