The government has acceded to the demands of the farmers of the Long March, and one can’t help but be amazed at what they accomplished, and how they accomplished it. They trudged through scorching heat, blistered feet and a loss in daily income. There’s many lessons we could learn from their humility, their indomitable spirit and supreme sense of dignity in adversity.
Far from most images of violent clashes and raging demonstrations, the Long March was an example of achieving your ends without resorting to criminality.
There were a few folks belying the intentions and questioning the reasons of these farmers, despite their plight. Hopefully they’ll have learnt that you can’t always twist facts and emaciate morality just to prove a point.
Blistered feet and broken bodies didn’t stop these relentless farmers from demanding their rights, and that’s something we can all learn from.
Watching Mumbaikars come out in all their glory, bringing food, water and moral support for these tired souls – one can only strive to be so humane.
50,000 farmers marching together in a sea of red is a sight to behold in itself, but to see what it can achieve is another thing altogether.
Lest the ruling parties forget, they’re public servants. Promises made only to be thrown away will never be forgotten, especially by those who depend on them most.
Just looking at the haggard, wizened faces of our farmers going through what can only be described as torture really puts things in perspective about our own level of comfort.
The government, the bureaucracy, the corrupt, they’re always going to try and bring you down when you raise your voice. Don’t let them.
Most of these farmers forfeited their wages, their farms and their meals to make this protest work. In a job where resources are meagre, the cost of this is huge.
‘Nuff said.
Clearly, we’ve still got a long way to go.
Designs by Ashish Kumar.