Thousands of farmers in Punjab and Haryana are protesting against the new agricultural laws brought by the Modi government. Farmers have been protesting at the border areas of Delhi since last month. A young man from the UAE has also joined the farmers' movement. What is special is that this young man took a two-month leave to get married and arrived in Punjab. However, seeing that his elder brother and most of the farmers in the village were going to Delhi for agitation, he too decided to join the agitation.
Satnam Singh, 29, left Abu Dhabi with the intention of going to Punjab to find a girl and get married. After working for almost two years in a row, Satnam got two months leave. He then reached Jalandhar on November 29. At that time, he came to know that his elder brother and farmer Singhu were protesting at the Singhu border against the government. Satnam stayed with his parents for two days. He then reached the Delhi-Haryana border on a two-wheeler with a friend.
"Marriage can wait. Job can wait," said Satnam, who works as a plumber in a company in Abu Dhabi. His parents reportedly want him to get married during his leave period, but Satnam now has other plans.
"They wanted me to meet some women," he says. "My mother is around 70. It's getting difficult for her to manage the house," he said, adding that her vision has diminished and his father cannot take care of the fields anymore.
Satnam Singh's friend, Sookha Singh, a differently abled farmer who accompanied him, says his parents are alone back home, but they didn't stop him once.
Asked about how long he planned to be at the site, Satnam Singh is determined to stay put till they "win this fight". "I was a farmer before I got a job in Abu Dhabi. I need to save my fields first."