NEW DELHI: With the tricolor, patriotic songs and the Gandhi cap, Anna Hazare is back in Delhi and yes, he is protesting again. For the farmers this time.

An ordinary lane leading to Jantar Mantar felt extraordinary when a huge group of ordinary farmers walked across it. They knew each other, but did not speak. The air was pregnant with their silence, as the onlookers paused too, to look at the haggard faces of India’s cultivators.

The farmers clad in their faded dhotis, were walking silently towards Jantar Mantar to join Hazare in his two day protest against the Land Acquisition Ordinance. There are two stages at the venue. On one sits, Anna Hazare alone, surrounded by his usual meditative calm. His singular presence on this big stage is in stark contrast to the kinetic energy on the adjacent stage. The second stage from where the songs are sung and the sloganeering is done, is in constant action. And yet all eyes are fixed on Anna Hazare, among the loud drums and 'naarebazi', the man in white, who knows what he is doing.


This sentiment is substantiated by the farmers themselves. After a certain amount of effort in persuading him to response, an old farmer looking tired and worn out utters a single word, "Bhumi...." (Land...). And when asked about Hazare, he joins his hands and lifts his face to the sky and says another single word, "Anna...".

Most of the farmers don't understand the legal system and it's big words. The only thing they can comprehend is that the government took their lands without adequate compensation and now they are jobless, homeless, and hopeless. Madan Lal, who is a farmer and a victim himself, opens the heavy briefcase he has been carrying since morning. The case is stacked with Land Acquisition documents and court cases and Right to Information files. Addressing the unfair system that allows the government to take away the land he says, "ab bas atamhatya he karenge kisan...." (now the farmers can only commit suicide). He explains that the problem is not only the ordinance that was passed in 2014, the Land Acquisition Act no matter how fair, exists only on paper. From taking measurements of the land to compensating for it, Madan Lal accuses government officials of corrupt practices.

The only sentiment that prevails among the protesters is anger. Some are part of the crowd, sitting and witnessing the events on-stage others gather round and give their anger their voices. By the time Madan Lal is done with his technical explanation of how the Land Acquisition Act works, a small group of people have joined the conversation. None of them is a farmer. Among them is Bibhor Kumar Singh, who is preparing for his civil services exam and hails from a middle class farming family in Bihar. He stands in favor of the Land Acquisition Act and supports the government's take on it. "This protest is only going to slow the development. The Act is not wrong. It creates a balanced rule. And we should understand that." But on being questioned about the partisanship, he admits , "......yes a fair Act requires fair implementation too. Corruption won't lead to any development."


Among the crowd there are many who don't agree with Bibhor and one of them is quick to react. Ramesh Chand, who lives in Mahipalpur, Delhi, lost his land to the airport construction authorities through the Acquisition Act. He says he has not yet been duly compensated. "jin jin ke ghar gaye hai unse poocho...aaj wo sab Anna ke per pad rahe hain." (all those who have lost their homes, ask them, they will favor Anna)

Among this same crowd is a former government employee, Vishnu Vardhan, who takes the discussion a decibel higher, he supports the protest and rebukes the urban population for their careless attitude. "This is not just a matter of farmers. They are the reason our kids in city eat food. If they'll suffer, we the city people will suffer too in the long term. When Anna protested for corruption everyone came. But now they are thinking that Kejriwal is enough for them. The urban population must let go of their selfish attitude and join Anna," says Vardhan, who has evidently silenced all the others in the group. People seem to agree with him but he is not done yet, "How long do you think Anna can continue fighting? He is an old man. He needsdescendants too. The youth needs to take the beacon but how will that happen if they fail to understand the urgency of the matter."

Meanwhile, the thumping sound of the drum has drowned all the other voices. Anna Hazare seems to be leaving the stage now. The slogans get louder and people rush to greet him backstage. The farmers with their anguished souls continue to sit and fight for the one thing that makes them who they are- their beloved lands.

(Images by A. Falak)

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