Frontliners

A day in the life of women protesting at Shambhu border

- Swati Subhedar at Shambhu border

January 13, 3 pm

IT’S Lohri—the festival of harvest and bonfires; the day the farmer community is celebrated. But the mood is far from festive at Shambhu—a prominent toll point at the Haryana-Punjab border on National Highway-44 that has been closed since February 2024. Once a busy interstate passage, it has now been converted into a protest site for farmers.

Hundreds of trucks, tractors and trolleys—covered with blue, black and brown tarpaulin sheets—are parked on the highway. Some occupied and some locked, they double up as homes of protesting farmers—women and men, old and young—who have been coming to Shambhu from different districts of Punjab and Haryana for the past one year.

On the roadside, beside a dhaba, a langar is organised. Since it’s Lohri, meethe chawal, popcorn and peanuts are being offered. The topic of conversation revolves around the “big event” planned at 5 pm. Inside a tent near the langar, the women are making rotis and curry. The tandoor provides some warmth on a chilly January afternoon. Adjacent to the tent is a big tin shed—that’s the space provided to the women farmers at the protest site. Around 50 women—in the age group of 50-75—are sitting in groups on mattresses on the ground. Piles of blankets are seen in different corners. It’s warm inside the tin structure. One can only Imagine the space turning into a furnace in summer.

Noon is the time when these women come back “home” to rest—after attending the daily meetings organised from 11 am to 2 pm that are conducted by union leaders. Some are knitting sweaters for their grandchildren back home; the others are picking and sorting rice and millet in giant plates, or peeling kilos of peas from the pods. While the men help with preparing, cooking, serving meals and washing utensils, these duties are primarily taken up by the women.