NEW DELHI: Apart from the sea of tractors and farmers at the protest at Singhu border, one cannot miss the horses near the main dais. Not only do they stand and form a barricade there, but once in a while they exhibit skills to entertain the crowd. Around 150 of them have come with the Nihang Sikhs and have been there for the last 17 days.
On Saturday, Bhapala Wala got admiring looks when he stood on two hooves. Perhaps the oldest of the lot at 30 years, he was the subject of a many of the cameramen around. He also seemed to be annoyed as the people pressed in and neighed and jumped, but as Jarnail Singh, a Nihang Sikh, laughed and disclosed, “Bhapala is quite a naughty one.”
His young caretaker, Sagar, 18, who prodded Bhapala to stand on his hooves, explained the horse’s behaviour as “excitement at seeing his friend Toofan Singh” and “a way for him to express his happiness”. Toofan Singh, however, is no proud Sikh but a shiny black horse. Both these horses have been with the Nihang Sikhs from the time they were 2-3 years old. Sagar added, “Right now, they are tethered at different places and that is why they were happy at seeing each other.
The youngest of the equines is two-year-old Raja, while Jung, a brown spotted 14-year-old, is, with Toofan and Bhapala, the active ones of the team. Jung kept catching the visitors' attention on Saturday with his constant neighing.
Asked how they were managing the feed for the horses, Nihang Sikh Sonu Singh responded, “There is no dearth of food here. Along with food for us, we also brought enough for the horses. Moreover, people who arrive here daily get something or the other for these animals.”