Local kids don't want to miss farmer 'uncles', stay put on agri laws protest sites

NEW DELHI: When the waves of COVID-19 pandemic swept through the cities and villages of the country, thousands of people lost their livelihood and several families even struggled for one-time meal. However, for the street kids at Singhu, the farmers’ protest came as a blessing as the protesters have been providing them free food.

While the farmers await the repealing of the farm laws by Parliament to go home, the local kids, who have been getting full meals three times a day for almost a year, don’t want them to leave. The children say "they will miss the farmer uncles".

"From the start, I am with the farmers because they are good people and providing food to me and my family who can only dream of eating delicious food three times a day. Since lockdown was imposed and schools were shut, I have been coming here daily with my siblings and friends to have food. The farmer uncles not only give us fruits and foods like paratha, pickles, orange, biscuit and puri, they also allow us to take food home and distribute to neighbours," says 10-year-old Subhan, a class V student.

Babloo, a class II student, says, "I want PM Modi to listen to the demands of these farmer uncles because they give us food. I support them but I don't want them to go. I won’t be able to eat good food if they go because my father and mother, who are construction workers, lost their jobs." Babloo studies in a government school and lives in the nearby slum.

Sahil, a class VI student whose father sells balloons, says: "This place is like a mela ground for me. I spend my day having food and helping the farmer uncles in sewa by distributing food."

Salman, a 12-year-old boy, says he will miss the farmers. "A bhaiya and didi here used to give us free tuitions apart from food. They helped us in attending online classes but now this stretch will become a normal highway with vehicles passing. And we will go back to have dal and roti," he said.