Welcome to 2021. I’d like to take a moment to reflect on the past year. Each day felt like a battle in its own right, some small and some big, but amid all of that, it pushed all of us to collectively come to terms with our own fragility. 

From the challenges of a global pandemic to the social awakening that sparked some much overdue deconstruction of our systems, I hope this past year gave you a chance to pause, reflect, and most importantly take action. If there is anything I hope we each took away from 2020 it is that true change takes time, it takes both learning and unlearning. And most importantly, it takes a commitment to understanding that progress is a process. We must break down and rebuild, challenge the systems we have come to normalize, and understand where we each stand in relation to power. 

There is a lot happening in the world right now. May it be Hindu Nationalism terrorizing India’s marginalized communities or White Nationalism storming the US Capitol building, fascism thrives on fear. Fear of the other. 

We must appreciate that rhetoric based on racial and religious politics carries great weight. Governments have the power to give voice to hate. They have the power to completely destroy whole communities for the support of those that make up their political base. They have the power to strip away human rights, leaving communities to live in fear. This is why history matters.

Nationalism is a scary thing.

In Episode 10 of Art of Citizenry Podcast, Manpreet Kaur Kalra is joined by Arvinder Singh, Phavanjit Kaur, Amrit Singh, and Prabhjot Singh in a conversation deconstructing India’s new farming bills and the historical context we cannot ignore. They discuss how the protests currently happening are as much about land rights as they are human rights in a country grappling with deeply rooted nationalism. Together, they explore the intersection of economic development, social impact, environmental impact and religio-political constructs.

At this moment, the largest protest in human history is happening. 250 million farmers and workers across India, many from the states of Punjab and Haryana, have taken to the streets in protest of three new agricultural bills imposed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that threaten to obliterate their livelihood. These protests are as much about human rights as they are about land rights and the privatization of India’s agriculture.

The Indian government’s response to the protestors has been nothing short of history repeating itself. From being called terrorists to blackouts on fair media reporting to police brutality, memories of India’s government-sanctioned Sikh Genocide are resurfacing, forcing many of us to revisit our community’s past trauma and face the reality of our present. 

The protests are being led by our grandparents and great grandparents -- braving the cold winter air of Delhi, the capital of India, just to ensure their voice is heard. The reality is, these laws are so deadly that they are willing to risk their lives to demand that the laws be repealed and that farmers, not just corporations, have a seat at the decision-making table. 

From Punjab, Haryana and other parts of India, these farmers have been met with police brutality and government-regulated false reporting. It is not uncommon for oppressors to paint people who challenge their power as unpatriotic, but isn't it more patriotic to hold your government up to a higher standard? Painting farmers as terrorists to justify state-sponsored violence is the reality of India’s democracy. 

To build more just ecosystems, we must dismantle the layers of economic, social, environmental, and religio-political inequities that exist. To reject any one aspect prevents us from creating systemic change. Standing in solidarity of the farmers is critical, because without the world’s eyes on Modi, he will do what he does best: destroy and violate the human rights of those who stand in his way.