Himanshu Kumar on why there's a Revolution Brewing in Punjab

Himanshu Kumar speaks on his experiences in cycling through Punjab. He says that what was once the seat of the Green Revolution in the country is now shimmering with widespread discord with a silent revolution gathering storm against the oppressive policies of a government run by politicians not concerned about the plight of its people.

40% of farmers are landless there with 90% of them being dalits. Small farmers there are in debt and are selling off their land. Even industrial workers are unpaid and exploited.

The oppression in Punjab is as bad as that of Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh and despite a totally nonviolent resistance in Punjab, the government is clamping down on them as they would a violent revolution with activists who fought against violence during the days of terrorism, now being branded Maoists by the state and put in prison. Sadly, their grassroot revolution is not something most of us hear about, because the activists there are busy working instead of posting them on the internet, which today is the only source of information on grassroot movements. It is time the rest of the nation, and urban activists join with their suffering brothers in Punjab.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Punjab
• Cycle Yatra
• Salwa Judum
• Chhattisgarh
• Green Revolution
• Oppression
• farmers