Farmer turns poet amid deluge

kanksha N Bhardwaj

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 25

Using the popular folk tune of Punjabi ‘boli’, a farmer, Gurtej Singh, of Mehatpur village has expressed anguish over floods in a unique way. Turning poet, he writes Aandiya veera jaandiya veera, le aa kmaad vichon pog, bijli shreek lai gaye, asin dubb gaye Gidderpindi wale lok. He has been visiting affected areas daily to share grief with farmers. Acres of land of his relatives have got destroyed in deluge.

Mehatpur is near the worst affected Lohian and Singh is wary that soon his village too will be affected.

Singh explains the meaning, “A sister requests his brother to fetch pog (sugarcane destroyed by floods which has a lesser value than that of fodder for animals).” He laments that when major portion of electricity, produced by Bhakra, is used by Haryana and Himachal, people of Punjab are left to bear the brunt of water.

“I have never indulged in poetry. I am a normal farmer who only knows about crops. Looking at the sufferings of the people, numerous thoughts have started coming to my mind. I couldn’t help but write a few lines that depict their condition,” shares Singh (40).

He is sharing the grief with other farmers via WhatsApp groups and sending messages to various farmers’ groups and to those stuck in the affected areas.

Saanu kha giya sahukara da byaj, utto pai gayi Bhakre di maar (we are burdened with moneylenders’ interest and hit by Bhakra) and Eh hai Punjab badkismati teri, tere puttran di mar gayi zameen (it is Punjab’s misfortune that its sons have lost their land), this is how Singh has pictured the distress of farmers.