Elegant steed performs sewa in flood-hit mand

In the flood-hit mand of Sultanpur Lodhi, the silhouette of a horse rider on his steed stands out like a character in a fairy tale.

As tractor-borne men brave bumpy and uneven rides across kucha tracks, Satnam Singh and his mare Rupa gallop through arduous terrains with quiet pride and determination.

Satnam, a resident of Bhaini Bahadur village, and Rupa have become a symbol of resilience and “Chardi Kala” (never say die spirit) that defines the flood-affected people of the region.

Rupa is the only horse to be rendering “sewa” in the testing times.

Even Satnam’s father Joga Singh also went viral as the ever-smiling “Bapu”, upbeat despite the floods.

A schoolbus driver by profession, Satnam refused to part with Rupa when his family decided to sell off their other two horses — Noorie and another one also called Rupa.

Now, Satnam and Rupa cover miles to deliver food to drivers of earth moving machines strengthening bundhs around Baupur. This is her second flood experience, the first being the 2023 floods.

The four-year-old Rupa has swum through rivers in spate, helped neighbours ferry belongings and delivered langar through 5 feet waters, when the boats weren’t available in the area. Satnam said, “Rupa follows me wherever I go.”

Moved by an earth mover driver, who had to skip meals while working on long shifts on the bundh, Satnam began feeding drivers since waters receded.

Satnam quipped, “My grandfather was the first in the family to keep horses. When the family decided to sell horses, I just couldn’t part with her. People think we take care of her, but it’s she who actually protects us.”

“I have been going around to check on neighbours at odd hours with Rupa. She neighs when I return from school and asks me for food,” said Satnam, adding that he was giving early lessons to his five-year-old son Armandeep Singh.