Jalandhar pinnis to power protesters at Delhi border

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 3

Since 3 am this morning, the local gurdwara at Nauli village in Jalandhar has been reverberating with chants of women singing shabads and praying while they cook sumptuous desi ghee pinnis for their brethren lodged at the Delhi border to protest the farm Acts. Men, women and children have gathered at the dera to prepare pinnis so that these can give strength to the farmers staying put in the chilly evenings on the border.

A group of 20 men shall set out from the village at dawn tomorrow to offer the langar and pinnis prepared for the farmers. “Saade veeran vich taakat aave, thand ghat lagge, asi ehi chahunde aan… (We want our brothers to stay safe from cold),” said Paramjit Singh, a resident of the village.

Nauli village has been a steadfast supporter of the agitation, ever since farmers began moving to Delhi to oppose the Acts. Announcements were made from the village gurdwara, asking residents to come forward for the marathon cooking at the community kitchen in solidarity with the protests.

This morning, women started with an ardass and chanted shabads all day long as they stirred, rolled, cooked and prepared the material for pinnis. While jatthas from the village have been going to offer support to the farmers previously too in the form of langar, this time the village decided to cook a quick snack which can act as an instant boost of energy.

Kamaljit Kaur (50), a resident of the village, who has been cooking since morning, said: “Sada ki fayda je kisan veer bhukkhe reh jaan. Sade vaste hi datte hai thand vich. Asi chaunhnde a oh bhukkhe na rehn. (What good are we if our farmer brothers remain empty stomach there. They are standing strong in the cold for us). We are sending them pinnis and langar. It shall give us a lot of satisfaction.”

Paramjit Singh, a resident of the dera, said: “We believe wrong Acts have been passed. Farmers have gone in protest against them. We want them to feel strengthened. That’s why we are sending pinnis. We have been sitting here since 3 am. At dawn, 20 men from the village shall leave with over 5 quintal pinnis which we shall give at the bhandara there.”

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