Won’t be any festive cheer this time for us, say farmers from flood-affected Kapurthala

In flood-affected villages of Kapurthala, the glow of Diwali this year will be replaced by despair. For the families who have lost everything in the recent deluge, the festival will pass like any other day.

Jaswant Singh, a farmer from Baupur Jadid village, stares helplessly at his waterlogged fields. His entire paddy crop, spread across three acres, has been destroyed. “Right now, I can barely manage to buy medicine for my ailing wife,” he says, adding, “Thinking about Diwali or buying anything for it is out of the question.”

For many like him, this Diwali brings no hope.

Farmer Gurpreet Singh sums up the prevailing mood, saying it will take them at least six months to get back on track.

“Our Diwali will pass in gathering ourselves from this disaster. As there’s no money, there will be no celebration.”

Paramjit Singh, a farmer leader from the village, expresses the collective grief of the community. “The flood has robbed people of their livelihoods. The spirit of the festive season has been dimmed,” he says.

Perhaps the most heart-rending story is that of Pargat Singh, a daily wager and a small-scale farmer. Just two months ago, he completed the construction of his small house, built with years of savings and hard labour. His house collapsed in the recent floods. “Now, I don’t know where to start from,” he says.

The road to recovery is long. As the floodwaters recede, the real struggle begins — to rebuild lives and restore hope.