Sukhdev Singh is milking a buffalo when I call him. We arespeaking after a long gap. His voice carries the same cheerful energy Iremember. The temporary fame that the iconic Singhu border photo from November2020 brought his way is long forgotten (just like the promises Govt of Indiamade to get them to vacate the borders a year later). Life and its realitiesremain.

Will he be joining the morcha this time? I ask.

‘Mann ta bahut hai.’ He really wants to.

His support structure, his wife, suffered a paralysis strokewhile he was at Singhu border during 2020-2021 protests. She has neverrecovered. His daughters are married and the only son, like most of Punjabiyouth, seven seas away. He sent him away to save him from ‘mahaul.’ His wife iscurrently in the care of one daughter. He is alone at home taking care of hiscattle and the few acres of land.

Who will manage home and work?

‘Dekheya jayoo.’ We will see.

I joke that maybe he should wait a few days and let someother bodies take the load this time.

Bodies. Isn’t that what the protestors are to the system?The system which is busy doing bandobast to ensure the farmers can’t reach thecapital? Bodies to be stopped. If required bodies to be tear-gassed. Bodies tobe target practice of water cannons. Bodies to be lathi charged. Some bodies,if not all, to be picked and thrown into the police buses and taken to thestadiums being converted to temporary jails. Bodies to be subdued. Bodies whichshould comply with diktats. Bodies without life and spark of their own. And insome cases, a dead body or two. Last time it was 730. 730 dead bodies.

A concerned lawyer has filed a petition before the Punjaband Haryana High Court “challenging the ‘obstructive actions’ of the Centraland State governments, including sealing of border between Haryana and Punjabin order to ‘prevent the farmers from exercising their constitutional right toassembly and protest peacefully’."

Just below the news of this petition on livelaw.in page Isee this headline - 'Animals Have Right To Dignity, Bodily Integrity': Punjab& Haryana High Court Refuses To Quash FIR For Killing Buffaloes By RashDriving. The court says, "All the animals have honour and dignity. Everyspecy has an inherent right to live and is required to be protected by law. Therights and privacy of animals are to be respected and protected from unlawfulattacks..."

The high court now has a chance to balance two animalspecies, the farmer and his buffalo, on the scales of justice.

The farmer union Sukhdev Singh is part of has not joined theDelhi Chalo march yet. For now, they have other protests planned in comingdays. Depending upon how the events unfold in next day or two – decisions willbe taken.

But he is upbeat about the march and is eager to join. To bethat body. Once again.

In the meantime, the system is ready.

The bodies are coming.

Many cameras await that moment when the batons of the systemwill meet the bodies. Once again.