It is the month of Poh.
Frost covers the fields.
I long for you.
Where are you?
It is the month of Poh.
Frost covers the Delhi nights.
Resting at the Farmers Protests.
Is where I am.
Beautiful Punjab!
You are here with me.
My every breath is you.
I am here for you.
It is you that is guiding me,
To follow Sikh principles.
It is you that is urging me,
To repeal the Farm Laws.
It is your song that nurtures me.
It is your water that sweetens me.
It is your food that strengthens me.
I am here for you.
My heart beats for you.
My every breath is you.
Will, you wait for me,
My beautiful Panjab!
Dr. Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh is a Crawford Professor and Chair of the Department of Religious Studies at Colby College in the United States. Her interests are centered around poetics and feminist issues.
Farmers in Panjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and throughout India are protesting against new agricultural laws that will reduce their earnings and give corporations more power. When laws are unjust, the citizenry must rise.
Through the pen of Bhai Vir Singh, we get a glimpse into a profound relationship. The tug of separation. The mystery of longing. The faith in relationships. The yearning for union.