The Tale of an Immovable Tail: One Year of India's Farmer Protests

Photograph by Rajat Gupta for EPA. Indian farmers and their supporters attend a gathering in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. Source

By HfHR Board Member Swati Garg

In the epic Mahabharata, there is a story from the time the Pandava brothers were exiled in the forest. One day, as a breeze was flowing a beautiful lotus fell on their wife Draupadi’s lap. Enamored by the flower, she desired to have more lotuses for their hut. Ever since they had been forced into exile, she had been miserable and thus the Pandava brother Bhima decided to fulfill her wish to lift her spirits.

As Bhima was following the flower’s scent an old monkey’s tail hindered his path. Intent on finding the flower for his beloved, he growled at the monkey to move his tail. The frail monkey looked up and asked Bhima to go around as he was quite tired. Bhima stubbornly refused, and instead tried to intimidate the monkey by boasting that he was son of the wind god Vayu and thus the half-brother of Lord Hanuman. Still unimpressed, the monkey told Bhima that he was welcome to move his tail off the path, as he was too tired to move it himself. Furious, Bhima lifted the elderly monkey’s tail to push off, but to his surprise, he could barely even lift it. The grin on the monkey's face only stoked his anger as he made one failed attempt after another.

After what seemed like an eternity, Bhima ceded and apologized with folded hands. He had realized that this was no ordinary monkey. This was lord Hanuman, the monkey god whose tail had humbled even the mighty Ravana. Lord Hanuman had manifested in the forest to teach Bhima the value of humility. This is a solemn reminder that when our mind is filled with ego, we refuse to see others as equal and respect them as such: a colossal mistake.

I share this story today as I witness the sheer courage and resilience of Indian farmers fighting to get the three farm bills repealed. The mighty Modi government underestimated the fortitude of our farmers as they bulldozed the farm bills in parliament, and yet one year later, farmers stand their ground against all the miseries that the government and Mother Nature could unleash. Heads burst open by batons; water cannons in brutal winters; scorching heat and torrential rainfall; nothing has and nothing can deter them. Their resistance is akin to Hanuman’s tail that could not be swayed by any amount of force, propaganda or Machiavellian tactics.

In his hubris, Bhima mistook the monkey as one who could be easily brushed aside. The farmers sitting at Delhi borders may be gray haired, frail and weak — and yet, they continue to humble the indomitable government with their strength of character as they teach us lessons of solidarity, brotherhood and “Seva” (selfless service) with communities coming together to fuel the one of the largest peaceful protest of current times.

Hindus for Human Rights stands with the farmers of India in their spirited fight. Today, with folded hands, we honor their spirit as they continue to inspire us and will inspire generations to come.

Annadata sukhi bhava. Bless the ones who feed us.

Image Source: Photograph by Rajat Gupta for EPA. Indian farmers and their supporters attend a gathering in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh. Source

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author.