Farmers on the Move

In March 2018, 40,000 farmers, overwhelmingly Adivasis, marched 182 kilometres from Nashik to Mumbai, across hill and dale, in blistering heat. Mostly barefoot, some with bleeding feet, these farmers had converged on the megapolis under the banner of the All-India Kisan Sabha to berate their government for its many betrayals of their demands. The farmers won the hearts and sympathies of an often apathetic and unsympathetic urban population which was moved by their heroism, dignity, and determination in the face of overwhelming odds. While the Kisan Long March is relatively better known, the long history of organizing that preceded it is not. For instance, most people outside Maharashtra are not aware of a historic strike by farmers the previous summer. Nor are most aware of the long history of kisan struggles in Maharashtra, going back over a century. Farmers on the Move is a rare and valuable account of the dogged, persevering, and creative tactics and strategy that went into organizing kisans. Full of ups and downs, hopes and heartbreaks, it is a moving story of human tenacity and the triumph of the spirit.