7 a.m & the coldest day of 2020, when even the people in uniform had to resort to external fire for heat.

And on the other side met these young ones from Punjab, standing barefooted near a blocked sewer and just playing around with those buckets & brooms.

Heard one of them casually telling the other ‘..sadak sarkaar di nai, sadak ta ohna di jo ode te khade aa, fer ohdi saaf sambhaal di jimevaari vi ohna di he aa..’ (no road belongs to the government, it belongs to the one who is walking on it, and therefore the responsibility to keep it clean also belongs to them)

The inner fire was stronger!

The precious lives we lost, can never be compensated by any means. But grateful for this time which brought so many people together.

Those age old stories which would have gone away from this planet unheard, now have so many ears around them.

The protest has not only removed the geographical gaps but even the generation gaps!

One of the best things to experience there at the protest was that the armed men didn’t really have to do much to maintain decorum.

Besides the self discipline and self control among people, the voluntary contribution from young people from both Punjab & Haryana was something one could not miss to admire. Smooth traffic flow, clear passage to ambulances, the nearby shops & markets ran effectively (some had way more business than normal) & everyone irrespective of their origin had this loving ‘Ji’ word in their speeches.

Their service can never be matched with any kind of effort. But just being there and starting the new year with them gave me so much hope & the motivation for a better life ahead.

New year. New India.