This Diwali was celebrated as a protest by farmers of a village near Jaipur, as they raised their voices against the governments alleged forced land acquisition.  Neendar village near Jaipur was witness to a unique silent Diwali as the protest site was lighted using hundreds of earthen lamps, which the farmers lit around pits, while the farmers themselves sat inside the pits.  The lighted lamps kept the spirits of the farmers high, while they were protesting.

The Zameen Samadhi Satyagraha, the name given to the protest site, is in the news for more that the last two weeks, where nearly 1000 farmers, including 500 female farmers, have gone on a hunger strike, following un-concluded talks with the Jaipur Development Authority.  The talks were held to protest the land acquisition by the Rajasthan government, which seeks to develop housing colonies on the acquired land, in order to earn revenue.  The farmers in that area have said that they will be rendered landless and subsequently homeless if the forcible land acquisition is allowed to happen.

Dr. Nagendra Shekhawat, Convenor or the Farmers’ Sangharsh Samiti, said that the next round of talks will only happen at the higher ministerial level, as the JDA has failed to respond, and even the government is non-responsive to their demands.  The farmers have said that they will not give any land as they do not have land to give and have demonstrated that they will bury themselves in the land, rather than give it away.