How Sikh Canadian artists 'raised their voices and paintbrushes' for India's farmers' protest

When the Indian government announced three controversial agriculture bills last year that farmers said would threaten their livelihoods, widespread protests broke out across the globe in support of the farmers' movement. Overseas in Canada, Punjabi Sikh artists who felt their communities back home weren't being seen joined the chorus of international support for the farmers — raising their voices and paintbrushes to keep the spirit of the farmers' protest alive through their artistic activism.

After over a year of protesting, the movement saw a huge breakthrough today as the Indian Parliament passed a bill to repeal the farming laws. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised this move on Nov. 19, sparking celebrations internationally and in Canada. The initial announcement came on the sacred day of Gurpurab, the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the founder of Sikhism — a day of symbolic importance for Sikhs, the community which spearheaded the movement.

For artists who used their work to keep Canadians learning and talking about the protest, the unexpected news is a source of joy and relief. I spoke to some of the artists here in Canada who have been using their art to transcend borders over the last year in support of the farmers in India.

'The diaspora was keeping the movement alive'

When the protest began, there were reports of internet connection and electricity being cut off at protest sites, making it difficult to broadcast the farmers' resistance. At home in Calgary, Punjabi-Sikh artist Kiran Rai picked up her paintbrush, feeling a sense of duty to raise awareness of the farmers' plight from 11,000 kilometers away.

"The diaspora was keeping the movement alive," Rai explains. "With artists and the diaspora getting involved in these protests, it really helped to make the conversation so much bigger."

While Rai's own family members back home in Punjab joined the protest with thousands of others, Rai raised awareness in Canada by printing her digital artwork on hoodies and merch and selling them on her website. Her fundraiser raised $1,715 for Khalsa Aid Canada, an NGO started by the Sikh community that provides humanitarian aid internationally, and her designs were worn across India by farmers' allies at local solidarity rallies.

Rai's advocacy didn't stop there. In February, her artwork dedicated to and inspired by the women farmers on the frontlines of the protest was projected onto the side of the Glenbow Museum where it was seen by hundreds of passersby each day, as well as online where it was widely viewed and shared on TikTok.

Rai's latest piece inspired by farmers, "Love for Humanity," was exhibited at artsPlace in Canmore. The mural aimed to highlight the farmers' "right to a sustainable livelihood" through farming and their deep connection to the land. Rai says her community's "identity is tied to the land for generations — it's who we are."

The young artist says she's cautious about the political motives of PM Modi's latest announcement but is "overjoyed" at the result of the protests she's been supporting for over a year now.

"It's like a dream come true."

A 'humanitarian crisis' that affects farmers across borders

Elsewhere in Alberta, three Sikh Punjabi artists — who had never met prior — came together in August to paint "Still I Rise," a mural commemorating the farmers' protest, in Calgary. Edmonton-based Harneet Kaur Chahal, 31, and Ravina Kaur Toor, 23, joined Calgary's Zoe Harveen Kaur Sihota, 23, to bring their communal artistic vision to life on the corner of 16th Ave. and 12th St., where it will remain for the next five years. The first-time muralists aimed to spread a message of community through their artwork.

"The mural has a woman in its centre because she grounds the piece, and women are the ones who ground all of our communities," Toor explains. "This is particularly the case with the farmers' protest, not only with the women on the frontlines, but also those who have remained home while their partners are at the protests. They've been taking care of all the farms and playing a crucial role taking care of their families day-to-day."

The woman, or bibi, in the centre of the mural holds food in her hand on a backdrop of the Calgary skyline. Her blue chunni is symbolic of India's water crisis, and her phulkari fabric (Punjabi embroidery) is representative of the artists' culture. The hands on the bottom of the mural represent people of all backgrounds.

"We wanted to show that this is everyone's problem, not just one community's problem," Toor says.

Sihota recalls some of her favourite moments painting the mural alongside her team were the interactions with passersby that made her realize that the farmers' struggle wasn't just in India.

"A lot of Albertans would come by and say, 'Is this for the farmers' protest?' and we were like, 'How did you know?'" Sihota remembers. "They would say, 'My family are farmers in Alberta, so I understand where you're coming from. This really affects everybody.'" She adds that the injustice against Indian farmers is a "humanitarian crisis" that concerns all people.

Farmers' issues, as Sihota notes, are relatable across borders, as Prairie ranchers currently brace for a potential strike amidst labour negotiations. Sihota says she feels it's her duty as a diaspora artist to say something when she sees any kind of injustice, whether it be back in India or in Canada.

Love rooted in the land

For Chahal, showcasing her family's farming background was her way of showing gratitude to her immigrant parents, who gave up farming when they moved to Canada.

"As a child of immigrants, I found as I got older that I live this incredibly luxurious life," Chahal says. "And when I think back to the fact that my parents came to this country in their early twenties with next to nothing in their pockets and they had to learn a whole language and a way of life.... They completely left something that they loved behind and it was all to create this privilege for us."

Chahal says although her parents never complained about leaving their farming practice and homeland behind, she knew their connection to the land remained rooted deep in their hearts. She sees her mural as a way to thank them for the life they gave her in Canada.

"It was an opportunity to say, 'You've done so much for us to have this privilege and to live this life here. The issues that are important to you matter to us, and we want to be able to show you that.'"

"A lot of Albertans would come by and say, 'Is this for the farmers' protest?' and we were like, 'How did you know?' They would say, 'My family are farmers in Alberta, so I understand where you're coming from.'- Zoe Harveen Kaur Sihota, artist

The muralist trio hopes that people walking past the mural will either feel seen and represented by it, or take it as a prompt to learn more about the importance of the farmers' movement in India.

"It's not just an occupation," Chahal emphasizes. "Farming is something that's so deeply ingrained in people's way of life. It defines peoples' roles in the home; it is a way that the community interacts and how the community comes together and how the family is centered."

"It's not just a livelihood — it's a way of life."