From Laundry Service To Makeshift Gym: Farmers' Protest Site Is Getting Help From All Quarters
Amid heated protests, makeshift gyms have been opened by protesters at Singhu and Tikri borders.?Several volunteers and farmers have bought machines and set up mini-gyms to maintain the upkeep of sportspersons who have joined the protest.?
Professional weightlifters and sportsmen have also contributed in the setting up of the gym.?Piled at the makeshift gym are 300 kilos of weights and dumbbells, with more to come.
Aman (25), a transporter from Amritsar, bought dumbbells and weight training bars from Punjab for the protesters.?
¡°The Centre should repeal the laws or we will open a gym and kabaddi ground here. I want people to concentrate on their health ¡ª play sports and exercise. I bought the equipment on the way to my house. There are a lot of young players who come and lift weights here,¡± said Aman.?
Sportsmen divide their schedule?
The sportsmen have their timetable worked out with the day divided between dharna and exercise. They take part in the protest, attend speeches, following which they train the youth who are no less thrilled at the prospect of hands-on training from their favourite players.?
Adding punch, and some glam, to the farmers' protest are well-known power lifters and kabaddi players from Punjab, some of whom have even participated in tournaments abroad.?
Lakha Cheema is no ordinary kabaddi player, having played at tournaments in England, Canada and other countries. Hailing from Jalandhar, he and fellow players decided to camp at Singhu border till the farmers are heard.
"We exercise daily for about two hours and make sure that others also join us. We are here to support. We won't move from here till the government agrees to their demands," says Lakha.
Gym can host up to 7 people at a time
Protesters say onlookers can't stop gaping at their physiques and herculean strength - Lakha can pull almost 300 push-ups and stretch it to almost one-and-a-half hours.
The weight training equipment at the mini-gym can host up to seven people at a time.
His coach Buta Cheema says there are plans to expand the gym and add more machines.
"We are sons of Guru Pasha who won the world with love and humility. We are Sikhs who dare to go to conflict places such as Syria and organise langars. We find opportunity in adversity. We have the support of many NRIs who will send us more machines," he says.
