Bonfires are a ritual of the harvest festival of Lohri, widely celebrated with pomp and fervour in the northern states of the country. But when this writer rang Randeep Maddoke on January 13, there seemed no sign of celebrations. "They [protesters] just finished burning copies of the farm laws. It has been a long, busy day. Slogans were shouted against the Centre and the administration criticised for not acceding to their demand of repealing the laws. I've never seen Lohri celebrated like this before. The farmers are determined to change their destiny, and there is no turning back. But they are also mourning fallen protesters, young and old," says Maddoke, a concept photographer and documentary filmmaker, who is holding his ground on Tikri Border for the last two months.

Tens of thousands of farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, have been protesting at key entry points to the national capital for over 40 days against the laws, surviving temperatures as low as three degrees Celsius. Over 50 farmers have died, either owing to the cold or accidents, creating global headlines.