It is my habit to give prior notice hence giving one here about my interactions on Facebook.

Whether it is through my books or my posts here, I seek to expand understanding and create friendships. However, I now see that won’t be possible on Facebook. The medium started as a dorm call, moved to picnic pictures, morphed to election campaigns, and has finally become a cess pool breeding hatred and polarising society.

It became crystal clear yesterday on my post to inform people about what happened at Singhu the previous night. I posted because no media at that point was reporting it. Apart from information, like I do with long posts, I touched upon context and appealed for peace and restraint which is most important when such provocation takes place.

However, the post became a forum for many to project their self-righteous pontifications. Even those who know me for years displayed utter ignorance about me and chose to respond only to that post without even looking at the timestamp. All they did is issue certificates, pass judgements.
Frankly, when such a gruesome event has happened and people are not shocked but eager to make their points and shout, I wonder about how we ourselves have normalised violence. I am stunned.
Yes, over the last year, I have mostly used this medium to articulate the farmers protest. I am doing that for three reasons:

1. I felt the work was an extension of my book PANJAB through which I had learnt something about the land and people which mainland India does not make an effort to learn.

2. It remains an attempt to fill in a gap which mainstream media has created by not covering the protests.

3. It is a way for me to remain connected with the largest stance against neo-colonisation which will crush all of us.

However, the past year has been exhausting and my engagement here keeps me from work I must do – make books.

Hence, I will continue to articulate the farmers protest as long as they last. But once they are over, I will retreat from this medium at least in terms of making regular posts. As I said, I came here to engage not indulge in hate. This medium has failed my ask from it.