The year is 1997. Ravi Jangale, a student of Class III, is excited to use his brand new colouring book. Just as he pulls out his bright crayons, his mother orders him to put on a fresh set of clothes, and the two hurriedly leave the house. They walk a few metres ahead, and Ravi finds himself part of a massive crowd gathered outside the gram sabha office. He thinks this is a festival, but soon realises that the adults are verbally protesting against an issue, just the way he does when he has to drink milk.
Along with other children and women of Maharashtra’s Panegaon village, he is asked to stand in front of a giant truck carrying sand. Ravi does not know this yet, but he’s just had his first encounter with a protest for the welfare of his people, a majority of whom are farmers.
Standing behind him, Dr Jayvant, in his 20s, puts his foot down and says, “If you want to take sand from our land, you will have to go over our bodies.”
A few hours later, the…