This paper examines the divergent trajectories of the Indian farmers movement across four states following the introduction of three farm bills in 2020 that challenged agrarian society. Although triggered by a common national grievance, the movement varied dramatically in each state in both its emergence and persistence across two major protest waves in 2020 and 2024. Using a comparative historical approach, this study argues that variation in movement trajectory is best explained through two key mechanisms: organizational capacity and media field embeddedness. Organizational capacity, rooted in the historical strength and structure of farmer unions, shaped the initial emergence of protests. Media field embeddedness—the extent to which a state's movement actors were connected to broader activist and media networks—determined the persistence of mobilization under conditions of repression and fragmentation. By distinguishing between movement emergence and persistence, this thesis advances a sequential framework for understanding protest lifecycles and offers broader insights into how movements survive, adapt, or dissolve in contested political environments.