On friday I received this mail with regards to a protest that was to be in Mumbai. Being out of the country for a while, I was insulated from the things that had been happening in the country. Insulated in the sense that I was unaware. It would be wrong to say that these things do not affect me as these affect each and every person who considers himself/herself as a proud citizen of this country. So when I received this mail, i sat up and took notice. For the contents of the mail were pretty serious.
The walk of protest was organised by this group called 'Youth for equality'. I had heard precious little with regards to this group. In fact they sounded a lot like one of those groups that are floated by the Church. But in principle, it seemed like they were gunning for the same things that I stood for.
The march was in solidarity for the medical students that were mercilessly beaten up in a lathi charge for no fault of theirs. And one a broader level, to protest against the policies of the current government. Their (the medical students) only mistake was that they were conducting a vociferous yet peaceful protest against the politics of appeasement. The appeasement that the current politicians of the country have ventured upon with an eye merely upon the votebank politics that we witness every single day of our lives.
The idea was to make a point. We may not matter to the powers that be...for we do not form a part of their politics of votebank. Unfortunately, many of us do not bother to vote and that starts the first step towards their (the politicians)indifference towards us. The politicians believe that they have more to gain by playing to the masses in the stalls rather than the galleries. For the minds of those in the stalls and their sentiments can be swayed and moulded with a higher level of ease rather than those amongst us. Not to say that 'we' are in any way different from 'them'.
The minute we begin to believe that each and every one of us can make a difference, we will realise that there are a lot of young people like us who think alike and are ready to spend their time and efforts for something that they believe is correct.
The time was 1200 IST and the place was Bombay Hospital (isn't it ironical that the protest was organised near a hospital?). Unfortunately, i did not reach on time. Being jet-lagged(i know this sounds like an excuse that i have been using these days..but i guess that it was true to some extent.), i ended up getting up later than i had planned. And to add to that, none of my friends seemed to be interested in coming. There were a few who were supposed to come...but it was a 'alone at the last moment' kind of a thing. I would be lying if I said that at that time I didnt think of quitting. I conjured up quite a few reasons to myself as to why I should not go there. But, it was some strange steely resolve which told me that I should not quit. It was something that I strongly believed in...and it was something that I should have been a part of. In the end, it was a pretty easy decision to make.
As I reached Vikhroli station, in the hot sun...i began to rethink...there was a long queue...and there was the scorching sun...and the heat. But, some voice deep inside me kept me going.
I took the long journey to Churchgate station...switching trains at Dadar. I finally reached Churchgate.
As I was late for the start, I thought that I should walk towards Azad Maidan which was the end of the protest march and try to re-trace the path.
Azad Maidan was unusually quiet...barring a bunch of kids who had obliviously engrossed themselves in a game of cricket. There were a bunch of policemen standing in tow...so I knew that I should expect something to happen pretty soon. Also eye-catching were the OB vans of all the leading news broadcasting stations. But the protestors (of whom I was to be a part) were conspicuous by their absence. It was as if there was something expected to happen. It was akin to the proverbial 'silence before the storm'.
And then as if by cue, I heard a commotion...there were vociferous slogans and I knew that they had arrived...I quickly went across to join the group.
As is human nature, I scanned through the crowd for a familiar face...i saw none. But what was pleasantly surprising was that there were quite a few elders and aged who had lend support to the cause. I guess that they believed that this was harmful for the nation as well.
There were people from various walks of life. There were doctors (from IMA), engineers (from the IIT and professionals), CAs, lawyers, teachers from schools, professors and eminent personalities from society. And of course there were the students...youth from various colleges...from various streams...all marching along... raising slogans...and making their present felt.
The likes of Arjun Singh, AN Roy, Manmohan Singh, APJ Adbul Kalam, Chhagan Bhujbal... were cursed and condemned by the congregation.
There were quite a few inspired speeches and talks on the entire issue from various individuals...and each of these were greeted with slogans and loud cheers.
All of this (including yours truly) made it to national television.
We were very pleased to know that we had made our presence felt and that we had made our voice heard.
We may not be totally correct. We may not be the right ones. We dont want them to implement each and every thing that we say...all we want them to do is to listen to what we have to say and then to try and implement a few of things that we have to suggest. Not take unilateral decisions without consulting all those who matter. And without conducting any logical analysis.
We are not against any individual...we are not against reservation...what we are against is the manner of its implementation. The people who deserve it...and the people who end up getting it. The focus on issues that need to be tackled before we talk about these issues. To avoid building any more fences and barricades between the sections of society than that are already in place. To stop with the division of society on the lines that the British did...to stop dividing the country...
There are always three sides to a coin. Its just that those with a myopic view often do not realise that there are more than two sides to a coin.
Similarly, there are always three sides to an argument. Mine...Yours...and the right one. Its only through dialogue and discussion that one can arrive at the right one. Its always an obvious one. But, we as individuals are so clouded in what we believe is right that we do not listen to what the other has to say and what the other belives.
