Last
week, as I was walking down towards Jantar Mantar, the “democracy showroom” in
the National Capital , a venue exclusively segregated for such democratic protest
for every citizen of a democratic country like India ( one need permission to
do that from the Police , though). Some girls who were behind me were giggling and
whispering “this is my first time going for this kind of thing”. They were a little nervous.
At the protest demonstration site, there were young men and women, students, young working professionals – both public – private sectors, scholars, from North East India. Truly most of them were not protest savy, and appear very new to the event, the surroundings (from body language).
At the protest demonstration site, there were young men and women, students, young working professionals – both public – private sectors, scholars, from North East India. Truly most of them were not protest savy, and appear very new to the event, the surroundings (from body language).
Most
of the youths came to participate after receiving sms or Face-book updates from
their friends and friends’ friends. In-fact most of them do not know the whole sequences
of the event that led to the death of Nido Tania (from Arunachal Pradesh). They
are not so legally aware , of / about the laws, section of IPCs etc. Most of
them did not know the Member of Parliaments from North East India. They never saw them.
For
the first time, I participated in a rally in Delhi sometime in 2006. Frankly , I did not
know much about the issues, came out in solidarity to my NE brethrens ! Since then
a series of protests demonstrations follows, and I do join in solidarity and
news coverage as well. In a dual role!
Hailing
from a small town (Lamka) I had never experience any kind of protest or
demonstration, nor it rarely (never actually) happened. Once or twice, recently
, women came out for a silent rally on issues of rape, but not a protest . As far as I can recollect, once
or twice there was a public rally in the town. And in most cases, or the only reason is a rally for peace and
harmony! And the rallies were all peaceful indeed.
I
remember an informal chit-chat with some of the movement “leaders” where one of
the key ideologue explained to me the relevance of “armed movement” vis a vis
democratic protest” what he told me really strikes me; he said, Just think about it, for people like us to
sit in peaceful demonstration to demand "something" in a small geographical corner
of such a big country, even if we keep on shouting for days, who is going to
hear us?. For those in Delhi it is relevant to sit in demonstration or protest at Jantar Mantar, since they are just a few kilometers away (from the powers that be). So
the best option is this kind of movement (meaning making noise from/ through
the gun) to make it loud and be heard.
When we came to Delhi , most of us , if not all are young and “a political” or say non political in
the general understanding. Delhi has forced us out in the streets, to shout; to
demand, to be political , in the true sense of democratic , secular republic.
Or
do we learn this from Mainlanders? From the
class rooms of the Universities ? Yes, to some extent, but the provocations
come from daily experiences, of encounters (not fake encounters!! ) in the streets, in the rooms , workplaces. Delhi
has made the northeasterners vocal, assertive and political, if not an activist.
Yes, all the NE student leaders were like an activist and most of them will eventually become political leaders, no doubt.
Delhi is where many
learn the trade and tricks of politics, which ever politics, left or right or
centre or the politics of protest and activism.
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