Courage at 19 … and 26

This open letter posted on this blog caught my attention. Perhaps one good way to bring to notice something that has been in the news this past week.

The Jessica Lal murder case has come up now because of the acquittal of all the accused, including the prime accused Manu Sharma, due to a lack of evidence and witnesses.

What does it say about our society when a young person who was willing to stand up and bear testimony to a crime 7 years ago, talks about “moving on” with his life while refuting all previous testimonies? What kind of pressures are exerted on those trying to speak the truth? Why did it take 7 years at all for this to come to a head?

This isn’t meant to berate Shayan Munshi - neither the 19 year old witness, nor the Jhankaar Beats actor, nor the witness-turned-hostile; what were the pressures or enticements that forced him to change his testimony?

Unless we all recognise them, there will be more Jessica Lals - and that’s not a question of if, but when.

Activism - Followed Up

Following up with the previous post on activism, and just to show to all those reading this that it isn’t really all that hard to do something -

You don’t really have to hold placards or go on hunger fasts or bunk college to join in on protests. No - sometimes, all it takes is expressing your support for people who are engaging in activism to bring people’s rights to them, and to exercise your freedom of expression.

On the heels of this, I’d advise everyone to check this page and support the very brave and perseverant people who have undertaken this journey. Your comments and support for them matter. Even better than that, you can get yourself involved using the resouces on this page.

Here’s one way you can make a difference, and it isn’t even asking of you to get up from your chair. Leave encouraging comments, pledge your support and take some time to spread the word around - justice has been denied for far too long.

Activism Unleashed

Everyone wants to be the change. It sounds exciting, its a new concept - and it gives one a sense of (for once) actually doing something worthwhile. How do you actually go about being the change you wish to see?

Pondering this issue often, the easiest and most hands-on approach that I’ve come across - activism. Take an issue to heart, do something positive for something you are concerned about, and go out and seize the initiative.

Activism has often been seen in a negative light and indeed, the word itself suggests a negative connotation in today’s world.

K-12 and UG education - check.
Degree from a prestigious world university - check.
Fat paycheck with 6 or more 0s at the end - check.
Settled for life - check.

Seem to be missing something? I might be sticking my neck out here, but to me it seems as if an entire past generation has missed out on the activism that their elders were known for. One needs only take the example of the time under Jaiprakash Narayan (JP) and the entire stretch of the emergency, or on a world stage, the emergence of flower power and the protests that highlighted the era of the Vietnam War and the anti arms race rallies taken out in the 60s and 70s. Where has that gone?

The point of this post however is not to bemoan a lost ideal or chastise a section of society for their relative lack of activity on this issue - indeed, the whole point here is to take a lesson from the past and get going for us, for our generation. Definitely, even in the (much berated) 80s and 90s, and even now, there are activists who have untiringly given the better part of their lives for causes they believe in and to bring positive change. Examples abound.

What does it take to be an activist? Are all the stereotypes and cliches propagated about them true? Liberalist, leftist, pseudo-any-given-thing-ists? I don’t know - I invite you to further propagate them if you wish - but whatever they are, we have it in us to change those stereotypes and chalk out a new course. And no, you don’t have to devote your entire life to it - however ideal and noble that may sound, let’s face the facts - very few people have it in them to actually follow that path, and it is all the more testimony to their commitment and vision that they stick with the path they take through their lives.

Taking a stand on an issue doesn’t require a lofty issue at hand or a bunch of heady ideals - it could be something as local as disposing off all your garbage efficiently and cleanly - to something as big as taking on a worldwide beverage manufacturer for its blatant disregard of environmental and human concerns by boycotting its products.

Take up a task relevant to you or close to your heart - and try to do whatever you can to aid a change in the status quo. That phrase - status quo - enables the spread of most of the injustice there is in today’s world. A case in point - the devastation cause to Bhopal and its inhabitants after the leak of deadly Methyl Isocyanate 21 years ago due to the negligence of (then) Union Carbide.

Today - 21 years have passed, Union Carbide is now Dow Chemical, countless people have died, many more are suffering its effects - and what is the situation on the ground? Status quo.

Cruel, calculated words - what does status quo mean to someone who’s lost his vision in the tragedy? What is status quo to someone who’s lost a close family member or friend? What is a remedy to this situation? How is justice delivered?

Unanswered though those questions may be, one thing is for certain - unless you take a stand, unless you make that crucial difference, it will forever remain status quo. And that is something the world cannot afford.

Take a stand, do something new, follow an ideal - above all, be the change you wish to see. To quote a poem by Martin Niemoller (on the cleansing in Nazi Germany):

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out–because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the communists
and I did not speak out–because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out–because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me–
and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Lest there be no one left to speak for you …

Society has to change. The change must come from people, not just governments

Most of us feel strong about a particular issue, or are affected by it. This is usually the reason why people want to take action.  So you may not need help finding a motive or a cause for change.

If we are posting all these comments, then it means that we have been privileged with education. If we have been privileged with education then WE need to think of solutions and give back to society the gift we have been given. …

It doesn’t matter what you watch it’s how you respond to it. You might think that you’re strong enough to not follow what they do even if you were grown with the right mind set but people can change to bad in a second just like 40 years of marriage can go down the drain. Its easy to turn bad than to turn good, its easy to start smoking than to stop, and it easier to drop garbage on the floor than to walk around and find a trash bin. Just because its easier people will do it.

…My concern is: why isn’t the media paying attention to those people who do good? More emphasis is put on those who commit crimes, and indulge themselves in the negative side of community… The media is such a strong tool, but whether its used to its fullest to get maximum positive results or negative results is the question.

Help others in your community: A very good starting-point for individual action is simply to help out where you can in your family and community. As an individual you could also plan your own project or campaign. Or you could concentrate on spreading the word by talking to young people and other members of the community, or using any of the approaches to raising awareness and making your views known through simple forms of communication. Passing on important information is one of the most effective forms of action.

Be a role model: Large-scale change involves individuals changing the way they behave. So making sure your own behaviour is in line with your aims and beliefs is a good starting-point. If you show the strength of your beliefs in the way you live, you can become a role-model: your commitment and confidence will influence and inspire others.

Left Front or Left Behind?

Yesterday, as I was flipping channels, I chanced upon an exclusive interview on Headlines Today, the english affiliate of the popular newschannel Aaj Tak. The interview panel were the India Today Group’s Editor and Exec. Editor. In the hot seat was Sitaram Yechury, CPI MP and Politburo member.

Not an interesting recipe? Read on.

A number of issues were on discussion of course. What struck me the most at the outset was, for one, the immaculate way in which Yechury conducted himself - just the exact opposite of the archetypal notion of the politician that we all seem to take for granted and propagate without a second thought. Articulate, composed, and perfectly at ease in any one of 3 languages - quite a mix.

Quite a few issues under discussion, given that the Left is a key member of the current ruling alliance, the UPA, and more often than not at loggerheads with the ruling party, the Congress. What was different, however, was how sane the left’s views sound when they are actually expressed as articulate thoughts instead of insane, 70s era gramophone repetitions.

It had me wondering - here is a party that has never really been in power (except for the brief dilly-dallying with a third front in the 90s which itself wouldn’t have been possible without the express outside support of a major national party). Except in their traditional bastions of power, W Bengal and Kerala, the Left has never really come into its own as administrators, and has always been branded the fiery opposition and at times an exasparating bunch of down and outs out to flog a theory that has outlived its usefulness the world over including Russia, Eastern Europe and South America.

Not so - a few examples (and I paraphrase mostly here) :-

On Walmart and the entry of retail giants into India:

The feeling Yechury gave was that the Left is not per se and en bloc opposed to the entry of foreign investment into India, but the (very interesting) points he made were these:

i. The government shouldn’t go overboard in allowing foreign investment in areas that our people make their livelihoods in - you’re hitting at your own stomach that way

ii. Any foreign investment that comes into the country must satisfy a couple of criteria, which include genuine creation of employment (a point we will come to in item iii), betterment of life for the average worker and most importantly, accompanying technological progress that benefits the country (read industries and plants in the country, not just back office support)

iii. The employment that is generated by this foreign investment must be genuine, i.e, you don’t allow supermarket chains to set up shop and just take over businesses and show the (cut-down) workforce numbers as newly generated employment; which is also hitting at all your long established individual cultivators and vendors in the unorganised sector.
Something like Colombian oranges selling over your Nagpur variety because SuperXYZMart offers them for 20 p. less.

Another divisive issue - the vote over Iran at the UNSC.

Apparently the Left is trying to stress the fact that they are not following their policies with regard to this matter because of a pro- or anti- stance towards any given country, but rather with India’s best interests in mind (which of course is the proper thing to say, it being a televised interview). Whatever decision is taken must be in India’s interests - however, what it is that is in the country’s interests, nobody seems to be master of.

Those were but 2 instances from this (quite captivating) interview. Captivating because of the wide spectrum of difference there is in views between the traditional Left-aligned parties and the Government of the day on the one hand, and the ruling coalition and the (popularly called) Right-leaning section of the polity.

As I mentioned earlier, the Left has never really been in power on its own in the country. They’ve always either played the role of aggressive opposition, or done what they do best, support a government from the outside and threaten to pull the plug at any opportune moment. Might it be interesting to see what they would do if they were truly in power? This was put to Yechury too, albeit in a lighter vein -

H: So there is no question of drawing a “Laxman Rekha” for the UPA and the government in this Lok Sabha, and a third front / alternative emerging?

laughs …

Y: Definitely, in this Lok Sabha, the BJP and the Congress combined have over a majority, so a third-front is not a possible option. But I am not ruling out that we cannot have another Lok Sabha before 5 years are up …

H: Is that a threat?

Y: No, not a threat - but we are watching the government …

laughs …

Jokes aside, they are watching the government, from issues like Iran to FDI, Disinvestment to PPF and employees’ rights. Sometimes it is good for the boy-who-cries-wolf to actually be in the hot seat. In an interview, on the big stage. Are they the Left Front, as they like to call themselves, or are they just a bit Left Behind?

And more important than that is for everyone in the country, especially the youth, to take an interest in these affairs. Trust me, they make for riveting exercises in thought - and nothing is more crucial for the country’s future. Nothing.

Of course, I like to think of television, sound bites and interviews all as a mirror - it shows you everything as it is, really; only - it inverts it all.

And hence it starts …

Be the change - three words, but then again - three words that we hope will change us, our world, everything and everyone around us for the better. Taken from Mahatma Gandhi’s “be the change you wish to see in this world“, it could hardly be more succint - take the lead, take charge, and change things as you envision them.

At the outset, it is apt to mention that this idea was born out of a post on Sudhish Kamath’s blog Whyte Space - not that the ideal behind it is new in itself - but the realization that we have it in us to make a difference even with this small effort, amongst the sizeable blogging population, is overwhelming. This takes on special significance in the context that a majority of today’s bloggers are the young go-getters whose world this will be tomorrow.

An excerpt:

Riding home at around 10 last night, I saw people jumping traffic signals. A classic case of what my friend said earlier in the day. I usually stop at the traffic signal no matter how late it is in the night… Of course, only till I see the speeding lorry behind me and get moving to make sure I dont get killed. Sometimes, I move over to the side of the road to wait at the signal.

Last night, I was probably so angry with everything that I decided not to budge. I stopped right in the centre of the road at the traffic signal. Soon enough a whole bunch of vehicles whizzed past. As I stood my ground watching out through the rear view mirror, I saw a huge lorry coming at 80 or 90 straight at me… “Kill me, you bastard,” I said, refusing to move. And it missed me by a whisker… I just felt a little more angry when that happened.

But soon, there was this share auto that screeched to a halt right next to me. “Idiots they are. Only you and me know the rules,” he said in Tamil, sounding a little drunk. I couldn’t help smiling. And before we knew it, there were more to follow the rules. Bikes, cars and even a lorry behind us. I was sooo kicked. That’s when I decided I had to blog about this. It’s simple things like this that we can do to be the change.

The rest of this post can be found here: “Be the Change“

We hope this will be but another step in the emergence of us, the youth, in the forefront of change and progress - and need all the support that we can receive. To leave on a line from Rang De Basanti -

 ”Ab Bhi Jiska Khoon Na Khaula, Voh Khoon Nahin Voh Paani Hai,
Jo Des Ke Kaam Na Aaye, Voh Bekaar Jawaani Hai“

(That which does not boil now, that blood is but a pitiful sham,
That which does not serve one’s nation, that is indeed a wasteful youth.)

Be the change.