Social cause or a political gimmick

I am not a political guru, nor am I an expert on social causes or rallies. I haven’t even been a part of a cause. I don’t support or oppose the concept of rallies or protest which are organized these days in India. I have not voted even once in my life. My experience might be very limited. However, I do consider myself to be a responsible citizen. I have no doubt that I love my country and understand the problems that it faces. I somewhat understand how things work here. I feel as patriotic when I hear the national anthem as anyone of you would feel. India winning the cricket world cup was as happy a moment for me as it was for you. However, having said all this, I look at my country; I wonder is this how our Father dreamt of it as? Is this what Bhagat Singh gave his life for? When Jawaharlal Nehru said, “At the stroke of mid night hour, when the world sleeps, India shall awake to life and freedom”, did he mean this?

Democracy seems to be the most loved and loosely used word these days. People can do anything these days in the name of democracy. You are not happy with the government – protest, you are not happy with your employer – go on a strike, you are not happy with the marks awarded to you by the board – shout slogans, after all you are living in a democracy, that too the largest one, so you have the right to protest.

It’s true that right to protest is one of the basic rights in democracy. Democracy, after all is, “of the people, by the people, for the people.” Everyone should get a fair chance to say what they feel. After all, the entire purpose of democracy is defeated if we can not speak our mind out. Democracy, in other words, gives us freedom. Freedom to express ourselves, freedom to live our lives the way we want to and freedom to do what we please but of course within legal limits. It is not wrong to say that today democracy is probably one of the best gifts that we could have got. We can say that we are gifted to be born in a democratic country. Right from the time we are born, the constitution assures us, at least theoretically, that we will not be oppressed and are free to have an opinion.

Off late, we have seen a lot of protests being organized at large scale, to either curb the menace of corruption or to bring back the “black” money or just because someone is unhappy with the management of his company. As soon as someone realizes that there is some social problem another person is already protesting for the same. While I am not against the freedom guaranteed to us; we all must understand or at least try to understand if we, as a society, are ready for such a freedom. Are we, in general, responsible enough to carry the load of this freedom and the responsibilities that comes with it on our shoulder?

Today, we like a leader, not for any other reason but just because he is famous and we have been told by our parents and more “informed” peers that he is an honest and true leader. We don’t even stop to ask ourselves what exactly are the values that the leader stands for. If someone asks us, we simply say, “Oh, we believe in him and what he says.” A lot of times we don’t even know what the leader actually says. Since, we live in democracy and are entitled to our opinion; we just make an opinion without even considering various factors. Again, I am not saying that this implies to all of us, but then I am sure you must have come across people or at least heard of them or seen one on TV who are protesting or are part of a large gathering and when you ask them that what exactly are their demands, the best reply that they can come up with is, “Oh, its ‘something’ about XYZ, I don’t have much idea but I know this is a noble cause because my friend told me so and I am here just with him!”

I agree protests are the integral part of democracy. A lot of times we need protests to keep the government in check and get a point across. At times a simple plea or a letter is not enough to get you justice or to ensure that your point is heard. No one ever questioned the candle march for Jessica Lall and the slogan “Justice for Jessica.” However, we as responsible citizens should not misuse this “luxury”. We should be aware of the issue at hand.

I am of the belief that the power to protest should only be exercised by a person when he or she truly believes in something, however major or minor it might be. For every individual the magnitude of the issue varies according to ones need and position. There is nothing wrong in standing for what you believe in and your point should be heard. It is never wrong to stand up for yourself; however one should be responsible enough not to misuse this power.

This power to protest when misused becomes a menace and a tool to cause unrest. It no more remains a just cause but merely a political gimmick. I would just like to ask you one thing, where should we draw the line? When should we stand up and say enough is enough? How do we ensure that we don’t get carried away and end up being on the wrong side? When do we start to say, this is it, you can not gain sympathy and support under the disguise of social welfare? Time has come for each one of us who claim to be a proud Indian to stand up for our beliefs but at the same time make an informed decision. It is only when the people start to separate the good from the bad, genuine from fake and light from dark; will the country rise.

Only when every citizen becomes responsible and worthy enough to carry the “burden” of democracy on his shoulder shall the country rise.

*DISCLAIMER*

There is no intended reference to any person living or dead. Any  such resemblance is purely coincidental.