PACHU MENON
In the last couple of days the state has been witnessing a number of well-attended meetings and protests over the Modi-government’s arbitrary stand over various issues which many feel are a threat to the secular fabric of India and detrimental to the growth of the nation as a democracy.
Amidst the nation-wide clamour over the Citizenship Amendment Act, which has literally lit India on fire, it is becoming more than obvious that the feeling of anger against an authoritarian government bulldozing its way through with agendas damaging to the secular credentials of the country is tearing the country asunder.
But then, how many of the protestors are actually aware of what the Act is all about and warrants the sort of agitation that has violence written all over it?
For a fact, some of the agitations that have been staged across the country in recent times have been ‘low on knowledge’ and ‘high on spirits’.
That is to say that a handful of people purporting to know the intricacies of the matter at hand steer the course of a protest witnessing a tumultuous participation of sympathizers who are as much in the dark about the subject as the next man on the street, and join the milieu only to satisfy one’s curiosity.
That is why many refuse to take social media campaigns seriously as they lack public intent on ground. Although an effective tool for mass-campaigns, the social-media as a platform has invariably failed to infuse the sort of enthusiasm that should be driving various movements of public interest.
Unfortunately, campaigns in our country have been merely extensions of a typical ‘follow-the-leader’ syndrome where despite evidences of the movement chartering a disastrous course, people have not had second thoughts over aligning themselves with such ill-conceived crusades.
Hence it becomes essential that every individual lending his weight to a movement be well-versed with the nuances of the subject.
The information explosion of the recent era notwithstanding, half-baked knowledge has been the undoing of the modern generation.
At a time when a number of issues -- social, economic, environmental and political -- have been calling for sustained activism to curb the ‘unhealthy’ consequences of their rampant proliferation, it is necessary that people come to terms with the enormity of such situations.
Although activism entails people coming out on to the roads in large numbers to highlight concerns, most of the activists eventually seek step up from street protests to political table.
Hence it is pertinent to have an ‘enlightened’ leadership guiding any such movement in support of or opposition to contentious issues “ and having fairly knowledgeable members comprising the team.
Goa too has been witnessing a lot of public noise over the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Citizens Register, but a feeling that it has been more selective than ‘extensive’ keeps nagging one.
Strongly voicing their concerns, a group of women under the banner of ‘Goa Women Against NRC and CAA’ staged a protest march in Margao on the eve of Christmas.
However, the very next day newspapers were agog with news of the Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar doing a U-turn on Mhadei, and the unique protest by the women hardly received the coverage it deserved.
This amply shows that in the midst of expressing unity with matters that are of national importance, many local issues have conveniently gone long dormant for Goans.
It is only when stark reminders in the form of adverse reports are received on these matters that they wake up from a deep slumber like Rip Van Winkle did only to realize that the world around him was not the same anymore.
Maybe at the cost of being labelled insensitive to the plight of fellow countrymen, one could well advocate the overlooking of the ‘national’ concerns at times to address problems that are more ‘provincial’.
No doubt a national ‘uprising’ is the need of the hour. Public opinion does matter, but such changes can come only through persistent campaigning which enables the nation to rise as one.
Campaigns should never be mistaken for events where people gather in anticipation of grand speeches by leaders and people of public standing. The feeling that more the crowd, more the outreach is a delusion that needs to be set right at the earliest.
Is activism only about congregating large gatherings at the protest sites and making vociferous demands against what are perceived to be ungainly government programmes?
After a few placard-toting demonstrators give vent to their apparent ‘disgust’ over the prevalent situation at designated sites across the state or country, peace soon returns and things are back to normal. It is observed so.
When protests eventually turn out to be mere formalities without many of them being carried through to their logical conclusions, the futility of the whole exercise becomes quite disheartening.
What Goa lacks is a combined effort by concerned citizens to up the ante against the system for its unilateral take on a number of matters that affect the locals.
After the students’ movement of the 70s and 80s in which many claimed themselves as activists, there have been many who have not hesitated to take up cudgels against the establishment and have made a name for themselves. But, all these have been individual efforts.
Besides, a clash of egos between them has deterred many from working as a cohesive unit which would otherwise have tilted the balance in favour of those agitating for a cause.
It needs to be realized that ‘bringing awareness’ among people and ‘taking a movement forward’ are entirely two different matters.
Yes, the slew of ‘one-off protests’ does serve its purpose when thought of as a show of solidarity with the nationwide agitators raising their voice against a common cause where the huge rallies and sit-ins organized definitely spell success.
But these momentary ‘achievements’ are nothing compared to the accomplishments a sustained campaign on an issue can realize.
Just look at the twists-and-turns the Mhadei Water Dispute is taking. Would the Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar ever dare attempt a volte-face on the matter if the ‘Porvorim-rally’ organized by a few Opposition MLAs had moved over from being a political gimmick to be recognized as the state’s struggle against biased considerations by the Central government on the issue?
For that matter, we Goans have a lot to cry about; a condition brought about by the plain lack of a political will over the years to tackle a number of issues that would otherwise have benefitted the locals.
How about protesting over them?
