The recent #jallikattu protest as seen by a social activist for more than 2 decades.
The following is a fascinating observation on the recent historic jallikattu protest by a very affectionate guide/mentor to me who has been a social worker/activist for the past 2-3 decades.
THE DAWN OF A NEW HISTORY
The people of Tamil Nadu assembled to express their grief over the continued neglect of their sentiments by the State and Central Governments. Over several incidents in the past and especially the way in which the last days of their beloved leader and the subsequent demise had been handled by both the state and central government, when the people were completely kept under dark and when the events took place as if everything was normal, and the recent course of ‘demonetization’, the people gradually lost their faith over the entire Government Machinery.
The anti establishment sentiments were clearly displayed apart from their demand for rejuvenation of their cultural heritages, rejuvenation of nature, preservation of native breed cows, agriculture and the importance of the people involved in agro industries, when the symbol for all these became the ‘bull embracement’.
The more than 150 hours protest had been exceptionally decent when various differences like, gender, ethnic, religion, cast, political and so on got completely diffused when the atmosphere was positively electrified with purity of convergence of thought and friendliness and became like a carnival that magnetized more and more families, children, old aged and boys and girls of all ages. Not only the family people from all over Tamil Nadu and various parts of India but also from different parts of the world displayed their fullest support for this movement taken forward by the students.
The self supporting, mutually respecting, caring, concerned, loving and mutually protecting, all such harmony inducing attitude greatly enhancing the bondage of unity gave a great positive global impact and made a lot of spectators awestruck.
There is nothing like a true social protection and there is nothing like a sense of relief and true sense of freedom when once they taste the sense of real heartfelt social protection. This is the real sense of reassurance that no law or no law enforcing mechanism could give.
The National media described the entire movement as ‘Makkal Movement’ and also as a overnight cultural revolution. This was also recognized as a Historic Happening when the whole world became curious to observe the happenings.
Subsequently dialogues were held with central Government, an ordinance valid for six months was said to be signed and to be passed. It was assured by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu that there would be no further ban for ‘Jallikattu’ and that the issue had come to a happy end.
But nobody explained anything clearly to either the people at the protest stages at various parts of the State or the people silently watching the happenings from their homes. Naturally people or the protestors were not fully satisfied. They were skeptical what exactly could be the game plan behind this, as it always is. (They had just witnessed the recent drama of their Ex Chief Minister’s death, the drama which continued for seventy five days without an iota of genuine information passed on to the public). All the media repeatedly told that the CM had assured ‘all is well’. But the protestors were still confused and could not believe their words. Hasty initiatives were carried out to somehow begin the Jallikattu in different places by the fame mongering ruling party.
More and more the initiatives were in a hurry, more and more the people became skeptical. They stopped the hasty start of Jallikkattu and started demanding a solid proof for a permanent solution. When the Government had been insisting that they had already arrived at a permanent solution, naturally everybody expected that the Government would send a group of responsible people to explain the clauses, sub clauses about the modified law and the authority who can peacefully enforce the same, to those protestors who were thoroughly confused with the happenings.
To the surprise of everybody, nobody from the Government felt or took the responsibility to explain to the protestors about the ordinance or the further course of actions and properly convince the skeptical and young protestors about the genuine intention of the Government.
There are 134 MLAs and 37 MPs, hundreds of government senior officials, law minister, Home secretary, Government law department, Government pleaders, there are hundreds of party office bearers and nobody took a firm position even to visit the protest areas anywhere in Tamil Nadu.
A number of celebrities had extended their support to the protest. The Government at least could have sought their assistance to convince the protestors.
Nobody from the central Government or the state representatives of the central ruling party tried to take any decisive position to prevent the ugly eventualities. It was said that the central Government did not even give an appointment for the delegates from the Government of Tamil Nadu.
The truth witnessed by the millions and millions of public all over the world was that there was not a single genuine initiative from the Governments to bring the protest to a peaceful or happy conclusion. Nobody from the Governments even tried to gain the faith or confidence of the common people.
The students and the public had the fullest faith in the democratic means of expressing their grievances that had been proven and displayed for more than six days all throughout the protests.
But the Government that has the fullest responsibility to uphold the values of democracy, completely lost faith in all the democratic means of convincing when the desperate children who were continuously being supported by all their families were simply left like destitute by the masquerading politicians. The ruling politicians simply got detached from the public, got insulated by the police, kept all the students, children and women under confusion and left the scene completely under the brutal hands of the police. The police that was friendly with the protestors, ate with them, chatted with them, laughed with them, some of them even sat with them, for more than six days, all of a sudden in the morning, when the switch was turned on, at a single stroke the entire police force turned hostile to become the enemies of the protestors and there were sudden chaos everywhere in the state of Tamil Nadu.
After six full days suddenly the police and the leaders discovered that there were anti social elements, anti national elements, anti nature elements, anti planet elements and what not.
How can the people forget the drama both the state and central Governments conducted together for more than 75 days with the issue of a sick Chief Minister?
What is not possible for these politicians who orchestrated such a huge drama successfully?
The Assistant Commissioners and superintendants of police started giving warnings as if they were negotiating, gave deadlines, timings and so on pushing the children and cornering them and within a short while and all at once, the carnival atmosphere turned into a battle field.
All the politicians, the rulers, the law makers, Ammaas, Appaas, all the bloods of bloods, all the brothers of brothers and all those who constantly and shamelessly speak out sugar and honey coated dialogues, simply went behind the walls of the police and left their ‘HITMEN’ do the nasty job for them.
The public could not do anything but watch the happenings with their eyes filled with tears.
All the pragmatic politicians both in central and state with their rhetoric statements, as usual started blaming the victims.
Thus the sheer determination and the sentiments of crores of common Tamil people have been cruelly ridiculed.
Thus their demands have been crudely mocked at by those people who were safe, comfortable and cool behind the screens.
This is how the sentiments of people and the children have been respected by the State Government.
This is how the sentiments and grievances were addressed by the Central Government towards the citizens of India.
This is how the harmony of people, their mutual respect, their mutual concern, the great display of their cultural emancipation is respected by the Governments.
This is how they all together respect the history.
This is the naked and raw reality of the pathetic Indian Democracy.
And the truth is that the whole world has witnessed it.
All the children of the world come to this world only to love and only to be loved and nothing else.This world and this planet belongs to them but not to the senior citizen politicians. If all the politicians of this world leave aside their ‘egos’ and just for once listen to their conscience then they all can understand what sort of a world we leave to our beloved children.
It is high time to show them at least a pinch of true love. If we truly love somebody, then we would give them only quality stuff.
It is the responsibility of all the politicians of the world to ponder what kind of qualitative world is in the making.
It is high time for all the politicians, with their attitude, to ponder what kind of qualitative role model they exhibit to the children.
There is a slogan in India, ‘Make in India’, ‘Make in India’, and let those who propagate this slogan deeply ponder as to what kind of India they are making.
But the children of the world are not pigheaded like these politicians of the world. They are millions of times more aware and conscious about the happenings. Nature, after all through the evolutionary process, has bestowed a great abstracting capacity in them. It is high time to be aware that not only a new India is in the making, but altogether a new world is in the making. And the new world is only in the tender hands of the students and children of this world. It is also high time to understand this and support them from the hearts.
Pic Courtesy : The Indian Express
The original Author of this Article can be reached at info at suka-foundation dot org
இசைவுடன் / In Harmony 