Tuesday, September 23, 2014

The Diary Of An Armchair Activist




As the whole of Calcutta and other parts of the Nation took to Facebook to voice their rage against everything that happened in the Jadavpur University campus, Zuckerberg Land faced a similar fate as that of Kashmir's; only this was a flood of myriad voices and opinions. While going through many of these posts/articles, I came across one which was going fairly well till I came to the end where the writer signed off with a 'Laal Selaam'. The whole point of an Independent Students Movement gets diluted with mistakes like this one. Why is it so difficult to stay away from those colours? I find it completely justifiable to blame the present Government of West Bengal for everything that happened, for it has not done anything (apart from building cultural centers and tourism parks) regarding one of the most pressing issues of the country: women's safety. To top it, they have to their glory, dialogues ranging from 'Shajano Ghotona' to Tapash Pal's psychological disorders. They have not brought anything close to the 'Poriborton' they promised. But that does not mean that the previous Government was of any good either. Wrong on the present's part is not an invitation for the former to use an independent movement and smear as much red as possible when the timing is so apt.

Now, of course why am I getting bothered with such a small part of a post when there is a sea of posts out there and even a page which will make little sense to a sane mind: opinions like the women of JU provoke men to do whatever they do because of the kind of clothes they wear, or the fact that a good many of them smoke and quite a bit of more nonsense? I choose at this point to feel bad for such people because they are one-organ less than most of us here; that organ being The Brain. But the reason why I am bothered about the post I mentioned at the beginning of this article is because the rest of it made sense, is because it is likely that no one would disagree with an opinion like that: The opinion being right over wrong, justice for the girl who was molested as well as the students who were brutally beaten in campus. Of course, that is what the fight is about. Therefore there is little need for that Red Salute because that my friend, is also not the solution. What makes me happy though is that I know plenty of others who have been closely associated with SFI be a part of the movement and they have not tried to politicize the movement at all and a few others who voted for the new Government and are protesting against it now (because that is the right thing to do). The next party that will be born will be of no good either if we think that 'Nothing will ever change', so let's just accept it and peacefully vote for the best out of the worst. That is precisely what this movement is NOT about. The movement is not sure either, of the way to the best solution. It has only promised to wake the nation up and take heed. It has brought the much-needed chaos to our daily lives. It is at every point living up to its catch-phrase 'Hok Kolorob (Let there be some noise/chaos)'.


I have been seeing the honest efforts of thousands of students to protest against wrong and I am proud of them. I have been quite restless to not be a part of it physically (for reasons) but I have backed  the true essence of the movement with every part of my being. Just one thing to keep in mind: The Nation and future pages of History are looking at you with starry eyes. So, make sure you write it right. Because if there is anyone, it's you who can.