It all started with protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) respectively; the dark day that witnessed the police entering the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) campus, Delhi University campus and JNU.
Videos surfaced showing how brutally students and others were being treated by the police. This shows how far we have come as a people’s democracy. It is, however, still unclear who the actual miscreants were, sabotaging the public property. It is in these protests and simmering discontent that we can see the ‘real India’. The same ‘Hindustan’ which got freedom after years of struggle and national movements.
On a daily basis, we have been watching and reading about the protests, their causes, and consequences for society. Apart from the sociological impacts, more and more emphasis is being given to “What it means to be an Indian?”
From Dr S. Radhakrishnan, Swami Vivekananda, M.K.Gandhiji to Jawaharlal Nehru, we have been getting to learn more and more about ‘What their idea of India meant’ or ‘What India meant to them?’
This protest has not only been about the CAA and the NRC, but there is more to it. I tried to find out the real meaning behind the attempts to rule by muzzling dissent and its effects. For the same, I used M.K.Gandhiji’s vision when it comes to self-rule in his book titled ‘Hind Swaraj’.
I, being a pacifist and a follower of Satyagraha, endeavoured to bring out the truth behind these protests. The rage against this ‘inequality’ was common among all, making it a youth-driven movement. From Jamia, JNU to Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), all came out and raised the slogans in unison for the nation.
With the help of Gandhiji’s quotes, which I shall be using throughout this article, I will highlight what this protest is about and what would Gandhiji (Bapu) has said about these voices of dissent.
In one of the primers to what he meant by Swaraj, Bapu expounded, in great detail, on self-rule, wisdom, freedom, patriotism, evils of society, civilization, and much more. These values or terms, more or less, have been in the news for their respective meanings, which can be subjective in nature.
A clear understanding of all this and the protests will throw light towards the direction that this whole debate is now taking. Through Bapu’s lens, I will try to figure out what is wrong and how can it be tackled.
#Gandhiji On ‘Unrest’
“Unrest is, in reality, discontent. This discontent is a very useful thing. As long as a man is contented with his present lot, so long is it difficult to persuade him to come out of it. Therefore it is that every reform must be preceded by discontent. “
If we are to decode Bapu’s words here, we can come to the understanding that discontent in the larger picture is not bad at all; it is in fact needed to come out of one’s comfort zone. That very act of coming out to dissent may result in some reforms, progressive moves, and more.
#Gandhiji On ‘Strength’
“Strength lies in the absence of fear, not in the quantity of flesh and muscle we have on our bodies.”
The real strength of the protesters who have raised their voices against the legislation shows how strong they are. Print and electronic coverage showed people from all walks of life coming out and getting flogged, lathi-charged. The police even used tear gas and other dispersal techniques, to no avail. The undeterred minds kept protesting against what they consider as unconstitutional and against equality.
#Gandhiji On ‘Physician’
“He is a true physician who probes the cause of disease.”
If we pay close attention here, we can say that PM Narendra Modi is the physician here. Either he has not been able to probe the cause or he has been deliberately ignoring it! God knows the truth, but it is his duty to pay heed to all those who have been protesting on the roads and the streets for so many days.
#Gandhiji On ‘Passive Resistance’
“Passive resistance is an all-sided sword, it can be used anyhow; it blesses him who uses it and him against who it is used.”
Had Bapu been here today, he would have been so proud of the youth of this country. The forms of protest, which have majorly been non-violent, means Bapu is still alive. His values, soul, morals are with us. This is what makes us India- Bharat (Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam).
#Gandhiji On ‘Claypot’
“A clay pot would break through impact, if not with one stone, then with another. The way to save the pot is not to keep it away from the danger point but to bake it so that no one would break it.”
The clay pot here is our demographic dividend, which is not shakable, it is just unbreakable. Slogans of ‘We shall overcome one day‘, distributing roses, and other non-violent techniques have been the approach to get their voices heard in the corridors of power. The powerful values of Bapu and Satyagraha are still a force to be reckoned with.
https://twitter.com/SahibaAhmad15/status/1207677733037367297
#Gandhiji On ‘Evil’
“Evil has wings. To build a house takes time. Its destruction takes none.”
Here Bapu tried to say that it is easier to destroy than to build. The same goes for our beloved nation, from freedom fighters to all those soldiers who got martyred for our freedom, their sweat and blood should not go in vain. These protests have united us as citizens of the country, one that is known for its heterogeneity and unity in diversity.
#Gandhiji On ‘Justice’
“One who seeks justice will have to do justice to others.”
I found this to be the most important quote to conclude this write-up with, as it contains more than what meets the eye. When we talk about principles of justice, our Preamble and Constitution guarantee us the same. But, seeking justice has to be complemented by doing justice to others too, meaning the citizenry here, by the lawmakers.
We, the citizens of India, have declared our allegiance to secularism, justice, liberty, equality, and fraternity, and these constitutional values make us who we are.
After so much uproar and ruckus over the CAA legislation and NRC exercise, it is now imperative, for the government and the judiciary too, to independently look for the unconstitutional elements in it (if any), because the government, which is currently running the world’s largest democracy, is accountable to the people of this country.
The spirit of this movement against inequality and muzzling of dissent shows that Bapu is still alive in all of us; we are the carriers of his legacy and shall continue to do so.