One Up for Democracy!

I like what is happening in India. I approve of the fact that people from all walks of life are making their views heard on all issues…ranging from the Aamir Khan vs. the Gujarat government controversy to reservations to The DaVinci Code. It indicates that, to an extent, democracy is alive in the nation.

I say to an extent. And for a reason. The governmnt has ample evidence now that an overwhelming number of people are opposed to reservations. There are pro-quota people, no doubt. But Arjun Singh’s statement that the government will go ahead with reservations, no matter what, smacked strongly of autocracy. Does public opinion count for nothing?

Another thing about this whole mess that pissed me off was an article by Sharad Yadav which I read in Hindustan Times. He accuses the anti-reservationists of having an elitist mentality. He says that the upper castes still can’t bear the thought of lower castes being educated. What utter bullshit! Anti-reservationsits are against reservations…not education for all. Yadav is just a rabble-rouser who believes in circular arguments and logical fallacies to make his point.

Anyway..back to the point that I was initially making. I like what is happening because it indicates that we Indians are not passive spectators of political drama. We’re slowly beginning to make ourselves heard, loud and clear. It was always a mystery to me why we, who argue vociferously amongst ourselves about Sourav Ganguly and the BJP and petrol prices, never take to the streets to make a point. I suppose it is the regular middle-class mentality that we all have, “if it doesn’t affect me directly, I’ll not bother about it.”

I’m an armchair critic, of course. The only time I took to the streets was when I took part in a march protesting against the war on Iraq. But apart from that I’ve been content to just watch TV debates, read editorials and sign petitions.

Being pro-active is so important. It was the aam janta which forced the US government to pull out of Vietnam. But that is the stuff of legend already. A more immediate example would be of the French students who forced the government to pull out an employment bill that would’ve made holding down jobs difficult for students. That was ‘People Power’.

Of course, ‘People Power’ is not always successful. The student protests at Tiannenmen Square resulted in failure. But at least a point was made. Even today, we count the unknown student who faced-down a military tank as one of our modern day heroes. Such moments in history bring in fresh realization that we have the gift of reason and communication for a reason. We have to make ourselves heard…it doesn’t matter for what. Everyone has an opinion and every opinion has to be heard. Unlike what Arjun Singh said, the government cannot just go ahead with its decision, ‘no matter what’. This is our country, our government. We elected the people who sit in the Lok Sabha. They are there to serve us, to represent us…not to rule us.

Clearing out the Slum(dwellers)

Ok, so the Supreme Court has said that poverty is no excuse for invading public places and setting up shanties there. Fair enough. I’ve often thought how beautiful Azad Maidan would look without all the squatters and it would be such a pleasure walking down Mahapalika Marg if only the various ‘charsis’ weren’t there.

But where are the slum dwellers to go? They’re all migrants from rural areas. They left their native villages in search of better livelihood and came to the cities. Naturally the cities got over-crowded, basic infrastructure started breaking down and living conditions fell way below par. And its a good thing that the judiciary realizes the importance of public spaces, especially in a city like Mumbai where to get any amount of fresh air, you have to remain indoors.

These migrants left their villages because conditions there are primitive. In the fifty-odd years since independence, the administration hasn’t done much to raise living standards in rural India. Power is erratic, commercial agriculture has turned traditional living patterns upside down, potable water is becoming scarce. Now the ejected slum dwellers have no choice but to go back.

I’m in total agreement with the SC in the matter of public spaces. We need them…desperately. But in my opinion the court hasn’t given us a solution. It has merely complicated matters.

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Moving on to more literary matters. I just finished reading the ‘His Dark Materials’ trilogy by Philip Pullman. I was fascinated not just by the highly original story, but also by the fantastic characterisations and the high-quality action. However, what makes the trilogy more interesting is that Pullman had an agenda when he wrote it and he made no bones about it. He’s an avowed athiest and he makes it very clear in the books. The books are propaganda material for all those who think religion is make-believe and does more harm than good. However, Pullman criticized the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis precisely because he thought they were ‘propaganda’ too. The difference is that Lewis’s books have a very strong Christian theme.

So what does this mean? That it is ok to propagate atheism, but not ok to talk about religion? That’s a bit unfair, I think. Everyone should have the right to say what they want. If you don’t want to listen, you’d better turn deaf.

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That reminds of something else. The whole Prophet Muhammad cartoon controversy. I remember getting so confused and I kept asking myself…should there be any limits on the freedom of speech and expression? On the one hand, I believe that everyone has an opinion and they should be allowed to air it. On the other hand, I thought the cartoons were in really bad taste and it would’ve been better for all concerned if they had never been published. I was especially upset that many European newspapers printed those cartoons just to prove a point. It seemed a little spiteful.

All this reminded me of an essay I’d read in college. I don’t remember who wrote it or what its name is. All I remember is the essayist saying that while freedom is important, it should not impinge upon or put at risk other peoples’ freedom. For instance, I’m perfectly free to walk down the middle of the road. But if I did that, I’d violate the freedom of motorists to drive down that same road without any accidents. So basically, there have to be some laws and rules and regulations to make sure that one person’s freedom is not in opposition to another person’s freedom.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that freedom of speech and expression is fine, but it should be used with proper judgement.

Hotel Strikes: Hitting On the Belt

It’s hard. You haven’t had time to read the newspaper in the morning, so you take it along with you to work so that you can read it when you get a little time. Morning passes by in a flurry of hard work and you decide to relax a little till lunchtime by reading the paper. And it hits you hard…restaurants and hotels are on strike! Where the hell do you eat??

You finally remember that there is a McDonald’s outlet close by and you rush there as soon as lunchtime rings in. And what do you find? The place is full to bursting point with other hungry workers like you. You have no option but to eat standing. To move to another McD’s outlet would be to expire in your shoes of hunger.

Should restaurants and hotels be allowed to strike? Of course, they should. But on the other hand, they provide vital services, viz. chow for rumbling stomachs. And when you’re ravenous like a wolf, you’re about ready to gobble up the leader of the strike if he happens to come by…that’s killing two birds with one stone – your hunger is satiated and the instigator of you misery dies a befittingly horrible death. But I digress…

The point I guess is that we’re all Champions of the Right to Freedom and Expression (and to Strikes) as long as the protests do not affect us directly. But once the blow falls too close for comfort, we squirm and yell about insensitive jerks who are too selfish to realize that they’re inconveniencing others.

This happened to me today. Normally, I would have supported the strike (or atleast the right to strike). But today, since I was so directly affected, I made a big deal about it. But that, I guess, is life. Let it rain, as long as it does so on someone else’s house!