It was some twenty years or so back I read about a human chain kilometers long somewhere in Europe. It was organised by the Green Peace activists (if I remember it correctly) , protesting against Nuclear projects. This human chain attracted world wide attention as then it was a new way to protest. Soon we in Kerala saw our first human chain, creating some reason to protest. What followed was a chain reaction of human chains. We had human chains unbroken from Thiruvananthapuram in the south to Kasargod in the North. In these chains each link had a happy face. Happy of being part of a grand event (managed). No problem seemed to worry anybody. There was no anger or anxiety over any face. The spirit of the first human chain in Europe was the most conspicuous thing by its absence in our indigenous editions. After all, the spirit cannot be aped.
Then we saw spontaneous eruptions of protest starting from Tunisia and spreading to Libiya, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrin, Syria and some other countries of the Arab world. Collectively we call it the Arab Spring. In all these places we saw the endurance of the protesters before the guns that may roar any time.
This winter Delhi recorded the lowest temperature in a long long time. But even more chilling was the cruelty done to an innocent girl. No doubt, all that are human might have been frozen for the perpetrators of this horrible crime. The citizens of Delhi were pained and anguished and they came on the streets in tens and thousands. The whole world saw what followed.
I may be excused for asking certain questions or making some statements. Am I wrong if I say that these protesters knew well that they were in democratic India and that they were standing only before water canons and at the most rubber bullets? This is not to question anyone's honesty. But weren't there a lot of drama? Aren't you tempted to compare the Delhi Winter with the Arab Spring? One need not go up to the boy who stood unfazed before the speeding army tank at the T-square.
It is the following scenes that made me think like this.
HOWZAAT???
6th Jan 2013
Firoze Shah Kotla ground was on fire as it should be during an India-Pak ODI. If the commentators are to be believed, the crowd was 50,000 strong. All the drama and melodrama of such an occasion was visible in the stands. And as the matched turned to be a cliff hanger, there were a large number of people who closed their eyes and were praying. Obviously none of them was praying for the departed soul. Just a few days back they were there at the Jantar Mandir or the India Gate in all their fury. How could they so easily settle down and watch a cricket match? I had this thought....."was this the city that launched a million protesters and burned tons of candles?"
The TV camera crew has the knack of picking up special scenes on the stands. And I saw this girl who was weeping. I said to myself " she might have thought of the tragic event and have forgotten about the cricket unfolding before her". Foolish I was. Soon I realized that it is not the tri-colour on her cheeks. It is the monochromatic one. Yes, with India coming back into the game the girl from across the border could not hold back her tears. My nationalism erupted and I too started praying with closed eyes. On opening my eyes I saw Yuvi fleeing for somewhere with the 'catch" held firmly in his hands and others following him failing to reach him. India won the match.
Where did I start? Forget it. India has won. Jai Ho!
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