Like many others, I was really shocked and appalled by the misdeeds of the government ‘Delhi police’. And wanted to protest very badly against it. Of course I could not just pick up a stone and throw it at the Congress headquarters Delhi police station. So I picked up my blackest T-Shirt this morning, as my sign of mute protest.
In office, by a mysterious stroke of luck, I read that there was to be another protest. Importantly for me, it was scheduled AFTER I read the email(yesterday I missed out on a protest march as I checked my email late. Uffff!). This particular march was organized by Hinjewadi Association, along with Pune chapter of India Against Corruption. The morcha was to be held from Infosys Gate No 1 to Wipro Gate, in “Rajiv Gandhi” Technology Park, Phase II, Hinjewadi, Pune, India.
Now, my office is in Phase I. So, with a couple of friends, we travelled to Phase II, to participate in the march. A large crowd had already gathered, and was swelling pretty quickly. Many amongst the crowd were wearing Gandhi topis, with ‘I AM ANNA’ and ‘Mee Anna Hazare’ written. Some of the guys were holding placards showing the slogans – more for helping us chant than dispaying to others. Of course it goes without saying that everyone in the protest was ‘youth’. All of us were from the IT industry. And a little surprisingly, there was a considerable amount of female participation. The fairer sex comprised about 40-50% of the entire crowd.
To be fair, I have some reservations with a few clauses in the Jan Lokpal Bill(will blog about that later), and so I was primarily there to protest against the tyrannical behavior of the government. Standing in the crowd, I started getting the ‘feel’ of the protest. I have attended a few election rallies in the past(seriously!). But this was another ball game altogether. This time I was actively involved in protesting, whereas in election rallies you are just a passive spectator. I was obviously excited about this whole thing. And I could see the difference. It was morally boosting. Because all of us were for a selfless cause. And we were all feeling extremely patriotic. The atmosphere started getting electric. The chants started with Vande Mataram, and Bharat Mata Ki Jai. I was a little shy at first. And so were many others. I saw quite a few guys, and a lot many girls smiling shyly as they chanted the slogans. Some guys were cracking jokes to desperately get some female giggles. But gradually all of us started getting used to the chanting and became serious about it. We were there for a cause. Most to support Jan Lokpal Bill, and some like me, to basically express my angst against the government. And I have to honestly tell you. I started getting emotional about the whole thing. As I saw tricolours flying in the air, and chants of Vande Mataram and Bharat Mata Ki Jai filled the air, I realized that this is about the closest that I was ever to our own Freedom Movement! Why? You might ask. My answer is this:
Only twice in my entire life have I seen so many youth with so many Indian flags and feeling so patriotic. The first time was when India won the World Cup again. And the second time was this – Anna’s movement. Since Anna’s movement is more directly involved with the politics and causes of Indian aam junta, I will credit this as the most successful national movement I have seen in my lifetime. And I will repeat, for me, this was the closest I could get to the Indian freedom fighters. Yes, there were no Britishers ready to shoot us, but remember, just a few days back the Maharashtra police had fired at protesting unarmed villagers and killed 3 of them. Eerily, the shooting had happened just a few kilometers away from Hinjewadi (on the Expressway). The patriotism, the selflessness, the spirit and the energy was invigorating.
In the official email, the organizers had mentioned a total of 5 slogans that were to be used in this peaceful rally. But that did not stop a few of us to indulge ourselves in other slogans. One I can’t seem to forget is, “Baaki sab chingam hain. Anna hamare Singham hain!”. :D
After we sang the national anthem, and the chanting renewed, we realized we were standing at the same place for the past 15 minutes! It was then that a few of the organizers announced that the rally was cancelled because they could not get permission! I mentally abused the police again (it sounded improper to foul the atmosphere by actually uttering those bad words). However, the chanting resumed. The organizers advised us to disperse. Interestingly, gradually the crowd automatically started moving towards the Wipro gate. Not to be left behind, I joined the cavalcade. While walking, and chanting, I couldn’t help myself from imagining a few of those brave Maharashtra police officers again arriving in jeeps, armed with their service revolvers, enthusiastically pumping bullets into our hearts and earning a few medals from themselves. What if that actually happens? A bullet strikes my heart. What next? Will the entire nation erupt on streets? Indian Spring? Instability? Confusion? Anyways, the Maharashtra police was obviously involved in more important tasks, and conveniently ignored us – petty criminals who were marching without permission.
The march was snaking around on the footpath. And there were thousands of us. Easily more than 5 thousand guys. Many vehicles were slowing down to have a look. I saw quite a few blue collared workers staring at us. To be fair to them, the sight was unusual. This was not a group of protestors bought by the political parties. Friday meant most of us were dressed in casuals. There was western wear. There were hot babes(quite a lot :D). There were ameerchode. And there was the middle class. This industry is used to work in AC, away from the heat and dust. But we are not away from the pulse of the nation.
The march ended few meters short of the Wipro gate. J So technically we did not complete the march! With final chants of Bharat Mata Ki Jaiiii, and Vande Mataram, the crowd finally dispersed.
This was the first time in my life that I actually felt that I have performed some action that was directly affecting my nation. It is my firm belief, that this movement is going to have a huge impact on the future of India. Mostly, for the better!
