One Day for the Nation…

It was just another day. Me, Priyanka and Nath were out for a walk at the MG Road, Bangalore on Sunday. We were on our way from Barista, had a refreshing coffee and more importantly, shielded ourselves from the heat.

Then something caught our eyes. Right opposite to where we were standing, we saw a large mass of people all lined up beside the road with a piece of paper pasted onto their chest saying “I am against Reservation”. Just then, a gentleman came and asked us if we were against the government’s tyrannical move to implement reservation on the basis of caste, so that up to almost 50 percent of all educational seats for higher education , would be reserved for people from so called “Backward Castes”

Frankly speaking, I was hesitant. I knew that whatever we did, none of the political parties are going to vote against the bill and risk the huge vote bank that is the people who are going to benefit from this. I was more like, if the government is so hell bent upon cutting of the wings of the rising nation (lionized as the next world economic power), then so be it. If they want to f**k up the future of this country, lets reap the “benefits” together.

But Priyanka was all for the protest. She reasoned with me, that if the people do not give the signal to the lawmakers that they are against such dictatorial moves, then it wouldn’t be fit to call ourselves a sovereign democracy anymore. So I was more like, “I’m against reservation, so let it be”. We joined the human chain that was forming on the side of the road.

What followed was an eye opener. Hundreds and Thousands of people saw our protest that day. May like us joined from the streets, from various modes of life. From Doctors to Engineers, from young to old joined us in the venture.

We Protest...

(Me, Priyanka & Nath)

There were a whole lot of policemen on the streets; I feared some retribution from the government. But talking to one of the officers there, I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was also all for what we stood for and told us that he couldn’t join us coz he was on duty. Most of the officers echoed this sentiment and even gave us tips on how to make our resentment heard to those who deem to be deaf.

By night, we lighted candles and stood on the road, chanting slogans and singing those patriotic songs of yester years. We then marched to a park close by and declared our solidarity to the cause for which thousands were protesting across the nation.

Light the way....
(Priyanka with the candles)

I hope we can make a difference, though I still doubt if those up in the highest echelons of power deem themselves so high that they tend to ignore the voices of those on the ground. Then again, if the basement is broken, the building is sure to fall…