Alright I know I said I would be away (Read my previous "This is not Goodbye") and yes I am in some ways “AWAY” but below is a post that I just had to write...Read it and you will know why I just had to write about it...
“A lot of you must have seen the news about protests against the sealing drive in Delhi (for the uninformed this is to do with the court order which requires all commercial properties functioning in residential areas to be shut down). What was meant to be a peaceful protest turned horrifyingly violent on Tuesday last. Though the worst affected area is nowhere near where I stay, I personally felt the effect of the protest and in a way that made me feel extremely vulnerable and weak.
Protests are common place in Delhi though there has never been an instance of it being so widespread in the past. Delhi being a truly cosmopolitan city would never stop functioning. But what happened on Tuesday was spread out and for a cause which affects a large section of Delhi’s population – The traders and their workers.
Why am I writing about something that’s being debated in practically every news story? No I am not here to discuss this issue. I am here to just share a part of this whole ruckus...a part that affected me personally.
Not sensing any particular reason to not function or continue with our day like any other day, we started Tuesday like just another regular week day. Rajiv went to work and Vedant went to school.
At 11:30 am I went to the bus stop to pick up Vedant. What is normally a 5-10 min wait....stretched to 30 minutes. By which time we (parents) were quite worried. Some people on the street told us that in the neighboring area protestors had stopped all vehicles. What we know as “chakka jaam” (chakka = wheels & jaam = stop!). This got us more worked up. I called the school and got the number of the teacher in the bus. She tried sounding calm on the phone and told me that they were trying to get past the mob and get the children back safe and secure...told us to stay where we were and not attempt to reach them. We waited another 30 minutes...it seemed like the longest wait ever in my life. I was scared and worried about Vedant and all the other lil kids.
In my heart I believed that no one would harm children who had nothing to do with the protest. In my head I could not rationalize what kind of people would stop a school bus full of little children? I cannot describe the crazy emotions I felt...but the one thing I could not shake off was fear...fear of anyone hurting my child...
Finally the bus did arrive with all the children safe and I heaved a sigh of relief. My fear gone, my anger abated. Later that evening I watched the news in horror as I saw the violence in other parts of the city and heard of a little 7 year old child who lost his life when hit by a rubber bullet used by cops to disperse a violent mob...
The following day I read of other school buses that were stopped. One for 8 whole hours! And another where children were forced out of the bus and then the protestors pelted stones and destroyed the bus. And in their rage they couldn’t wait till all the children were out of the bus!
I don’t understand why? This is a free and democratic country. People have a right to protest, to be heard and demand to be heard but why like this? Is violence an answer? Do they think they will gain the empathy of others not directly affected by the sealing by causing hurt and injury to innocent school children? Is their cause everything and our safety and security worth nothing?
And did it take the loss of 4 lives...all innocent and one a child of only 7...to make them realize that their protest went completely berserk? And I haven’t heard a voice of remorse anywhere. The one thing I hear is “This was bound to happen when the Govt. did nothing to help us.”... I agree the Govt. didn’t...I also know the opposition parties politicized the whole issue. I could buy the police theory that some anti – social elements joined the protestors and they got the crowd violent. But the common man...the traders? Where was their conscience when children were being harassed and hurt?
I heard a trader on TV talk of how he would pay his children’s fees if he had no means to earn his livelihood and my heart went out to him and all others worrying about how to live through this. Did these same people not realize what agony they caused us (those who empathized with their dilemma) when they involved our children in their fight? Used them as soft targets to gain attention?
I still feel for them and their worry and insecurities. I do hope that between the Govt. and the Courts a solution to this mess is found and implemented. But I don’t support the way they carried out their protest or rather the way they let some handful of crazy people let mayhem rule. I would have walked the streets with them and their families but not anymore. Not when I don’t see the same concern in them for my family.
Call me selfish...self centered...whatever! But this is no way to get your way...peaceful protests have been successful. Our country has shown that in our history...that’s been the pride of our nation – we're so proud of it and we talk of it to the world...that Mahatma Gandhi not only preached non violence, he lived it and made us live it to gain our freedom.
There’s a movie out in the theatres which is inspiring people to get back to those teachings and it’s the “IN” thing @ “Gandhigiri” (Gandhism) but take a look at reality and you’ll see that’s just another movie fad....a fad that will fade when the next big movie hits the screen!"
Ps: the song playing is “Save the children” by U2. Lines from the song below...
“A lot of you must have seen the news about protests against the sealing drive in Delhi (for the uninformed this is to do with the court order which requires all commercial properties functioning in residential areas to be shut down). What was meant to be a peaceful protest turned horrifyingly violent on Tuesday last. Though the worst affected area is nowhere near where I stay, I personally felt the effect of the protest and in a way that made me feel extremely vulnerable and weak.
Protests are common place in Delhi though there has never been an instance of it being so widespread in the past. Delhi being a truly cosmopolitan city would never stop functioning. But what happened on Tuesday was spread out and for a cause which affects a large section of Delhi’s population – The traders and their workers.
Why am I writing about something that’s being debated in practically every news story? No I am not here to discuss this issue. I am here to just share a part of this whole ruckus...a part that affected me personally.
Not sensing any particular reason to not function or continue with our day like any other day, we started Tuesday like just another regular week day. Rajiv went to work and Vedant went to school.
At 11:30 am I went to the bus stop to pick up Vedant. What is normally a 5-10 min wait....stretched to 30 minutes. By which time we (parents) were quite worried. Some people on the street told us that in the neighboring area protestors had stopped all vehicles. What we know as “chakka jaam” (chakka = wheels & jaam = stop!). This got us more worked up. I called the school and got the number of the teacher in the bus. She tried sounding calm on the phone and told me that they were trying to get past the mob and get the children back safe and secure...told us to stay where we were and not attempt to reach them. We waited another 30 minutes...it seemed like the longest wait ever in my life. I was scared and worried about Vedant and all the other lil kids.
In my heart I believed that no one would harm children who had nothing to do with the protest. In my head I could not rationalize what kind of people would stop a school bus full of little children? I cannot describe the crazy emotions I felt...but the one thing I could not shake off was fear...fear of anyone hurting my child...
Finally the bus did arrive with all the children safe and I heaved a sigh of relief. My fear gone, my anger abated. Later that evening I watched the news in horror as I saw the violence in other parts of the city and heard of a little 7 year old child who lost his life when hit by a rubber bullet used by cops to disperse a violent mob...
The following day I read of other school buses that were stopped. One for 8 whole hours! And another where children were forced out of the bus and then the protestors pelted stones and destroyed the bus. And in their rage they couldn’t wait till all the children were out of the bus!
I don’t understand why? This is a free and democratic country. People have a right to protest, to be heard and demand to be heard but why like this? Is violence an answer? Do they think they will gain the empathy of others not directly affected by the sealing by causing hurt and injury to innocent school children? Is their cause everything and our safety and security worth nothing?
And did it take the loss of 4 lives...all innocent and one a child of only 7...to make them realize that their protest went completely berserk? And I haven’t heard a voice of remorse anywhere. The one thing I hear is “This was bound to happen when the Govt. did nothing to help us.”... I agree the Govt. didn’t...I also know the opposition parties politicized the whole issue. I could buy the police theory that some anti – social elements joined the protestors and they got the crowd violent. But the common man...the traders? Where was their conscience when children were being harassed and hurt?
I heard a trader on TV talk of how he would pay his children’s fees if he had no means to earn his livelihood and my heart went out to him and all others worrying about how to live through this. Did these same people not realize what agony they caused us (those who empathized with their dilemma) when they involved our children in their fight? Used them as soft targets to gain attention?
I still feel for them and their worry and insecurities. I do hope that between the Govt. and the Courts a solution to this mess is found and implemented. But I don’t support the way they carried out their protest or rather the way they let some handful of crazy people let mayhem rule. I would have walked the streets with them and their families but not anymore. Not when I don’t see the same concern in them for my family.
Call me selfish...self centered...whatever! But this is no way to get your way...peaceful protests have been successful. Our country has shown that in our history...that’s been the pride of our nation – we're so proud of it and we talk of it to the world...that Mahatma Gandhi not only preached non violence, he lived it and made us live it to gain our freedom.
There’s a movie out in the theatres which is inspiring people to get back to those teachings and it’s the “IN” thing @ “Gandhigiri” (Gandhism) but take a look at reality and you’ll see that’s just another movie fad....a fad that will fade when the next big movie hits the screen!"
Ps: the song playing is “Save the children” by U2. Lines from the song below...
Pic: Vedant and his friends on his birthday :-)
“I just want to ask a question
Who really cares?
To save a world in despair
There’ll come a time,
when the world won't be singin'
Flowers won't grow;
Bells won't be ringin'
Who really cares?
Who's willing to try to save a world?
That's destined to die
When I look at the world it fills me with sorrow
Little children today are really gonna suffer tomorrow
Oh what a shame, such a bad way to live
All who is to blame, we can't stop livin'
Live, live for life
But let live everybody
Live life for the children
Oh, for the children
You see, let's save the children
Let's save all the children
Save the babies, save the babies
If you want to love, you got to save the babies
All of the children
But who really cares
Who's willing to try?
Yes, to save a world
Yea, save our sweet world
Save a world that is destined to die...”
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