By Liz Maria Kuriakose
Silence becomes cowardice when occasion demands speaking out the whole truth and acting accordingly.
– Mahatma Gandhi
Sandhya Suresh, a homemaker in Thiruvanathapuram expressed her fury over a road blockade leading to the Cliff House last month. The visuals of her outburst at the leaders who led the blockade will remain in the minds of all Keralites! She has been lauded for her bravery to speak up without fear.
Irrespective of being organized by individuals or political parties, hartals, strikes, blockades and nationwide bandhs have become an indispensable part and parcel of our lives. Heart breaking it is, to forgo a week without a strike. These days are sought after by students and the working class alike. As every protester claims that it is his fundamental right to voice his dissent against an existing norm, rarely does he remember that it leads to the infringement of the freedom of movement for many. In a democratic setup, as one expresses his protest, the society as a whole may not extend their support to his cause. His unwillingness to work simply does not imply that he has the right to force others to abstain from work too. This can be accounted as the violation of the non-supporters fundamental rights. This ideology will never be accepted as long as the political parties and labour unions resort to the same existing means of protest.
There exists a hidden belief that once you pelt stones at the public transport, government offices and police personnel, the chances that your demands are met is potentially high. Why? Because the government will have to face the subsequent losses. And what/who helps in the building up of these institutions? The taxes we pay! Arent we digging our own graves? We pay and we destroy! The educational institutions are forced to declare a holiday. If not, they are putting the lives of many young minds at risk. Consequently, exams get postponed, results delayed and the universities get the blame. Not to forget the fact that there are more who despise attending classes than those who would actually want to study. Moving on, daily wage laborers are put off work as long as the strike goes on. Their lives are at a standstill then.
Hospitals are often the unreachable destinations. The lives of the ill are uncared for. If doctors and nurses go on a strike, who will look after the sick? Tourists who visit our country are left bewildered by the welcome they receive. Thus the tourism industry faces huge losses. Violent clashes between the protesters and the police take away several lives. Use of tear gas and lathi(baton) charges are integral phenomenon of hartals synonymous with dispersal of an angry parade without which our protestors wouldnt budge. The nationwide trade union strike in the country during the month of February 2013 estimated a loss of 15-20 thousand crores to the economy. Hartals can even scare investments away from the country!
So, who gets benefitted in the end? I guess no one! Neither the protestors get their demands met quickly, nor can the society breathe easy. The clock has struck at the hour when the people of our nation need to realize that political parties or social groups do not hold any rights to restrict our lives for their whims. Formulating new codes of ethics for hartals may not work wonders in the beginning but will be successful in the long run. Nothing has ever been achieved by violence, nor will be. Gandhiji conducted hartals and strikes for a noble purpose with non-violence as its foundation. But today, are these values upheld in the protest? Probably, this realization will help many more Sandhyas to raise their voices against the harsh consequences of these tantrums we face.
Get up, stand up, stand up for your rights.
Get up, stand up, dont give up the fight.
-Bob Marley
The author is a student of Economics Honors at St Stephens College, Delhi. She is interested in singing and compering events. Reading, writing and listening to music are her hobbies. Her greatest inspiration in writing is definitely her mother. Family and friends are an integral part of her life. She hopes to serve the nation and work towards its development.