Cricket World Cup, IPL were all over media , press and public in past few months. But recently , the buzz around is all about corruption, protest, fast, Anna Hazare etc. Media now a cunning fox knows pretty well when to do what and how, in order to make sure insipid stuff could be turned into a full-fledged farce with some help from political parties and public figures. Modern Gandhi - Anna and demigod Ramdev chose a path of non-violence against corruption prevailing in society. Media were equally involved in editing of the scenes and adding flavor to protest with help of few prominent politicians and public figure.
Empty threats were bellowed on empty stomachs and the government responded with equally empty promises. Digvijay Singh was drafted to write the screenplay. Is he so named because of his ability to take a dig at everyone The Delhi police was cast in the villains role and Kapil Sibal assigned the comedians role.The media filled the character slots with Congress PR men and character assassination slots with BJP spokespersons. This is how the slapstick comedy-cum-mystery thriller-cum-horror show currently running on all channels was set in motion.Wake up Kurt Vonnegut Jr and Stephen King.You guys have serious competition in this part of the world.
Same Timeline, Same Nation ,Same Issues ...Some more hunger protest . To name a few
- Swami Nigamananda fasted until death to save Ganges but all in vain
- Irom Sharmila Chanu has been fasting for more than 10 years, against government insurgency in Manipur , but except forceful feeding and wrong allegation s had gained nothing.
On the other Side of fence i would like highlight few other hunger protest
- People protest against Botanical brinjal
- Against India's new Visa rule
Is Hunger Protest , the strongest weapon in "INDIAN Democracy" to protest or raise your voice ? What about other means of non-violence protest which was patronized by Gandhi and Luther? Does starving oneself and persuading others to follow is the only right way to show one's disagreement over a issue. To understand why so much heat and dust ,noise and hype is being caused by a few men going on fast,we need to look at the other forms of protest in vogue . Sit-down strikes and pen-down strikes are quite popular with government employees.They have no emotional value . And people indulging in pen-down strikes more often than not do not know how to hold a pen,let alone make use of it . Candlelight protests are devoid of any drama that evokes media interest.Slogan-shouting and bandhs are considered more of a hindrance than a legitimate form of protest by the general public.Stone-throwing and setting buses and taxis on fire may offer some visual delight,but these are criminal activities which the media cannot aggressively glamorize and claim credit for.
But the protest fast is desi stuff with made in India stamped all over it. It has glamour,emotional appeal and evokes sympathy, media add flavor. On one side is a man who stakes his life and honor ,and on the other side ,the authorities who will leave no stone unturned to keep him alive, humiliate him and finally dishonour him. In conventional fasting,only the enemy within needs to be tackled. But in the protest fast, the fire inside the belly and the fiery opponent outside will both squeeze the juice out of the faster. Baba Ramdev will vouch for it.Some more links to surf through:
- The Hunger Artist who was inspiration for Gandhi
- Hunger Strike which left a mark on international scenario.
[Inspired by TOI and Hindu editorial ]
