MEMO FROM NARA

 

 

Democracy…freedom of speech…freedom to protest…political and non-political parties with conflicting views…coalition politics… all these human activities are growing day by day in a country where diversity is the norm. No one understands these norms, but everyone comes out with new demands which are difficult to implement for any government. Instigating poor people and their emotions against others whom they don’t like has become a day to day affair in all parts of the world including India. Human beings are becoming inhuman in spite of rules and regulations, religious belief and orderly life. The net result is nasty behaviors of people on the street.

 

Society is organized and people have chosen a path of democracy which is in fact, dominated by political parties. These parties have leaders who are all in all for their followers. What the leader thinks is the rule and the cadres have no choice. Otherwise the followers do not get what they want to get in their life. However, it is not easy for anyone to survive in a political party with freedom.

 

India like any other country is undergoing tremendous technological changes. In order to cope up with such changes, one has to sacrifice some of their personal interests. But some people are not willing to do that. They are having fixed and traditional ideas which are spread to the common people and gather them to protest. These protests are sometimes legal and often illegal. Legality is determined by the apex courts by honorable judges. But people do not bother about the judgments if they go against them. In other words, even judgments from Apex courts are not being respected. Then what is the way out?

 

People protest peacefully on any issue which affects their life in one way or other. They say that it is the Gandhian way. There are advocates to support such activities. Therefore, the authorities, like the government organizations cannot use police force to harm the protestors. Police in large numbers are mobilized with an instruction not to touch the protestors. It looks strange! Peaceful people and peaceful police! How to solve the problems?

 

Invariably, some elements either in the group of protestors or in the police forces may start a confrontation either orally or physically. That lights up the fire and subsequent actions end up in chaos. People may die and police may also die in the violence. Public and private properties such as vehicles, offices, shops, houses etc. are burnt down. Stone throwing by the protestors is one of the common sights we see and lathi charge, tear gas usage and firing in the air are some of the police actions.

 

The electronic media will present a running commentary to spread the news among the public elsewhere. Thus the violent incidents reach the far off places. In fact, media should give an impartial account of the news, but there are TV channels governed by each and every political party. So such channels twist the news and present bias news. Hence the role of media is violated, but no one can find fault with media in a democracy. Media are the main channel through which news flow. The flow may be still or turbulent. It is often observed that media want to make sensational ‘breaking news’. We, the common people fall prey to such sensational news and harp on those issues. Is it not ridiculous?

 

In the name of democracy, every organization including the media makes the society more vulnerable to violence and hatred. Such activities are on the increase in every part of the world. Behind all these, there are technological developments which offer comfort and happiness to all people. If we highlight those developments and educate the mass we may end up in reducing if not abolishing protests on every silly issue. Anger and hatred towards others are the reasons for all the violence we view every day. Hence let us try to put down anger and hatred to solve many unsolved problem we face in our country.