Looking for hardworking, nonchalant, careless traffic-stoppers. Must have experience in leading middle-of-the-road rallies for any reason. Must be able to cock a snook at people’s sufferings and counter law-enforcers with bad-mouthing. Formal education is not mandatory, though sounding big without knowledge is desirable. If you have these qualifications, rush in your application today. There are many vacancies available. Remuneration will be strictly on merit.
Let’s say a job ad such as above comes in some city papers. What do you think will be the response? Looking at yet another traffic-stopping rally on Sep 6 – this time by adivasis – it can be a safe bet that there will be no dearth of applicants. Why is this so in Kolkata?
A Kolkata rally – when is the next? (Picture source)
Opinions vary. Politicians say traffic-stopping rallies are a sign of mature democracy, one where everyone has a right to protest. But the malaise is more deep and complex than what appears on surface. Perhaps, social scientists can throw some light on the matter provided they’ve done some solid homework based on independent surveys.
Readers may recall I once wrote on rail abarodhs. To me it seems the participants in these protests have less or no work on their plates. It may as well be that their jobs are so secure that there isn’t much of concern of loosing them. Whatever it is, the fakeness of most protests are all too apparent for everyone to see.
Does it mean genuine protest does not happen? It does, but only very very rarely. And common people do know when it happens. Because they can instantly connect with the cause without any coercion.
On a lighter vein, why not we have an itinerary of yearly rallies in advance, much like the holiday list! It’ll save pain for the non-participants and score gains for those who take part.
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