Anti Reservation Protests: We are still the Land of the Mahatma

Take a poll today, and you will find that there are more fans of Bhagat Singh amongst the youth than those of Mahatma Gandhi. Much of the youth feels that violence was more potent a weapon against the British than non-violence. “ Maar do saale ko”, shouts the latest blockbuster Rang de Basanti, in which a corrupt politician is murdered by the protagonists. The mass appeal of the movie, and the way it has influenced the Indian youth makes one believe that the present generation feels that violence is a valid form of protest.

And yet, when it comes to the real-life political issue that has got the youth of India protesting, i.e. Mandal-II, it is a pleasant surprise that all protests have been non-violent at the students end. All violence that has occurred during the protests has been by the government machinery. It is the police who have lathi-charged the protesting doctors in various cities. There have been no instances of students being arrested, trying to kill Arjun Singh, the perpetrator of the crime of dividing the nation on caste lines, as the protagonists in RDB did. There have been no instances of youth being arrested trying to bomb the parliament, even though they haven’t received an iota of support from any political party.

But one definitely sees protest marches, similar to those against the Simon Commision. We do get to see non-violent protesters braving against lathi charges in the vein of Lala Lajpat Rai. And we see these young protesters, resorting to Bapu’s beloved weapon, the hunger strike. Add to these new forms of non-violent protests that technology has armed them with. Online petitions, blogs, chain e-mails and SMS have all been an active part in their campaign against reservations. Humour has been used to good effect, with some e-mails suggesting a reservation in the Indian cricket team, where the opposition bowls at reserved category players at a lesser pace.

Brash, rebellious, irrational are some epithets commonly hurled at youngsters. But the decency and calm with which the youth of the country has protested reservations in higher education, just goes to show the maturity of the youth of today. They may adore Bhagat Singh, but are equally adept at using the Mahatma’s methods.