Two movements, one thread...

Two movements, one thread… and the ‘Animal Farm’

(Published in The Hitavada on November 22, 2011)
 By Kartik Lokhande
In ‘Animal Farm’ (1945), included among the best 100 English language novels, the author George Orwell discussed well the concepts of revolution, transition, people’s Government etc. In the novel, animals in a farm revolt and drive out its owner. Animals take control of the farm and frame Seven Commandments. The most critical Commandment is – All animals are equal. However, things go wrong. Predators starve as they follow the rule and treat the prey equally. Several other factors get involved, raising questions about applicability of the most important Commandment. Finally, it all ends up with a little addition to the Commandment. The revised Commandment reads – All animals are equal, but some animals are More Equal Than Others.
One can find that the story is true even today. Especially, the revised Comandment quoted above. Going just a few months back, one can find that the actions of the Government of India against Baba Ramdev’s agitation and scores of participants at Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi, hinted that some in the Government were more equal than those from among whom it was elected. Otherwise, how can one explain the logic behind the Government elected by the people acting against the people who were seeking a clear stand on the issue of black money stashed abroad? It was on June 5, 2011, well past midnight, Police swooped down on Baba Ramdev. Cops resorted to lathi-charge, lobbed tear gas shells at the participants, detained Baba Ramdev only to drop him at his ashram in Hardwar the next day. Why? To end indefinite hunger strike started by Baba a day earlier. Why? Because, hunger strike was ‘provoking’ people against the Government on the issue of black money.
But, ‘some are more equal than others’ applies to present-day situation in any other country. For example, the latest incident of New York Police Department (NYPD) officers storming into Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park at 1 am earlier this month and arresting around 150 of the ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protesters. As a report from ‘The Telegraph’ (UK) read – “Hundreds of NYPD officers wearing riot gear burst into Manhattan’s Zuccotti Park at 1 am, arresting more than 140 people inside the two-month-old camp and about 60 outside in chaotic scenes. As they tore down tents, seized tons of equipment and binned the 5,000 books in the camp’s library, police blocked photographers from observing the raid and physically removed reporters from the site.”
There is still another example from history. Back in India, in 1975, then Congress Government detained Jayprakash Narain who had given the call for ‘Total Revolution’ and who was evoking tremendous response from the students. The detention took place well past midnight, and so was the pronouncement of Emergency. Later, it was told that the Government purposely chose the timing of detention of JP and several other Opposition leaders, and declaration of Emergency. Because, by midnight, the newspapers had gone into print and the country was fast asleep.
‘Quit India’ movement of Mahatma Gandhi also saw a similar spectacle. Slated to start on August 9, 1942, the call had shaken the British Government to its bone. Knowing fully well that it could even bring about an end to their rule, the British arrested Mahatma and hundreds of Congress and other leaders after midnight of August 8-9 in the hope of stalling the next morning’s explosion of public sentiment. By the time people would have come to know about the arrests, the movement would have lost its steam. That their judgement went awfully wrong, is another story.
There is ‘n’ number of such examples when the Government, elected or otherwise, crushed the movements that posed threat to those in power. In all such agitations, countless people took to streets or were vocal about their concerns because they were not against their own Government, their own country; but were against those in power. The basic nature of all these movements was anti-establishment, and not anti-national.
May it be action against Baba Ramdev or ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protesters; may it be New Delhi or New York; everywhere, across the globe, politicians beg for votes on the plank that every citizen is equal and that everyone would be treated equally, everyone would get justice. People elect those whom they believe. The politicians come to power, become powerful, and forget everything other than their personal agenda of being in power. In a bid to retain power, they start acting against the citizens. They stop ensuring justice for everyone. When the people remind them of their promises, those in power start believing ‘some are more equal than others’. And, then, powerful become the symbol of ‘animalism’, and citizens, of naiveté.
Both, ‘bring back black money’ movement of Baba Ramdev and ‘Occupy Wall Street’ movement that triggered similar protests across the globe, are movements against the establishment. Here, both the movements have a common thread – craving for a positive change in governance. But, there is more to the story. Actions taken by respective Governments to end both the movements also have a common threat – dishonesty. Had those in power thought of the movements on the basis of their merits, their actions would have been different. Those in Government, then, might have focused more on introspection and retrospection to correct the course of actions for better and just future.
However, as it did not happen, there is a threat looming large -- threat of a larger revolt, uncontrolled expression of anger within, movements with element of radicalism gaining more attention, anti-national elements creeping in. If the present-day Governments let it happen, countrymen with honest intentions behind participating in a movement can do nothing but curse their own fate.
If that happens, countries would witness change but like the one in Orwell’s ‘Animal Farm’. The farm owner would be gone, the animals (read, citizens) would be there. And, after some time, the most important Commandment would be changed again ‘some are more equal than others’. The farm owners (read, the elected Governments), it is ripe time to prevent future from slipping into hands of radicalism. It is ripe time to act in right direction. And, it is ripe time to re-introduce good governance.