The angry Indian within us

Dr Rana Preet Gill

We live in a country where the sentiments of a majority of our brethren are prone to getting hurt. We seem to suffer from some sort of emotional distress. If not all of us, some of us have our sentimentalities tied to the end of our sleeves and all we have to do is to flash our arms and brag about our emotional inadequacies in the face of other mortals. What is the result? Bharat bandh! Bring the state to a standstill! Bring the country to a no-work zone! And people, who merely watch such transgression on our freedom, can do nothing but keep mum about all that is happening around.

As an ordinary citizen of this country, I want to ask those who take pride in organizing and implementing the bandhs with such gusto! Why is it important to bring the country to a standstill to prove a point, your point, our point, anyone’s point? What do we get out of this? Harassed commuters, lost wages of a shopkeeper, losses incurred by buses and the Railways, deserted roads, barricades… all this is enough to throw off balance, an ordinary day in the ordinary life of an ordinary person. Such is the commonness of these bandhs, the commonness of us launching an offensive against anything, the propensity of us taking offence against everything that we become attuned to bandhs interrupted by the ordinariness of normal days. The bandhs seem to have become the new norm of this shining India! Why are we always so angry?

I leave my home like any other day to go to work. A busy road, busy people, this business reassures me that all is well in the life of the world. On my way back, I am amazed to see an uneasy calm on the streets. There are a few people walking aimlessly on the roads, the shops are closed, even the strays have vacated their faithful spots. I am nervous when I spot barricades on the road leading to my home.

A few youngsters with grim expressions are guarding the place with a zealousness that is hard to miss. Their dedication towards the present job is evident by the flailing of their arms as they stop my car and fix me up with a cold stare. I am told that the roads are closed. I flash my identity card before them. They read it carefully and nod. I request pleading that I was not aware it was a bandh today. They look at me perplexed and whisper amongst each other. They let me go, not before giving me a piece of advice, that people like me are the ones who turn bandhs ineffectual. They lecture that I should be more aware of the happenings around me.

The others in the melee are not as lucky as they are turned back. The people in the crowd around the barricade look at me and grumble. I reach home and thank my good fortune. I keep my identity card handy. Who knows it might be a bandh tomorrow or day after tomorrow! Our tolerance levels are low and the world is full of instigating factors. Is there anything I can do, but wait and watch?

Commonness of ‘bandhs’

Harassed commuters, lost wages of a shopkeeper, losses incurred by buses and the Railways, deserted roads, barricades… all this is enough to throw off balance, an ordinary day in the ordinary life of an ordinary person. Such is the commonness of these bandhs.