What do you do when you believe in a cause but not in the movement? Does the end justify the means? Is utilitarianism the way out? It's been a very major debate since long. Mahatma Gandhi believed in the approach towards freedom more than freedom itself. And, people blame him for that because he called off the Non Cooperation Movement after Chauri Chaura and because he signed the Irwin Pact without negotiating for Bhagat Singh et al. But can you so easily give up your ideals; doesn't the aftermath of the result depend on how you achieved the result? I found myself asking similar questions to myself recently.
I was faced with such a situation, albeit at a very smaller scale, during the candle light vigil at IIT Bombay to show our solidarity to Anna Hazare last week. I think the initiative taken by the students to organize the march was commendable, but this was a serious issue and needed a lot of thinking. Shouting of slogans does not help the cause much, especially given that you are being heard by neither the Anna camp nor the government. And to make things worse, a lot of those shouting the slogans were in it for the fun and because it's cool. Perhaps, the adrenaline levels in a youth congregation of more than 800 is too difficult to contain, especially when it comes to blaming the government and pledging allegiance to a certain demi-Gandhian (ironic?). I don't, of course, blame the organizers for this. At one moment, I was on the verge of giving up because I really thought it had to be peaceful march if we were walking with lit candles. We must be clear in what message we want to convey to the world. And, I would not be a part of it if I didn't believe in it.
But then again, I wondered if it was right to give up. Perhaps it wasn't so big an issue as I was thinking it to be. The crowd never turned very aggressive or violent. It was indeed a non-violent, if not a peaceful march. In every 'movement', there are people who believe in different things and it's only natural. The world is not idealistic. Plus, the slogan shouting had died down considerably after the first 15-20 minutes.
I had to evaluate why I was in this. It would not matter to the world if I went back to my hostel and cribbed about this issue. I was not even remotely in the same position as Mahatma Gandhi to be able to pull the strings. For me, participating in the march was about taking the initiative. I think it's important (for me) that I stayed and completed the march. It instilled a certain sense of confidence in me and gave me a satisfaction that I can move on to bigger things from this, that I can and will overcome my weak moments of inhibition and take the initiative in future. I decided I would not participate in any slogan shouting even if the others did. I would even try to convince those around me to stay silent but I would not quit.
What would you do in such a situation?
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| Image Courtesy: ABC News and Google Images |
I was faced with such a situation, albeit at a very smaller scale, during the candle light vigil at IIT Bombay to show our solidarity to Anna Hazare last week. I think the initiative taken by the students to organize the march was commendable, but this was a serious issue and needed a lot of thinking. Shouting of slogans does not help the cause much, especially given that you are being heard by neither the Anna camp nor the government. And to make things worse, a lot of those shouting the slogans were in it for the fun and because it's cool. Perhaps, the adrenaline levels in a youth congregation of more than 800 is too difficult to contain, especially when it comes to blaming the government and pledging allegiance to a certain demi-Gandhian (ironic?). I don't, of course, blame the organizers for this. At one moment, I was on the verge of giving up because I really thought it had to be peaceful march if we were walking with lit candles. We must be clear in what message we want to convey to the world. And, I would not be a part of it if I didn't believe in it.
But then again, I wondered if it was right to give up. Perhaps it wasn't so big an issue as I was thinking it to be. The crowd never turned very aggressive or violent. It was indeed a non-violent, if not a peaceful march. In every 'movement', there are people who believe in different things and it's only natural. The world is not idealistic. Plus, the slogan shouting had died down considerably after the first 15-20 minutes.
I had to evaluate why I was in this. It would not matter to the world if I went back to my hostel and cribbed about this issue. I was not even remotely in the same position as Mahatma Gandhi to be able to pull the strings. For me, participating in the march was about taking the initiative. I think it's important (for me) that I stayed and completed the march. It instilled a certain sense of confidence in me and gave me a satisfaction that I can move on to bigger things from this, that I can and will overcome my weak moments of inhibition and take the initiative in future. I decided I would not participate in any slogan shouting even if the others did. I would even try to convince those around me to stay silent but I would not quit.
What would you do in such a situation?
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