Picking and assigning sides are two of the best things Indians do. As the Malayalam saying goes, "അമ്മയെ തല്ലിയാലും രണ്ട് പക്ഷം". The saying means that even when you hit your mother, there will be people picking sides either supporting or opposing your action. The purpose shall always stay unimportant for some reason yet 'jumping to conclusions' remains a classic Indian cuisine served at every corner of the planet.
The strangling of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man from Minnesota by Derek Chauvin, a duty cop, on claims of using a counterfeit $20 bill has started a series of protests in the U.S. People have come forward with a very strong claim that hate towards black people needs to end. Shouting slogans, marching with placards, burning public property and attacking the police, the protesters have started to put pressure and fear on the country’s government. The protesters have taken charge so much so that on Monday, President Trump was forced to stay in a bunker inside of the White House for nearly an hour until the protesters were forced out of the building premises. For the first time in history, the lights in the country's most decorated building remained off. The protests have taken off in the right foot as people from across the world have started to join in through online platforms offering solidarity to this fight against racism. "Black lives matter" is potentially in the wake of becoming a sensational movement across the world amidst the on-going pandemic. Indians who sum up a huge presence on the global social media platforms have also come forward in solidarity of the same. However, internally we are on a different fight altogether.
Earlier today, I came across a feed on Instagram bearing tweets of Indian celebrities in support of the 'anti-racism' movement. Most of the tweets were the last words of Floyd - "I can't breathe". It's always good to see people despite their origin and interests joining hands for a good cause.
However, the comments section of the same post was portraying a dilemma. A sum of people had put up comments bashing these celebrities for keeping quiet about the migrant crisis happening in the country and supporting a protest happening in an outside nation. 'Black lives matter, Indian lives too', wrote one of the writers. The comment section of this single post sheds light on the vast dilemma prevailing in the thoughts of an average Indian.
Clash of ideologies is very common in an educated self-sustaining society but it's not the ideologies that are at stake here, is it? The Minnesota killing is the most sensitive thing right now for someone who urges to fight the unjust happenings in the world. At the same time, the protest would mean absolutely nothing for an average Indian who is struggling on a day to day basis to put food in his/her family's stomach. So, who is wrong here?
Hunger and right to life are two things one can't pick sides between. It's only sane to demand explanations to our government for each of the 80 people's death that happened aboard the Shramik trains or even the ones who fall prey to accidents and even the scorching sun on their long trails home. This is our nation’s fight. We need to make noise for each of these poor workers who walk daily on a thin rope to survival. We the privileged of the country are obliged to do whatever little we can to help these people win their fight. Yet it shall remain wrong to point and shout curse words at the one's not choosing to talk about it.
“If each of these celebrities put in a share of their riches, the migrant crisis in the country can be solved very easily”. This was one of the most popular comments on the post and of course, people were opposing this comment too. One must realize that offering to help someone in need in itself is a choice. We came across people turned heroes like Sonu Sood who is doing a remarkable job in helping migrant workers stuck in alien states reach their homes. Appreciate the good work where it's due but that doesn't give one the authority to demand the rest of the actors do the same. The migrant crisis in India and the anti-racism protest in the U.S. are both equally important fights and one must not pick sides in these tough times. Staying ignorant to something happening right in front of your eyes would be wrong but cursing at a person doing it is also equally wrong.
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