About a thousand and a half people assembled outside a Masjid near Bandra station on the 14th Apr 2020. And by any mean, it didn’t seem to be a capricious move; rather a well planned one. Someone had been messaging them since the last 4—5 days to gather at Bandra station; they were to be facilitated to go home. Really? It wouldn’t be distressing news on a normal day, but to see a mob in the midst of a lockdown left everyone distraught. Let’s try and break this up.
Who were these people?
These people were workers and labourers, migrants mostly from Malda in West Bengal. Malda, by the way, is near the India Bangladesh border, so for all we know they might even be illegal Bangladeshi migrants, in Mumbai to earn their livelihood.
And how do we know that they were mostly workers from West Bengal? Because that’s what’s been reported by the reporters on ground. Now, we know that it’s not possible to have asked every person present there where he/she was from and then draw a graph. However, my concern is why wasn’t there a single interview or media coverage of the labourers, why weren’t questions asked directly to them and have answers shot on a camera like is already done; was there something to hide?
And a religious person dressed in green was addressing them and mentioning their God again and again. How did he know that most of them were from a particular religion? If I wake up tomorrow and see a crowd of thousands gathered outside my building, I wouldn’t know what religion they belonged to unless their attire gave it away or unless I was told so. And why would I ask them about their religion in the first place; why should that be my focus?
Why did they gather there?
Was it a protest? They had been receiving messages for the last 4-5 days on WhatsApp asking them to gather at Bandra station if they wanted to go home. They wanted to go home and be with their families.
To empathize, they were probably cramped up in confined spaces, 4-5 living in each and if they were daily wage labourers, where were they getting their food from. I don’t think they were even carrying their ration cards.
We, amidst this lockdown are safely tucked in our 1,2,3 BHK houses, cleaning our sneezes with tissues and throwing them in a lidded dustbin like Amitabh Bachan says, some are working out extensively and vulgarly displaying their bodies on online posts, someone’s showing a mosquito bite – wow, and a few are exploiting and rediscovering their culinary skills.
What do we really expect from these poor people though? Die before they die? Starving to death in confinement? Was food really being made available to them?
Were they foolish enough to not know that there could be lathi charge by the police, that there could be a stampede? Educated or not, I find it a bit difficult to believe that these poverty stricken workers braved the act on an impulse.
Even the quietest and calmest of children break-down or give it back at a certain point to the bullies; there is always a trigger. What was it in this case? And who provided it? And why was it provided – a political move, to bring unrest or to really help these people (that really sounds ridiculous in the current circumstances)?
Having said and asked that, none of them looked to be in a hurry; they seemed to be dressed well and more importantly it wasn’t inconspicuous that they were there without any luggage. Isn’t that surprising now? And why gather outside the station? Did they really intend to be sent home or were just masquerading for an ulterior agenda?
These are the questions, I think we should be asking before passing our judgments.
How did they get there?
Now this is one of the million dollar questions. We step out today and there are police barricades everywhere asking questions, discouraging social interaction, policemen carrying lathis, making arrests. So, how then did around fifteen hundred people appear all of a sudden outside the Masjid; how were they allowed. Could it be possible without the complicity of authorities? Now who are the authorities? The police, politicians, religious leaders, fake news specialists?
And why should they believe you?
And while all this was happening, the concerned rulers of the state were safe in their barricaded and protected houses thinking why this happened and what’s to be done. They surely took their time. A few blamed the centre. They were probably conducting internal meetings to decide on what was the best thing to say to the camera. The best thing!
It was frivolous of them to address the crowd on television saying that they’ve come to our state, were welcome to stay here and would be protected. What a farce. Why should they be believed and trusted? Didn’t they do everything possible to drive away these very people from the state? And would this have happened if these workers felt protected in the first place?
My friend works for an NGO and they’ve tied up with a food delivery company to create a platform where the needy can request for food during this lockdown and people who want to give donations can reach out to them. Daily, on our television screens, we are seeing lot of NGOs and good Samaritans doing the same. Shouldn’t the BMC, one of the richest governmental institutions, be interceding and doing more in this time of crisis? We aren’t asking for much – let the skyrocketed toll money you’ve collected from us go to them. At least that; it’d suffice.
And what are the opposition and other parties doing?
Is the task of an opposition just to oppose and excoriate the government in power? Can’t they get their hands dirty and be on the ground lending a helping hand or do they deem it enough to denounce others on television screens in pointless debates?
But there’s a more basic issue here. Things like these have always been orchestrated, probably a million, zillion times in the past. And every time, the people of this country or any country have seen who suffers finally. Read and listen between the lines when people of God and people of power invigorate you to go overboard, apply that uncommon common sense. Don’t make WhatsApp your God of information. Think when something is said to you, think of the repercussions, think if there are other ways to highlight and condemn things. Have love for the country; in no other country are people of all religions let to thrive.
Is this virus, pandemic showing us the true us in more ways than one?
Be a rebel but with a cause. Don't cause panic, don't let people suffer because of you.
Image copyright - © https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/migrant-workers-keen-to-return-to-villages-gather-outside-mumbais-bandra-station-defying-lockdown/article31340674.ece
Very well written.
ReplyDelete