Dissent: All creations of nature are unique. No rules can define their feelings, reactions or behaviour. Human beings are no exception. Every man or woman is different. Physically, mentally, intellectually and in his initiatives, urges and dreams. Left alone, the man is creative, is a visualizer and has all the energy, capacity, will and determination to work wonders and if necessary, to drive a lone furrow. At the same time, he is not a loner. He enjoys working and sharing with all and sundry. Sometimes, he can get into the shell and be happy, satisfied and inward looking. But, whenever there are occasions, he can rub shoulders with people and can mould and mobilize large crowds. All discoveries, innovations, inventions and scientific growth are due to obsessive pursuits of individuals. All saints, leaders and successful and distinguished people found in the pages of history were individuals. The world has seen people, whose deeds and ideas have reverberated through the globe. They were people who had an open mind. They had no dogmas or inhibitions. They kept all the windows open and allowed a free flow of ideas from all directions. They had their hands on the pulses of the people and they toiled throughout their lives, so that, people could smile and have some glow on their faces. In spite of best of experience, expertise and intentions, all that a man thinks and does, may or may not be good or relevant for all people. People have a right to disagree and record their dissent. They have also the options to pick up what is good for them and discard, what they do not consider to be relevant. They also have the freedom to suggest better, workable and more useful alternatives. No ideas are good or bad. None of the ideas can have universal application. Rigid attitudes about acceptance or enforcement of ideas or issues are the real culprits and are generators of problems. Dissent as such is good. Dissent helps in stimulating the thought processes and perhaps needs all the encouragement in all forums. All that is needed is openness and flexibility for the people to pick up and adopt, what is good for the individuals and for the community and humanity.
Discontentment: Discontentment is a state of mind. It is the breeding ground for dissatisfaction, frustration, uneasiness and restlessness. It can also lead to bitter feelings, animosity, hatred and hostility. Discontentment is a sort of bug, which strikes almost everybody, off and on. There are no exceptions. It cuts through all barriers of caste, creed and religion. Every family, every city, every region and every country has its share of discontented people. Discontentment has nothing to do with the social or economic status of the person. Sometimes a man born with a silver spoon in his mouth and rolling in wealth can be a very discontented and frustrated man. Like any other mortal, he has his dreams and any hitch, anywhere can make him uneasy and frustrated. There have been some great explorers, who have willingly faced tremendous personal hardship in the most trying and hazardous situations. Nothing could deter them from their leaps into the unknown, but they also had bouts of disappointment and frustrations, off and on. There have been great thinkers, great leaders and highly regarded and revered people in almost every country, in every field of activity, who have weaved through all the ups and downs of life. They were able to leave indelible marks on the sands of time and their ideas and actions have been a source of inspiration for generations. There are billions of people spread all over the globe, who find it difficult to scramble two meals a day. They have all the reasons to feel frustrated and discontented, but they manage to keep clinging to the thin strands of hope. Discontentment and deprivation can shatter the people, but can also be great motivators. The indomitable spirit of man pushes him back on his legs, keeps him going and provides him with sufficient strength to cross all hurdles, in his march towards the realization of his dreams.
Demonstrations: All roads lead to the city square, with milling crowds floating all along, shouting slogans and trying to squeeze into the limited space. A great spectacle, drawing people of all hues and colour. Some are curious. Some are concerned. Some are forced into it. Some are sucked in, whereas, a large number stand with blank faces on the sidelines. To-day the rallies have a global market. There are interest groups. There are vested interests. There are sponsors. There are donors. There are people , who have some axe to grind. There is no dearth of people, who can go to any lengths for utilization of the rallies for the exploitation of the feelings of the masses. Rallies help in highlighting the issues. Rallies can lead to many reliefs or benefits to people with grievances. Rallies can put the local establishment on the toes. Well organized rallies have the potential of shaking even the most powerful establishments and governments.
Motor cycle rallies breeze through the busy city thoroughfares, almost throwing the normal traffic out of gear. Cycle rallies take all the twists and turns through the lanes and by-lanes, with all the placards and blaring slogans. Then there are motorcar rallies, tractor trolley rallies, human chains, silent processions, torchlight processions and so many other innovative shows. Dharnas, shutdowns and bundhs may be local, regional or countrywide. Obstructing and disrupting rail and road traffic have become common occurrence and are visibly very potent weapons of demonstration, as they cause immense inconvenience and hardship to the common man. All types of strikes, hunger strikes, relay strikes, sit in, pen down, mass absenteeism and work to rule are different formats for demonstration of grievances.
Demonstrations help in ventilating and highlighting grievances and many other issues. Demonstrations bring spotlight on the established leaders and throw up some aspiring and impatient faces for leadership. Demonstrations provide a beeline for donors and sponsors. Demonstrations bring cheer to the media, who start vying with each other for providing uninterrupted coverage in the hope of grabbing the lion’s share of readership and viewership. Demonstrations also provide tremendous opportunity to organizers, fundraisers, crowd-pullers and a host of other intermediaries. Gradually, vested interests develop and there is an unending craving for staging demonstrations, now and then, for some cause or the other. Gradually, the issues and grievances fade into the background and the spectacle takes over.
Agitation: There was a time when sun did not set in the British Empire and most of the European powers presided over colonies, which were many times bigger than their homelands. For centuries, the colonial powers flourished, through a ruthless process of social, political and economic exploitation of the colonies. All voices of dissent, discontentment and even legitimate concerns were curbed in the bud and there was apparent calm almost everywhere. Second world war changed almost everything. All colonial powers were involved in a life and death struggle during the war. They bled profusely- socially, politically and economically and when the war ended, they did not have the requisite strength and resources to hold on to their colonies. And, one by one, sooner or later all colonies freed themselves from the yoke of the masters. Today most of the countries have their own governments. Majority of them are democratically elected by their own people, while some are managed by autocrats, despots and dictators.
Agitation involves picking up issues of public concern and mobilizing the masses and public opinion for putting pressure on the establishment, local government, regional government or national government and their associated institutions. Naturally, the establishment or administration, which is normally involved in providing safety, security, and other essential services to the people, is forced to divert its attention and resources for containing the agitation and at the same time, for minimizing the adverse impact of the agitation on the general public. When the agitations are prolonged or frequent, the administration has a tendency to get overstretched and demoralized and it loses its inclination and will to act effectively and take appropriate initiatives. Unfortunately, whenever the administration tries to resolve the grievances peacefully, the word goes round that nothing can be got done or achieved, unless there is an agitation. It is where the chain reaction is ignited and all types of agitations, big and small, for raising concerns and highlighting different types of grievances find foothold. These demonstrations and agitations are very soon hijacked by self confessed puritans, devil’s advocates and vested interests, who can be found lurking everywhere, for picking up the best possible opportunities for embarrassing and even confronting the establishment and government. Democratically elected governments are people’s governments. These are our governments and they need all the goodwill and support of the people, for harnessing the talents, creativity and resources of the country for development and for providing liberal opportunities of work for everybody. We have the physical resources, know how and skills to do that. Everybody knows, that, if all strands can join, most of our problems, as also the problems of the world will find a solution.