Dark Clouds over Nigeria Forebodings for India
They must picket against lavish extravaganzas such as weddings and festivals. The Kannada movement must concentrate on the foreign infiltrators who have entered this country through media like television and are besieging our very bases, which is a thousand times more harmful than the attempt of the Tamils to secure river water.
There is no doubt that social movements form a political act. But it is distinct from the daily power wrangling of those who rule us, and is certainly more valuable. If electoral politics works towards implementing the wishes of the people, then the community politics of movements shapes their opinions and concretizes them and underlines the intentions of the people. For legislative politics, we have the political parties. Instead of plunging into that, our movements should participate in alternative politics on the social level. Unless alternative politics is fortified, legislative politics will not be either strong or healthy.
Nowadays, our activism has mostly become involved with legislative politics. They openly face the authorities and argue with them. But actually they should concentrate on discussing things with the people and holding debates with them.
Take the example of our Independence movement. Until Gandhiji entered the scene, the leaders of the movement were only involved in handing in petitions to the authorities and holding meetings with the state. Gandhiji broke away from this political form. He shaped a movement which discussed things with the people. There is no point discussing how successful his attempt was. Once he attempted to speak with the people the new technique itself shook the authorities.
The people must awaken their traditional wisdom and fight against the destructive atrocities all over the world. Apart from that, there is no other way; our various movements should now work at creating awareness among the people.
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