The Awakening?

There has been anger in Maharashtra. The situation is tense in Gujarat and in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. There is an Old saying, "One Spark is enough to start a Fire." The saying has come literally true, and it is the Dalits who are furious with the state apparatus.

The spark was a series of Events. A Dalit Family was raped and Murdered in Khairlanji district in Nagpur. A Young Boy protesting that event was lynched by a Mob in Pune. The straw that broke the Dalit's back was the defacement of Dr.Babasaheb Ambedkar's Statue. The ensuing Fire enveloping Maharashtra has bought back normal life to a Halt in the state. Buses, Trains were all set fire, while some Dalit mobs engaged in stone pelting, shutting down of shops and staging Rasta Rokos at various key points in Mumbai and other parts of Maharashtra. The situation has once again highlighted also, the plight of the Dalit Community in India.

Following these tense developments, the Hunt is now on as to who is responsible for the defacement and the subsequent violence. The Poilice believe that an Underworld angle cannot be ruled out, in particular relating to Chhota Rajan. The hunt is also on for the individuals who carried out the defacement of the Ambedkar statue in Kanpur. Maybe the perpetrators may be captured, and they will be punished. Within a day or two, the Media might report the proceedings and they will move on to different avenues. But, can we, the Citizen afford that Luxury?

For far too long, we have seen the plight of the Dalits in this country. The treatment metted out to them has made some Social Activists believe that the Dalits should not be a part of India. In most places, they are fighting to even get entry into a temple. At a time, when we are all progressing as a Nation, will it be wise to isolate these group of people? They have been the victims of persecution for a long time, and their isolation and suppression over these years has resulted in the violence of today.

It has been observed that Nations achieve a sense of Social Tranquility when various Stratas of Society are assimilated into the mainstream, thus giving everybody an equal opportunity and creating an identity of their own. Years of Persecution upon a particular group can lead to shattering of that Tranquility.

The Violence of today shows us that it is time We, the Citizens look at the plight of these people and highlight their cause to the wider public. If a process of Assimilation is set into motion now, only then India can truly call itself progressed. The Title is not for the Dalits, but to us, the Citizens to awaken to their plight and help remedy it. Let us truly step into the age of Globalization and Progress by shunning away millenia old systems, which unfortunately still stand in this country. Let us Awaken, otherwise, an opportunity will be lost.