Most people in this country today and especially the tribals find that freedom too, like commodities of daily use,has become costly.Freedom after all has no meaning unless it entails the right to live with dignity. The world has become highly monetised and to live with dignity one must have a fair amount of money. But most professions these days do not provide monetary incomes that can allow one to live with dignity. Let alone the uneducated, even those who have got a run of the mill kind of education cannot earn enough to live a dignified life. It is in fact a Catch 22 situation in that those who do not have a fair income cannot also access the education that can help them to earn a fair income and so they remain doomed to living a life without dignity. While good education does enable a few to earn fair incomes, the really high incomes are earned by those who engage in unproductive activities that are downright harmful to society. The financiers, film stars, sports stars and outright criminals all of whom can also double as politicians who are in the final analysis the biggest crooks.
Throughout history there has been the phenomenon of rebellion wherein those who have been deprived of a dignified livelihood and so freedom rise up together in protest against those who have concentrated wealth and power in their hands and so deprived the former of their freedom. Sometimes such protests succeed but in most cases throughout history rebellions have been crushed. In the modern era too there have been many rebellions and the tribals in India in particular have fought bravely for the freedom to live life with dignity. However, despite a written constitution guaranteeing freedom, the right to live with dignity and the right to free quality education along with various other enabling laws and policies, the tribals still find that freedom is not readily available and remains as costly as ever before. The lands, forests, water and lives of the tribals are stolen from them by the very same state that is supposed to protect them and ensure their freedom to live as they wish. On many occasions in independent India tribals have paid with their lives and yet not been able to live with dignity and retain their freedom.
The most disconcerting aspect currently is the sheer cost of rebelling. Getting organised and fighting the state for one's dignity and freedom involves considerable expenditure in the living expenses of full time activists, travel, organising trainings and in fighting court cases. The tribals in Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh for instance have organised themselves into a trade union, Khedut Mazdoor Chetna Sangath, to fight for their rights. The tribal members themselves are able to meet only a part of the costs of this organisation and so grant funds have to be accessed from outside. Because such grant funds are being garnered, the KMCS is continuing its fight and ensuring some freedom for the tribals in Alirajpur.
Thus, one must sombrely remember while celebrating independence day today that freedom comes at a premium.
3 comments:
hello rahul!
this is so true. indian democracy has not been democratic to the original people of this land. a system that so blatantly exploits and dehumanises the voiceless destroys its own social fabric in the process. best wishes to friends in KMCS for sangharsh and nirmaan for a joyful politics that can also make everyday life meaningful. hope to work together some day soon!
-anish
I always inspired by you, your thoughts and attitude, again, appreciate for this nice post.
- Murk
The purpose of maintaining this blog is well served when there are comments like Anish's and Murk's. It goes to show that there is a lot of discontent among common people with the way in which the centralised systems are stifling their independence
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