I come from a group where people are
very much sensitive about society, its various issues like inequality, injustice. Among us many are liberals, thinkers, activists, social workers, change makers (at least we proclaim ourselves to be such).
We discuss about great people and their
thoughts about society and injustice like Gandhi, Tagore, Che Guevara, Fidel
Castro, Ambedkar, Savarkar, Buddha, Govind Pansare, Karl Marx, Vinoba .
Still we find it very difficult to
understand what does the term "injustice" actually mean ? Does it
come with a tag "conditions apply" ? Can I fudge the definition of injustice as
per my comfort zone ? Can I differentiate the injustice happening in Africa
from the injustice happening in Asia ? Can I make a big bubble of injustice to glorify
my work ? Is injustice restricted to
very few domains ? Why does each of us try to be a shining example of a true justice
provider ? Is injustice an optional thing, which can be used according to convenience ? And so on.
I believe whenever “a person is being oppressed by any of the million forms or subjected to an inhuman treatment, it is an unjust act.” No matter where he/she comes from, which caste or
religion or race he/she belongs to Injustice is Injustice. And if we don't
feel the same, sorry to say, we have fudged the definition of injustice as
per our convenience. If we do, then we should raise our voice to convey dissent by whatever the means we can.
I see many people among us call themselves
Gandhian, Ambedkarites, Leftist and so on. Gandhi, Ambedkar both believed in equality, diversity, freedom and non-violence. So if I call myself a Gandhian,
it means I have understood Gandhi, or at least I have read Gandhi and I fully abide by Gandhi's philosophy. What if someone tries to tarnish or malign
Gandhi or his philosophy with lies and doctored data ? Will it be an injustice
to Gandhi and his philosophy, if I don't raise a voice against it or at least
stop that person from doing it ? Or am I being false if I am not
standing up for the things I believe in ? Or will it be an Injustice to society
in which I keep on flaunting as a Gandhian ?
Why Gandhi ? (As Example)
Being in Nagpur which is close
to Sewagram and Wardha, where Gandhi spent later part of his life, I keep on
bumping into lot of personalities who never miss a single opportunity
to flaunt as a Gandhi follower(simple living, minimalist lifestyle etc), but
when it comes to stand for what they believe in, hardly anyone cares. Gandhi is
just an example here, you will find some NGOs & their Heads who boasts about democracy, equality and shit, but in real world they give real tough
competition to Hitler and Modi.
The big question is why are we being
so selective about injustice ? When it comes to speaking about it, everyone
literally changes into a revolutionary like Bhagat Singh or Che but when it
comes to an action part we simply imitate Modi.(Just blabber, blabber and
blabber but do nothing).
It is impossible and harsh for a person to
stand and raise voice against each and every instance due to demographic,
geographic and such constraints, but if I speak so strongly about Injustice or if I tremble at every injustice, why do I defend only a few chosen areas of Injustice? Am I being opportunist here for
some personal gains ?
Some of us also believes that injustice can be found only in rural area and
we should work there to be a Messiah of true justice provider. If everyone
starts working in rural area will it be an injustice to Urban area ? Is it an injustice to rehabilitate entire village without their consent for a Wildlife sanctuary ? Is it an injustice to farmers who never get enough MSP so that Government can keep vote bank happy ? Some of us have their own definition of certain things like Work,
Education, Lifestyle and on that basis we decide whether a person's work
falls in a particular category or what kind of person he/she is ? Is it an injustice to all those persons we have labeled as per our definition without
hearing their side ? Or is it an injustice to force my ideas and opinions on others
? Is it an injustice to exploit other under the name of volunteer for social
work ?
I don’t have a specific and absolute
answer of any of the above questions. I just have questions which may help me.
I knew that injustice does exist, but I
never knew it has so many forms and it is hell of a selective too.
Mind blowing Akash... We all have our own perception.
ReplyDeleteThank you Pratik, yes we do have our own different perception for everything.
DeleteThere must always remain something that is antagonistic to good, so said Plato.Doesnt mean we stop striving for or aim for the good. Since justice is possible only if it resides in one's heart and soul first, cultivating it thus seems profitable and sustainable in the long run. Good write up:) Kudos
ReplyDeleteThank you. Yes it does help us to introspect from various possible frames.
DeleteGood read
ReplyDeleteAkash, nicely written. Keep asking questions to others and yourself too.!
ReplyDeleteThank you, will try my best
DeleteU have raised a lot of questions but not provided any answers. That's very honest. Because the answers are different for everyone. But it's important to ask the right questions.
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned above I dont have specific answers, and the answers of all these vary person to person. It depends on the perception of a particular person.
DeleteWe are indeed selective about injustice. As I see it, the self-proclaimed changemakers are selective about the issues and stance they take up which is convenient to their thinking, lifestyle and/or circumstance.
ReplyDelete