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Stay strong, stay inspired: ( By : Chetan Bhagat )
May 30, 2006
A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article against reservations and sent it to a trusted journalist friend (TJF). The article was in the form of an open letter to the prime minister. TJF replied that even though the article sounded heartfelt and the arguments were valid, she could not use it. The reason, she said, was simple. She told me a lot of what I was saying had already been said. The case for merit, equality, Indian competitiveness was already out in the open. Her newspaper would not repeat the same argument again.
'What more do the upper castes want?'
I took her point and withdrew the article. However, it struck me that in many situations, the media will not cover something relevant just because well, it is not entertaining enough.
I had a call with another senior journalist friend (yes, I have journalists as friends -- I have no life, I know). We discussed the reservation issue -- on how it was practically more relevant to middle class Indians than any other issue. While the issue does get coverage, it has not ignited minds and galvanised the middle class. Somehow the issue is not getting as forceful a treatment. Fanaa's ban in Gujarat attracted far more media space for instance.
"The reason quite simply is the lack of a dramatic event. Ten years back, kids were burning themselves. Nothing of that sort is happening now. And the media is so immune now, to get them interested young people need to do more", was what she told me.
I am not here to do moral posturing. And I do respect her opinion. So I will not go into the "Media these days" rant. I will only take some lessons from a senior person in the media and try to give some tips to the activists to make sure their protests are more effective. After all, the point of making a noise is to be heard. And to be heard, one doesn't have to burn himself -- that is foolish and a one-time flash in the pan. If you want to do an effective protest, learn from the past masters -- and who better than Mahatma Gandhi.
A lot of rage, a little Rang De
In photographs, Mahatma Gandhi is a frail, saintly figure. However, what is often ignored is his magical ability to make a point and attract attention. He had no advertising budgets or PR managers. There were very few media outlets then. And he had only one, constant -- freedom. Yet, he dominated media space for decades and ultimately won. There is no reason why we cannot learn a few tips from him, some of which I list below. And you can get these checked by any media professional; they would tend to agree that this is a way to get yourself heard.
1. Keep a visual -- This is vital in today's multimedia world. Newspapers need to be colourful to compete with television, and a television is not a television without a visual. Gandhi kept a visual -- salt march (everyone remembers the scooping of salt), burning British made clothes, operating the charkha and more. Placards are boring. Do something else -- a huge bonfire, human chains -- be creative, make it easier for NDTV. They will come, I promise.
2. Emotions more than Reason -- Whenever activists talk to the media, always keep emotions in the forefront. Brooding anger, tears, banging fists is far more interesting than statistics on caste based demographics. Tell people what you think about the issue -- you are on the editorial page. Tell people what you feel about the issue -- you are on the front page.
3. Intentions more than Action -- This is a trick most used by our politicians even today. In reality, actions alone matter. However, our politicians keep saying 'our intention is to lift the backward castes', and they almost sound reasonable. Of course, the actions only divide the country and kill merit -- but they hide in the garb of purported good intentions. Protestors can do the same. They may be blocking traffic -- but harp on the intentions: 'But this is for Saraswati mata -- knowledge should decide'. (Think about it -- the politicians will be scared to take on Saraswati mata or if you mix any religious sentiment in your favour). Alongside, attack the other party's intentions -- 'they are only doing reservations for selfish political gain' (which is probably true).
The next partition of India
4. Don't hurt yourself -- Burning yourself or even hunger strikes are very dangerous tools. There is no guarantee they will be effective. If they don't work, you will be seen as weak. Gandhi used a hunger strike rarely, and only after he had decades of experience.
5. Find a simple, interesting slogan -- Gandhi always had a simple slogan. It gives two benefits -- one it makes it easier to pass through word of mouth with minimal distortion. Secondly, it fits into the limited headline space in newspapers. In media terms, this is called 'the hook'. The reservation movement has no slogan yet. Find one. My suggestions: "No suck-up politics" OR "India on Merit only"
The above points are important to make your cause heard. Ignore them and the world will ignore you. Play them right and the media is on your side. Trust me; the reservation issue has bothered a lot of people in the media too.
I personally feel very strongly against reservations, and I wish the agitators all the best. I give the above tips as my small contribution towards tackling this monumental issue that will take effort from all of us. I am writing this article for an online site so that you can forward it to all friends who feel the same about reservations.
You are standing up for fairness, God will be with you. Stay strong, stay inspired.
Chetan Bhagat is the author of the bestselling One Night@the Call Center and Five Point Someone.
Article 2:
==========
RESERVE Vs DESERVE
=================
When you don’t like what is happening around u can do two things:
1. keep cribbing and whining
2. join hands to change the things
What people are doing :
1. 22nd may- Two members, Political scientist Pratap Bhanu Mehta and sociologist Andre Beteille, quit the National Knowledge Commission, set up by the Prime Minister to promote excellence in education and knowledge creation. They said they were disillusioned with the government’s policies, which they saw as a betrayal of the principles on which the commission was founded.
2. 17th may- students of IIT Delhi also joining in, the reservation protests have now cut across professions.
3. In Kolkata, medicos from the entire state took out a rally to show their solidarity with the nationwide agitation against quota.
4. In Bhopal, junior doctors in all government hospitals are on an indefinite strike. Medical and dental colleges have joined in too.
5. Students from the SAL Medical Institute in Ahmedabad took out a scooter rally to protest against the reservation issue.
6. In Ludhiana, over 500 students from the Dayanand Medical College and Baba Jaswant Singh Dental College also protested against the lathicharge of medical students by the Mumbai Police.
7. 21st may, Varanasi - Agitating medicos from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), embarked on boats this evening to mobilise public support on the anti-reservation issue.
8. 21st may, Bhopal- Mahesh Yadav, a doctor in Bhopal, wrote a letter to the President APJ Abdul Kalam with his BLOOD.
9. 22nd may, Allahabad- over 450 students of Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, Allahabad University, degree and inter colleges took out a rally.
What government is doing:
1. 21st may- Uttar Pradesh Government today declared the strike by Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) resident doctors over the reservation issue as illegal and gave 24 hrs notice to return to work, following which the process to terminate their service would begin.
2. 21st may- All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had served notices to the agitating doctors to vacate the hostels in 24 hours. Meanwhile, Rapid Action Force had been deployed at AIIMS to thwart any untoward incident.
3. 13th may-. Medical Students of Mumbai were beaten like animals
4. 17th may -The Delhi Government issued notices to agitating doctors, asking them to get back to work or face action
What we are doing?
Enough is enough. It’s time to act now. This FRIDAY, 26 may 2006 is a BLACK BAND PROTEST DAY. Please wear BLACK shirt/t-shirt and BLACK band to protest against the brutality of police, against the quota system, against the dark future of young Indians.
===================================================================
Article 1:
==========
The Fire is Spreading - A First Hand Account of all the Happenings on Solidarity Day,20th May 2006, By:Kirti Dhingra
6:45 A.M : I wake up with a feeling of excitement flowing through my veins, this is the day I would actually be converting my thoughts into action. I used to get furious hearing our truly incompetent minsters talking about implementing reservations and used to feel saddened by the sorry state of affairs in the country. Today I would actually be supporting thousands of other people who have the same beliefs, for a moment I felt like our freedom fighters, and in my Heart I thanked them for all that they had done.
9:40 A.M : We reach Jantar Mantar, our group being one of the earliest to arrive , the numbers are not too large,but we hope that they'll grow as the clock ticks away.
10:30 A.M : A few hundred people have gathered, TV Crew from all major channels have arrived, Doctors have started their march from MAMC(Maulana Azad Medical College), the Policemen have told us to carry out the protest peacefully and not to go get incited at any cost. We are ready with our banners and slogans and all set to support the protest.
10:45 A.M: The protest is on , there are Banners a plenty in the hands of most people, including myself , here's how they go,
"Don't Lead India To Nazism"
"Reservation Is Discrimination"
"You treat me on Merit I'll Give you a better India"
" The Truth about Casteism : The Mandal Commission was set up in 1978 and submitted it's recommendations in 1980 based on Caste Statistics collected in 1931. The recommendations of this report are being implemented today 26 years later.
Think about it , should we let data collected by the British more than 75 years back govern our lives for the next 20 years"
11 A.M : The atmosphere is charged with people shouting slogans at the top of their voices,
"ARJUN SINGH HAI HAI"
"1,2 ,3,4 BANDH KARO YE ATCHYACHAAR"
"GALI KA KUTTA KAISA HO, ARJUN SINGH JAISA HO"
"SHIKSHA KE DALALO KO , GOLI MARO SAALO KO" and no protest is complete without
" INQUILAB ZINDABAD, INQUILAB ZINDABAD"
"BHARAT MATA KI JAI, BHARAT MATA KI JAI"
11:40 A.M: We are joined by thousands of other people making it a gathering of people from all walks of life Engineering Students from IIT,DCE,NSIT,IGIT,IP, Medical Students from MAMC,LH,AIIMS. Corporates and IT Professionals from the leading software companies in the NCR region, CA's ,Lawyers, Housewives.
11:45 A.M : We start marching towards parliament street , which is not too far away from that Bastard Arjun Singh's house.
12:00 P.M: We are atleast a 3000 strong gathering, and our efforts are boosted by the arrival of Navjot Singh Sidhu and Shiv Khera. For once one doesn't mind hearing Sidhu and his sidhuisms, and each of his quotes (a few of them were good for a change) are responded with thunderous applause from the mammoth crowd. Next it's the turn of Shiv Khera , who's trashing the government like anything.
He says, " 50 saal pehle angrezoin ne humein baata tha, aaj yeh kaale angrez humein batna chahte hain, hum aisa kabhi nahi hone denge",
" Is duniya mein do tarah ke log hote hain Gadar or Desh Bhakt, aur do tarah ke desh bhakt hote hain, ek jo kehte hain ki humse jo bhi kuch hoga hum desh ke liye karenge, aur doosre hain hum jo kehte hain ke hum wohi he karenge jo desh ko chahiye",
1:00 P.M: The protest has been successful and it ends with almost 3000 people simultaneously singing the national anthem , this is followed by a massive signature campaign with everyone signing on an extremely long roll of chart.
Personally it was a great feeling to be there and it was even better to see the collective spirit of thousands of people , believing in the same thing to be at the same place at the same time.
There is a lot of anger brewing inside me , all I can say that the FIRE IS SPREADING, COME JOIN IN IF YOUR BELIEFS ARE THE SAME AS OURS.
May 30, 2006
A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article against reservations and sent it to a trusted journalist friend (TJF). The article was in the form of an open letter to the prime minister. TJF replied that even though the article sounded heartfelt and the arguments were valid, she could not use it. The reason, she said, was simple. She told me a lot of what I was saying had already been said. The case for merit, equality, Indian competitiveness was already out in the open. Her newspaper would not repeat the same argument again.
'What more do the upper castes want?'
I took her point and withdrew the article. However, it struck me that in many situations, the media will not cover something relevant just because well, it is not entertaining enough.
I had a call with another senior journalist friend (yes, I have journalists as friends -- I have no life, I know). We discussed the reservation issue -- on how it was practically more relevant to middle class Indians than any other issue. While the issue does get coverage, it has not ignited minds and galvanised the middle class. Somehow the issue is not getting as forceful a treatment. Fanaa's ban in Gujarat attracted far more media space for instance.
"The reason quite simply is the lack of a dramatic event. Ten years back, kids were burning themselves. Nothing of that sort is happening now. And the media is so immune now, to get them interested young people need to do more", was what she told me.
I am not here to do moral posturing. And I do respect her opinion. So I will not go into the "Media these days" rant. I will only take some lessons from a senior person in the media and try to give some tips to the activists to make sure their protests are more effective. After all, the point of making a noise is to be heard. And to be heard, one doesn't have to burn himself -- that is foolish and a one-time flash in the pan. If you want to do an effective protest, learn from the past masters -- and who better than Mahatma Gandhi.
A lot of rage, a little Rang De
In photographs, Mahatma Gandhi is a frail, saintly figure. However, what is often ignored is his magical ability to make a point and attract attention. He had no advertising budgets or PR managers. There were very few media outlets then. And he had only one, constant -- freedom. Yet, he dominated media space for decades and ultimately won. There is no reason why we cannot learn a few tips from him, some of which I list below. And you can get these checked by any media professional; they would tend to agree that this is a way to get yourself heard.
1. Keep a visual -- This is vital in today's multimedia world. Newspapers need to be colourful to compete with television, and a television is not a television without a visual. Gandhi kept a visual -- salt march (everyone remembers the scooping of salt), burning British made clothes, operating the charkha and more. Placards are boring. Do something else -- a huge bonfire, human chains -- be creative, make it easier for NDTV. They will come, I promise.
2. Emotions more than Reason -- Whenever activists talk to the media, always keep emotions in the forefront. Brooding anger, tears, banging fists is far more interesting than statistics on caste based demographics. Tell people what you think about the issue -- you are on the editorial page. Tell people what you feel about the issue -- you are on the front page.
3. Intentions more than Action -- This is a trick most used by our politicians even today. In reality, actions alone matter. However, our politicians keep saying 'our intention is to lift the backward castes', and they almost sound reasonable. Of course, the actions only divide the country and kill merit -- but they hide in the garb of purported good intentions. Protestors can do the same. They may be blocking traffic -- but harp on the intentions: 'But this is for Saraswati mata -- knowledge should decide'. (Think about it -- the politicians will be scared to take on Saraswati mata or if you mix any religious sentiment in your favour). Alongside, attack the other party's intentions -- 'they are only doing reservations for selfish political gain' (which is probably true).
The next partition of India
4. Don't hurt yourself -- Burning yourself or even hunger strikes are very dangerous tools. There is no guarantee they will be effective. If they don't work, you will be seen as weak. Gandhi used a hunger strike rarely, and only after he had decades of experience.
5. Find a simple, interesting slogan -- Gandhi always had a simple slogan. It gives two benefits -- one it makes it easier to pass through word of mouth with minimal distortion. Secondly, it fits into the limited headline space in newspapers. In media terms, this is called 'the hook'. The reservation movement has no slogan yet. Find one. My suggestions: "No suck-up politics" OR "India on Merit only"
The above points are important to make your cause heard. Ignore them and the world will ignore you. Play them right and the media is on your side. Trust me; the reservation issue has bothered a lot of people in the media too.
I personally feel very strongly against reservations, and I wish the agitators all the best. I give the above tips as my small contribution towards tackling this monumental issue that will take effort from all of us. I am writing this article for an online site so that you can forward it to all friends who feel the same about reservations.
You are standing up for fairness, God will be with you. Stay strong, stay inspired.
Chetan Bhagat is the author of the bestselling One Night@the Call Center and Five Point Someone.
Article 2:
==========
RESERVE Vs DESERVE
=================
When you don’t like what is happening around u can do two things:
1. keep cribbing and whining
2. join hands to change the things
What people are doing :
1. 22nd may- Two members, Political scientist Pratap Bhanu Mehta and sociologist Andre Beteille, quit the National Knowledge Commission, set up by the Prime Minister to promote excellence in education and knowledge creation. They said they were disillusioned with the government’s policies, which they saw as a betrayal of the principles on which the commission was founded.
2. 17th may- students of IIT Delhi also joining in, the reservation protests have now cut across professions.
3. In Kolkata, medicos from the entire state took out a rally to show their solidarity with the nationwide agitation against quota.
4. In Bhopal, junior doctors in all government hospitals are on an indefinite strike. Medical and dental colleges have joined in too.
5. Students from the SAL Medical Institute in Ahmedabad took out a scooter rally to protest against the reservation issue.
6. In Ludhiana, over 500 students from the Dayanand Medical College and Baba Jaswant Singh Dental College also protested against the lathicharge of medical students by the Mumbai Police.
7. 21st may, Varanasi - Agitating medicos from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), embarked on boats this evening to mobilise public support on the anti-reservation issue.
8. 21st may, Bhopal- Mahesh Yadav, a doctor in Bhopal, wrote a letter to the President APJ Abdul Kalam with his BLOOD.
9. 22nd may, Allahabad- over 450 students of Moti Lal Nehru Medical College, Allahabad University, degree and inter colleges took out a rally.
What government is doing:
1. 21st may- Uttar Pradesh Government today declared the strike by Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) resident doctors over the reservation issue as illegal and gave 24 hrs notice to return to work, following which the process to terminate their service would begin.
2. 21st may- All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) had served notices to the agitating doctors to vacate the hostels in 24 hours. Meanwhile, Rapid Action Force had been deployed at AIIMS to thwart any untoward incident.
3. 13th may-. Medical Students of Mumbai were beaten like animals
4. 17th may -The Delhi Government issued notices to agitating doctors, asking them to get back to work or face action
What we are doing?
Enough is enough. It’s time to act now. This FRIDAY, 26 may 2006 is a BLACK BAND PROTEST DAY. Please wear BLACK shirt/t-shirt and BLACK band to protest against the brutality of police, against the quota system, against the dark future of young Indians.
===================================================================
Article 1:
==========
The Fire is Spreading - A First Hand Account of all the Happenings on Solidarity Day,20th May 2006, By:Kirti Dhingra
6:45 A.M : I wake up with a feeling of excitement flowing through my veins, this is the day I would actually be converting my thoughts into action. I used to get furious hearing our truly incompetent minsters talking about implementing reservations and used to feel saddened by the sorry state of affairs in the country. Today I would actually be supporting thousands of other people who have the same beliefs, for a moment I felt like our freedom fighters, and in my Heart I thanked them for all that they had done.
9:40 A.M : We reach Jantar Mantar, our group being one of the earliest to arrive , the numbers are not too large,but we hope that they'll grow as the clock ticks away.
10:30 A.M : A few hundred people have gathered, TV Crew from all major channels have arrived, Doctors have started their march from MAMC(Maulana Azad Medical College), the Policemen have told us to carry out the protest peacefully and not to go get incited at any cost. We are ready with our banners and slogans and all set to support the protest.
10:45 A.M: The protest is on , there are Banners a plenty in the hands of most people, including myself , here's how they go,
"Don't Lead India To Nazism"
"Reservation Is Discrimination"
"You treat me on Merit I'll Give you a better India"
" The Truth about Casteism : The Mandal Commission was set up in 1978 and submitted it's recommendations in 1980 based on Caste Statistics collected in 1931. The recommendations of this report are being implemented today 26 years later.
Think about it , should we let data collected by the British more than 75 years back govern our lives for the next 20 years"
11 A.M : The atmosphere is charged with people shouting slogans at the top of their voices,
"ARJUN SINGH HAI HAI"
"1,2 ,3,4 BANDH KARO YE ATCHYACHAAR"
"GALI KA KUTTA KAISA HO, ARJUN SINGH JAISA HO"
"SHIKSHA KE DALALO KO , GOLI MARO SAALO KO" and no protest is complete without
" INQUILAB ZINDABAD, INQUILAB ZINDABAD"
"BHARAT MATA KI JAI, BHARAT MATA KI JAI"
11:40 A.M: We are joined by thousands of other people making it a gathering of people from all walks of life Engineering Students from IIT,DCE,NSIT,IGIT,IP, Medical Students from MAMC,LH,AIIMS. Corporates and IT Professionals from the leading software companies in the NCR region, CA's ,Lawyers, Housewives.
11:45 A.M : We start marching towards parliament street , which is not too far away from that Bastard Arjun Singh's house.
12:00 P.M: We are atleast a 3000 strong gathering, and our efforts are boosted by the arrival of Navjot Singh Sidhu and Shiv Khera. For once one doesn't mind hearing Sidhu and his sidhuisms, and each of his quotes (a few of them were good for a change) are responded with thunderous applause from the mammoth crowd. Next it's the turn of Shiv Khera , who's trashing the government like anything.
He says, " 50 saal pehle angrezoin ne humein baata tha, aaj yeh kaale angrez humein batna chahte hain, hum aisa kabhi nahi hone denge",
" Is duniya mein do tarah ke log hote hain Gadar or Desh Bhakt, aur do tarah ke desh bhakt hote hain, ek jo kehte hain ki humse jo bhi kuch hoga hum desh ke liye karenge, aur doosre hain hum jo kehte hain ke hum wohi he karenge jo desh ko chahiye",
1:00 P.M: The protest has been successful and it ends with almost 3000 people simultaneously singing the national anthem , this is followed by a massive signature campaign with everyone signing on an extremely long roll of chart.
Personally it was a great feeling to be there and it was even better to see the collective spirit of thousands of people , believing in the same thing to be at the same place at the same time.
There is a lot of anger brewing inside me , all I can say that the FIRE IS SPREADING, COME JOIN IN IF YOUR BELIEFS ARE THE SAME AS OURS.
posted by Unknown at 5/23/2006 08:32:00 AM
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