Friday, October 16, 2009

Light at the end of the tunnel

This saying almost always has a positive connotation. I experienced one of the exceptions today.

I was getting back from work on Nanda Talkies Road. Ya ya, the same road for which we in Hasiru Usiru had a lot of protests to prevent if from being butchered by the behemoth Metro. So at the beginning of the road, I wondered for the millionth time on the tree cover. The dip in temperature as you enter the road is astounding. Light seldom permeates through the thick tree cover. It is literally like a tunnel. And as I kept going on the road, I could see faint snatches of the light. Closer. Closer. And then, out of nowhere was the source of the light ... absolute barrenness!

Half of one of the umpteen Lakshman Rao Parks had been decimated. Enclosed within the shining green (ah the goddamn irony) Namma Metro barricades. It was a painful reminder of our failed protests.

Fruitless or Toothless?

On the days of the Lalbagh and Metro protests, we would have a plea of hope from Boda. It was very simple, “Each one of us should get ten more people” and the increased numbers will help the cause. Every protest, all we provided (and received) was a slap in the face! We managed to get 300 people for ONE protest. That's it.

Why was that? Apathy? Cynicism? Disagreement?

Disagreement might have been the main reason. And that is fair enough. People didn't agree with our cause. With our arguments against the Metro. Against the tree-felling. Fair enough. What hurt was the percentage of “agreers” who actually turned up. Even if 1% of them had gotten out of their seats and showed up, things could have been different. Maybe.

Shut the @#$% up!

There is this overwhelming urge in me to scream at the next person who says he is saddened by Bangalore's loss of green cover. If that person couldn't turn up and be one of the faces/voices for our cause ...

Never mind. I do not want to continue the post in this manner. I will just end it with ANOTHER request for people to turn up for the next protest. Tentatively on the 24th of October.

See you all there.

Hopefully.

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