Modern Day Activism

How important is it to be an activist? Isn’t minding my own vocation and avocation good enough? Is being an activist a full time responsibility or I can “don” the role as per the state of traffic in the city? Every time I hear the term “RTI activist” or “social activist” my mind repeats a jig of sorts with thoughts. For e.g., if X is referred to by media as an RTI activist, does this mean that he files RTI queries by a bundle? Is filing petitions his profession – if so what is so ennobling about it that it is stated in awed tones? I have filed an RTI petition previously; does this make me an RTI activist?

And before you conclude that I need to exorcised of “activist ghost”, let me tell you why I am fixated with activism. I was always under the assumption that doing good is a private affair, that you don’t need microphones and rooftops to educate a child. But it was not to be –

“You don’t support the girl child?”

“What about the Save Earth Day?”

“Atleast do you have your pink ribbon?”

“The Being Human tshirt……”

“No? How can you be so self centred? Support atleast some good cause.”

But I try to help tutor kids for their exams, I say.

No avail – looks like it is not high profile enough. So here I am; I have now signed petitions – ranging from saving the blue whales to protecting green turtles; fight against corruption to right to education, to the extent that I have even forwarded mails that say forwarding the mail to 10 people will give a kid a pencil in Algiers or some such place. From Facebook to roadside pieces of paper, I am signing petitions that would go to PM, CM, GM and motley such collections of “M”s

So tell me, am I now an activist?

I guess Gandhiji would be so ashamed of the state of activism today that he would have smacked our heads, ahimsa or not. Next time you want to make a difference, stop staring at “Satyameva Jayathe”, clicking on buttons in Facebook, SMSing polls on CNN-IBN etc. Roll up your sleeves and work. Or sit back and relax. Your being an “e-activist” isn’t going to help anyone. And btw, wipe that smug smile off your face – mere discussions on “Satyameva Jayathe” episode over a cup of coffee doesn’t make the country any better than it was, is or will be, and "Live Strong" wristbands could be adding a lot more waste to our dump yards than we realise