Saturday, March 5

Change

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton Season 2 edition 18; the eighteenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.


Perched on a rooftop wall, I looked down to see the tiny aggressive bodies running with stones in their hands towards the uniformed lot. The multitude of stones hurled did not deter the latter, since by now it had become a usual day-to-day affair for them. They could just take out another tear gas shell and throw it at the protesters. This would stop the buggers , at least for a while. 
They run from various directions and charge. In the background there is the rising smoke and the ringing echoes from the smoke grenades and rubber bullets being shot almost habitually at the screaming students.

This is a scene I witnessed in the midst of the students' agitation which has been going on in order to attain separate statehood for a certain section of Andhra Pradesh in a University, which is a stone's throw away(literally) from mine. As the world rises(cf. the middle-east) against the old systems and prejudices and practices - never mind the futility of many such endeavours - one becomes increasingly aware of not only the hustlers but also the people who are
supposedly uninvolved.

My eyes glued to the, almost dramatic, scene below see that on one half of the road, the protesting students and the RAF were after each other contentiously. On the other half which was just a divider away, there was normal traffic - lovers out on a romantic bike ride, parents fetching their children from the school, families going for a movie, a bridegroom on his way to his wedding in a glittering, decorated car etc, too busy living their lives to even bother to give the warring side of the road a glance. There was an occasional spark from a gun shot visible from amongst the trees. The wind also brought with it the evening azaan from the nearby mosque which went unnoticed by the crowd involved/captivated by the happenings. If one looked at the sky, there was the setting sun which brought the promise that yet another day of agitation would soon come to an end. 
picture credit: liveindia.tv

Everything is blue.
Everything is dead.
Everything is mixed up.
I see a bright door, yet i am painted black.

At this moment, looking intently at my goosebumped arms, lost in the humbling thoughts that filled my mind, I felt immensely insignificant with respect to the larger order of things in the world. Suddenly a witness to the collage of all human emotions and passions- politics, hatred, possessiveness, love, mundane every day life, anger, frustration, curiosity, religion and even love- I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by this strange yet entirely matter-of-fact event. 

Maybe I am supposed to take up some charge and shout more slogans; or put down the cellphone, log out of the social networking sites and start signing more petitions, maybe I am supposed to go out and join fellow protestors and pelt some stones. But I haven't heard my calling yet.Should I just act because it is the 'in' thing to do? Or simple wait for a time more suited. Should I take a moment to see, feel and interiorize whats happening all around or simply turn my eyes to something brighter and walk away? I am not sure. Maybe I am supposed to come out of the passive unconcern that has set in my disposition. But it does not seem the right time to wake up yet. I shall be irresponsible by not acting, as many have already acted irresponsible with the power of action in their hands. I shall simply dream of a change; of a less-complicated, less chaotic world. A change which the entire world is awaiting with anxious eyes and held breaths. Until then,

Everything is blue.
Everything is dead.
Everything is mixed up.
I see a bright door, yet i am painted black.

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33 comments:

T F Carthick said...

Interesting thoughts related to a burning issue.

MuddassirShah said...

Amropali,
This is my first time on your blog and I am loving it.
Very well written post.
Kepp blogging and keep rocking

reetam said...

i've been hearing about this for almost 2 years now from a friend in hyderabad... it frays your nerves after a while, does it not?
very well written... the emotions are barely contained in your words.

Naveen Yadav said...

well its like 2 sides of a coin and chosing to participate or not to.. would only be reasonable if u know y there are ppl who r fighting, y they r being stopped and y the spectators are jus observing and y the rest of the world ignores it as if its some channel on tv which they choose not to watch and participate.
for eg. cops jus doing there duty to stop the protesters frm destroyin the public property, some in the protest think its fun to be a part of it may be it excites them,spectators dint find anything better to look at, and ppl on the street jus too busy with there own chores.. to sum it up... u can only react or make an impact if u fully understand the situation..else
Everything is blue.
Everything is dead.
Everything is mixed up.
I see a bright door, yet i am painted black.

Diptesh Mallick said...

Whatever you wrote, I think many of us might have felt, seeing different scenarios. But, sadly,most of them might have decided not to do anything about the cause. This thing should change and people should come out of the crowd, to get what they want.

Law firm india said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Geeta Singh said...

burning issue but wonderful post well done:)

Someone is Special said...

Very interesting thought, burning issues, the pic and your quote was awesome.. Smiles, mine is what most people feel in their heart but no one acts to achieve it, Change

Someone is Special

Vinay Leo R. said...

its a change that we can dream of.. when no war is there perhaps, or it doesn't get ignored by the public. perhaps we're helpless in such situations, coz its not an instantaneous change.. very well written. wish u all the best for BATOM..!

Leo @ I Rhyme Without Reason

the critics said...

I see a bright door, yet i am painted black..................nice,true emotions to choose or choose not too...i felt the same the same over a different incident but did nothing about it

Aashish Sood said...

"I see a bright door, yet i am painted black"

very nice thoughts and by the very way that u have penned down the post, I can see that this is something that you feel very deeply about and have a multitude of thoughts focusing at the same time... nicely done!

Anonymous said...

I was in Hyderabad till 2009 Decemeber and was working with HP then. Osmania University was one of my clients; and had gone for a meeting there.

After I got done with the meeting, i got stuck in one of those mobs and almost had my car burnt by them. Protesting is one, and going violent is another.

I was lucky that day, that sense prevailed and I was allowed to pass through with just a minor bump in the car.

All the best with the Blog-a-ton!

Cheers

Vinni.in

Mayank said...

Very thoughtful.. inaction is indifference. But you are worried and thats better than those who walk by ! I like the restraint writing style.

ANURADHA said...

Beautifully narrated.... and you have already acted to it by giving a thought :)....

Dr. Pratibha Singh said...

''I see a bright door, yet i am painted black''..........Very meaningful!loved the way you expressed the agony.Superb!!

Palashpriya said...

no comments...in my offic room,with the ac on i can easily blame it for the shivr that i just felt reading ths...bt the question is...am i saying the truth???wat eva...i need a cup of tea...and...." I shall simply dream of a change; of a less-complicated, less chaotic world."

psychebubbles said...

Thumbs up! Lovely.

I feel sad, when i see things unfair, and i helplessly can't do anything! :-/

Amity said...

This is the world we dread and we fear! But this is a reality so harsh...what can we do?

A very good entry for the prompt change...

we all want the bad things to end for a change to the good!

Peripherial Thoughts And Feelings said...

Hey, loved what you wrote and the way you wrote. Keep writing :)

- Priyanka

Anonymous said...

wise thoughts...

invite you to share 1 to 3 poems with us.. thanks.

old poems or poems unrelated to our theme is okay.

Amropali said...

wise thoughts...

invite you to share 1 to 3 poems with us.. thanks.

old poems or poems unrelated to our theme is okay.

Amropali said...

Hey, loved what you wrote and the way you wrote. Keep writing :)

- Priyanka

Amropali said...

"I see a bright door, yet i am painted black"

very nice thoughts and by the very way that u have penned down the post, I can see that this is something that you feel very deeply about and have a multitude of thoughts focusing at the same time... nicely done!

Amropali said...

its a change that we can dream of.. when no war is there perhaps, or it doesn't get ignored by the public. perhaps we're helpless in such situations, coz its not an instantaneous change.. very well written. wish u all the best for BATOM..!

Leo @ I Rhyme Without Reason

Amropali said...

burning issue but wonderful post well done:)

Amropali said...

i've been hearing about this for almost 2 years now from a friend in hyderabad... it frays your nerves after a while, does it not?
very well written... the emotions are barely contained in your words.

Amropali said...

Sure. I'd love to. But how?

Amropali said...

Thank you for the encouragement Priyanka.
=)

Amropali said...

that was a pretty deep comment for someone who started with the words 'no comments' ;)

Amropali said...

I know what you mean.
Sometimes we miss the action even when we are in the midst of all the commotion and sometimes even as an outsider are touched beyond expectations.

Amropali said...

Wonderfully expressed the feelings..
"Everything is blue.
Everything is dead.
Everything is mixed up.
I see a bright door, yet i am painted black."
this ending is worth a thought..

thoughtful!
ATB..

Amropali said...

Connected the blogaton's topic to actual event pretty well. but as Navyav said below, you will need to understand the situation better before you choosing to participate.

Amropali said...

I agree.
The problem,however, is sometimes even after fully understanding the situation, one cannot decide which side to stand on because it is not a binary choice. there are too many variables.

It is a worst situation. Then you just curse yourself for the knowledge and think, it would have been better if I didn't care and had not known.