Lazy revolutionaries!

Can revolutionaries be lazy??? Why can’t they be?? Infact, most of them are. Unknowingly, most of us express our frustration on tiny things in life that affect us, in the different yet ineffective ways. Things that are wrong and must be corrected. But things we have to live with, or rather choose to live with. The only time we worry about them, is when we have to face them.
Like an open pot hole, for which u would bother only when you have to maneuver your bike/car to negotiate the same in heavy traffic. Suddenly, you will feel rush of adrenaline through your veins and end up fuming few nice words to the good old government of India. Who cares about putting the lid back, if criticizing the government of India satsifies your ego.

Well you would not be alone. Lots of people do that everyday. Coming back to the point, how is frustration on something wrong related to revolution. It is just that we choose to call this form of revolution, a challenge to authority, a voice against something wrong, with a less respectable word. I guess the choice is the word is more inspired by the inaction in dishing out few abusive words against the authority, but no action. The intent is still a revolution, but the action is a lazy one. That’s why I choose to call it lazy revolution. The title just manages to galvanize the intent and ridicule the action at the same time.

Why did come across this word suddenly? I was just watching a movie which was centered on the fate of students inspired by the naxalite movement of 1970s. The lazy revolution was depicted in form of a college strike, organized by few students whose fathers had enough muscle and money to get their kids out of trouble, just in case the strike went out of control.

How is such a college strike a "lazy revolution"? First of all, who cares about it? Infact, it is bonus for teachers who get a day off and also get another chance to curse their students. For students, it’s just another day to party. The only people, who get bothered about the college strike, are the parents who have to bear with their supposedly unmanageable kids at home for that day. For the people who participate in the strike, these are usually kids of wealthy and powerful parents who want to get to key positions in college elections. You don’t change policies of government with that. You don’t end corruption with that. All it gives you is a feel good factor (remember “feel good factor” which cost BJP the 2001 general elections). It gives the participants a feeling that they have made an effort to protest about what is wrong in this world.

Well, some of you who participated in the great big fight against reservation would contend this. However, I believe that it was not just another college strike. It was a campaign in which students from all over India participated. Infact some of them gave their lives too. Still it was unsuccessful. The strike was just successful in delaying the ultimate implementation of “Quota Raj”.

The movie which I was seeing was filmed in 1969, when computers and internet had not arrived on the seen. People were lazy, but still put enough efforts to put together a strike. Internet has brought a new generation of lazy revolutionaries. These revolutionaries don’t bother going to college, to talk to a big group to convince people about what’s wrong in the world. They wake up one fine morning, sip a cup of tea (or coffee as the case may be) realize something is wrong with world (perhaps triggered by bad taste of tea or gastric trouble). Then they start searching of their laptop. Finger tips on keyboard, and mind concentrated on finding the best words to criticize the troublemaker. The comes a blog/email wishing to alert everyone who reads the same to alert people about one more problem in this world. Perhaps, a lazy attempt to get your message across to millions of internet users worldwide.

By the time, that last line is written or rather typed, mind is already exhausted in trying to think about the right set of words for describing, what is wrong in this world. Then they start to question themselves. Perhaps, it was not worth spending 30 minutes about what is wrong with the world. Who is going to read this article anyways? Perhaps, it is better if I choose to live this problem. Lazily, they end-up uploading their thoughts onto the internet. Perhaps, effort to press the submit button is purely driven by desire not to waste 30 minutes of effort spent in writing the article. However, they are not the laziest revolutionaries yet. Somewhere in this world, someone browsing the internet or checking his email comes across this "What wrong with the world in 30 minutes?” article. Another rush of adrenaline and the surfer ends up reading the first few lines. Again he blames good old government of India, skips the 30-minute article.

Perhaps, I overdid it in my last paragraph. But, let us compare the anti-quota campaign of 1990 with the anti-quota campaign of 2006. What was once fought on colleges and streets, was now fought in form of few chain emails? Emails seemingly meant to educate people on the reservation policy of Mr. Arjun Singh. I don’t question the intent of the email writers, but I certainly question their effectiveness? Almost, everyone on internet in India got those emails. How many of us acted on them?

Well, my 30-minutes are also almost up. And I am also running out of words. Now it’s your turn. Will you be next lazy revolutionary? Will you dish some nice words against me or the government of India?

It’s for you to decide...

From:
The laziest of them all.