Cancel the Talk of One Zoya Hasan and Thousands Emerge

Independence slowly makes its way down under, with the smoke of control leading the way. The disallowing of Professor Zoya Hasan’s Independence Day speech at one of Delhi’s top elite schools is the most outright expression of hegemony, manipulation and censorship. Reports suggest that faced with saffron pressure, both the school and the police administration quickly gave in and cancelled the event.

One wonders if this is the state of rule of law in the heart of the national capital.

I found myself at a crossroad, questioning whether the coming generations will truly be ‘free’, free to think, read, listen and have autonomy.

I watched Hasan’s speech on The Wire’s YouTube channel and felt a sense of loss for the kids who were not given an opportunity to attend it. Hasan, a professor emerita and one of India’s most respected academics talked about pluralism and the essence of ‘India’.
She said, "Pluralism is a political and ethical commitment. It means ensuring that every citizen enjoys equal rights, equal dignity and equal opportunities, and that no identity is accorded privileged status over another. It is this commitment that has enabled India to accommodate differences while preserving national unity."

The ideas she talked about, jumped straight out of the freedom struggle, the constitution and the idea of India. The regime is so afraid of ideas, as if words themself could pull down the weight of the saffron and establish a true democracy. 

Cancel the talk of one Zoya Hassan, and thousands emerge. The children of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan have taken their complaints to the streets. The little revolutionaries clad in school uniforms demand not just better infrastructure but basic amenities such as tables, fans in classrooms and clean drinking water. These kids don’t have any political affiliation, yet they practice democracy.

Hope is in the air, in the sky, in the water, in the roads. It comes in multiple hues, shades, and tones. As a participant of the Cockroach Janata Party-led student protest, for me hope came in the form of not just the outfit's Saurav Das or Abhijeet Dipke, but two parallel figures. 

Neha Bora, is a PhD student currently serving as the national president of the All India Students' Association, undertook a 23-day hunger strike in the national capital during the student protests.

Neha carries with her the legacy of Delhi University, Ambedkar University and JNU. She has emerged as one of the most articulate, courageous and captivating voices in our recent history. Her ideas, language and courage of conviction are distinctive features which have become a symbol for dissent and political expression in India’s iconic Jantar Mantar moment. 

The other is Mohammad Irfan, a daily wage worker and street vendor, who broke the walls of the internet with his talk on education, rights and emphasis on dignity of an individual in the constitution.

The regime, for the last 12 years has established roots of communalism in the slums and downtrodden corners of Indian society. From the mud, Irfan emerged with a lotus. Never having been to school, not knowing how to read or write, Irfan let out words which soared into the clouds of the propaganda made by the Modi government.

His words and ideas do not come from a single voice. I feel that they are a choir representing the majority of India, the mazdoor, the kisaan, the Musalman – the worker, the farmer, the Muslim. He speaks with the ashes of the fires started by divisive forces, speaking on not just education but employment and constitutional rights as well. 

Both these leaders come from completely different backgrounds, yet they occupy the same hearts. 

“Don’t be overwise; fling yourself straight into life, without deliberation; don’t be afraid - the flood will bear you to the bank and set you safe on your feet again.”

― Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment

I had the privilege of getting to meet and interact with both of them. It struck me that protests and movements give way to a generation of new leaders, challenging and disturbing the dynastic cycle of Indian politics.

Neha and Irfan are not stars who fell to us from above, but they have turned dust and ashes into sparks of hope, ambition and democracy. People want to feel represented and want leaders to emerge from backgrounds like theirs. I think this is why both really connected with the masses and found their way into Indian politics.

The CJP student protests have cultivated an environment where ideas, opinions and democratic beliefs lead the way, creating a culture of descent, rebellion and freedom.

Irene Khanum Sherwani is an undergraduate student majoring in psychology and political science.

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