In a recent Masterclass on ‘Independent Thinking and Media’s Invisible Powers’, public intellectual Noam Chomsky recalls the day America dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima:
“August 6, 1945. I happened to be a counsellor at a summer camp, and the announcement came over the camp radio in the morning. An atom bomb had destroyed Hiroshima. Amazingly to me, everyone went on to their next activity, swimming, arts and crafts, whatever it was. I was just utterly appalled, almost beyond description.”
There is indeed something bewildering about the apparent ease with which so many can ignore the tremendous suffering of their fellow humans in crisis and carry on enjoying themselves. A recent case in point, of course, is the Indo-Pak World Cup match in Ahmedabad on October 14 that millions in India watched and celebrated even as two million Palestinians in Gaza suffer what might well be called a second nakba.
One can’t help but wonder if the noise of the celebratory firecrackers right after the Indian cricket team’s win reminded anyone in Narendra Modi stadium or those sitting in front of their TV screens – even faintly – of the Israeli bombs that have been exploding in Gaza for the last several days.
On the day of the much-awaited Indo-Pak match, however, about 150 citizens gathered at Jantar Mantar to protest Israeli atrocities in Palestine.
At a time when empathy for one’s own countrymen and countrywomen seems to have dipped to an all-time low, it was heartening to see a group of people, however small, express solidarity for the suffering millions in another country. A genuine example of ‘Vasudeva Kutumbakam’ (The World Is One Family), words that our prime minister loves to bandy about on almost every international platform.
Holding up a poster showing the progression of Israel’s occupation of Palestine from 1946 to 2010, Maimoona Mollah from the All India Women’s Development Association (AIDWA) said, “Right now, the Palestinians are being criticised as terrorists. If you take away people’s rights, even their right to live in their own homes, then they will retaliate. Israel did not take away the Palestinians’ land by touching their feet and with love, did they? They have done it with brutal force all these 75 years. Yes, we condemn the retaliation and the killing of innocents in Israel, but innocents are being killed in Gaza too! And so, the killing has to be condemned on both sides! Having said that, the Palestinian’s struggle for self-determination and their homeland is very valid and just.”
A woman holds up a poster showing the progression of Israel’s occupation of Palestine from 1946 to 2010. Photo: Rohit Kumar
Mollah reminded the gathering: “India was once a very important member of the Non-Aligned Movement. We have always supported the cause of the Palestinians, so it is very worrying that in recent years we are no longer standing with the oppressed and the persecuted like we used to. Just as we stood with the oppressed in South Africa and spoke out against apartheid, we have also stood up against Zionist apartheid! But today it is very sad that we are kowtowing to American and Israeli dadagiri (bullying). Even if our political class is leaning away from the principles that have defined us, at least we the people of India should stand for Palestine, and for all people on this earth who are oppressed.”
Naveen Srivastava, an engineer, and political commentator, practically gave a small history class about the Palestine crisis:
“Let us not forget that the Israel-Palestine situation is primarily a battle between capitalism and socialism. This is not a religious war as the BJP government is trying to portray it! The Palestinians’ land has been stolen from them over the decades, and today they are living in, as the international media calls it, an ‘open-air prison’. India’s support for Palestine began in 1931 when Mahatma Gandhi first espoused the Palestine cause in a newspaper called The Jewish Chronicle. He reiterated this again in Harijan magazine in 1938 when he said that Palestine belongs to the Palestinians just as much as England belongs to the English. In fact, India didn’t even recognise the state of Israel when it was first established in 1948!”
“Our prime minister lauds the ‘nationalism’ of Israel, but what about the nationalism of the Palestinians who have endured tremendous suffering for the last seven decades? The Palestinian’s struggle is our struggle too because the same types of fundamentalist forces are trying to divide our country on religious lines as well.”
Photo: Rohit Kumar
Subash Chandran, a Supreme Court advocate, also pointed out how “the ideology of the RSS is very similar to the ideology of the Zionists. They have been supporting Israel long before this war. They don’t really care about the humanitarian crisis of the Palestinians, and so of course the Indian media that does the bidding of the government will also speak in favour of Israel.”
Referring to a well-known song from the movie Mughal-e-Azam, a representative from the All India Kisan Sabha said, “You’ve Heard the song ‘Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya’ (Why be afraid when you love?). We love people, we care for those who suffer, and that is why we are not afraid to be here today. We were threatened with detention if we protested here, but we said we are not afraid. This may be a small gathering here today but solidarity with Palestine will grow. Let us not forget that in standing with Palestine, we are also standing up for ourselves.”
Rohit Kumar is an educator.
