No sooner did news emerge of Indian soldiers dying in conflict with a Chinese army contingent in a remote part of the Himalayas, two things happened—the Indian government went into silent mode and the media went into raucous overdrive. Silence is the government’s – and the prime minister’s – default mode whenever a crisis hits the country. The prime minister is quick off the mark when an actor dies or another world leader has a birthday, but prefers maun vrat when confronted with tragedy—there was nothing from him when lakhs of migrants started walking home. When some of them were killed, run over by a train, he expressed ‘anguish’ but did not take any steps to ensure such tragedies do not repeat.
But the media is there to fill that silence. They know the drill in such situations—blame the Opposition, specifically the Congress, and shout so loudly that nothing can be heard. Reporters go out to get popular reactions—“don’t you think Rahul Gandhi should not be questioning the government at this stage?” Researchers scour around for WhatsApp forwards, the more fake the better. Some anchors pull rabbits out of a non-existent hat—“The Chinese are scared of us because of their one child policy”. Millions of viewers at home nod in agreement.
Also Read: After a Day of Silence, Centre Finally Addresses Violent Clash at India-China Border
Now, a new force has sprung up all over India to supplement those efforts. The nation’s balconies are full of irate people who are Angry and Will Not Take It Anymore. They are well informed on current events, watching television regularly and diligently reading and forwarding messages and generally peace loving, lighting candles and so forth. They earnestly discuss everything from the Modi-Trump chumminess to where to invest and the shenanigans of domestic staff. The most aggressive thing they have done so far is banging thalis, after which the number of coronavirus patients just soared. But they are not violent, that they leave to others.
But now their anger has been roused. How dare China come into India? Don’t they remember the hospitality we have given their leader every time he comes, including swinging on the banks of the Sabarmati? Why, Shri Narendra Modi himself has visited China no less than nine times—he even gave their tourism a boost after he was photographed with the terra cotta soldiers of Xian. This is betrayal! Modi is not Nehru, they should know.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Xi’an, May 14, 2015. Photo: MEA
So they have taken direct action—they threw down their expensive flat screen television sets from their balconies—and then filmed the entire act on their iPhones (Made in China). They have sworn that they will uninstall every Chinese app (watch out TikTok), and as for Kung Pao chicken and Veg Manchurian, never again.
चीन के खिलाफ देश भर में गुस्सा, लोगों ने तोड़े अपने चाइनीज़ सामान pic.twitter.com/NXp4SyKxGg
— News18 India (@News18India) June 17, 2020
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Their brave action has been picked up by the media—a few incidents here and there, conveniently filmed for easy use by television, have been played on loop on the news, successfully giving the impression that’s it’s a national movement. The social media picks up and does the rest. All over the country glued viewers see and get inspired.
For a long time, the balcony was a neglected part of the house. These were made originally to give some airiness to poky urban apartments, providing relief to the residents. At a time of low rises, buildings were on a human scale, and balconies provided engagement with the street.
Then, in the quest for more space, residents began enclosing these balconies, often in contravention of rules, to make rooms look bigger and deliberately cutting themselves off from the city, with all its chaotic noise and squalor. The balcony was never a selling point – the size of the room was.
Now, balconies seem to be back. Prime Minister Modi urged Indians to clap and bang vessels from their windows and balconies and the masses were galvanised. They could have done it anywhere, but a balcony in a high rise provided not just safety but also distance from the rest of the hoi polloi. Next came lighting candles and since then it has become clear that the balcony is a theatre where the middle-classes can engage with crucial issues without getting their hands dirty. We are still in lockdown, but even at other times, the balcony will be useful for public performance without the need for a public. This performance is also about unity and solidarity – to see others too participating bolsters the spirit.
Residents of a society light lamps and candles in their balconies in Mumbai, April 5, 2020. Photo: PTI
Someone once said that the bourgeoisie is only interested in their mortgages and bowel movements. No longer is that true. At one time, the critical issues of our times were discussed during evening walks in the park. Then came social media, primarily WhatsApp, where one could, from the comfort of a sofa, read and forward all the messages they agreed with to like-minded friends (while sneering at that old school friend who was still raising objections about demonetisation and criticising the treatment of migrant workers). But that was still not direct action—they did not want to come out on the streets to raise slogans against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens (CAA-NRC) like those misguided young people, but wanted to be seen doing something.
Also Read: Why It’s Necessary to Believe ‘All Is Well’ in India’s Border Clash With China
The intrusion by the Chinese army into India has provided a great opportunity. No sooner word got out that India should stand up to China by not buying products made there, then the television sets were lifted and thrown down from the balcony. Presumably, refrigerators and washing machines will follow. (These goods have been paid for already, so the only one who would suffer is the consumer who bought them, but no sacrifice is too small for the true patriot.)
Even though it has been raised only recently, the balcony unit of Indian forces has shown its loyalty, its discipline and its readiness to join combat at any time. It has blind faith in its leader and will follow him anywhere he wants them to go. The media brigade has always been a loyal ally, and everyone knows that the WhatsApp irregulars are ruthless and effective, even better than the mercenary online trolls, who are losing their mojo.
India is now better prepared than ever. Pakistan, China or even the US (no, cancel that), better watch out. Our prime minister may be silent, our army may have been constrained by political forces, but we will go marching on, protected by the brave balcony soldiers.
