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Citizens' movement or candle in the wind?

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MUMBAI: After 26/11 the city saw a spontaneous outburst against the government, with demonstrations and candle-light vigils. The general feeling was that it was time for people to take matters into their own hands. Several citizens’ groups sprang up, promising more individual involvement in public affairs and the public outcry forced heads in the government to roll. But the dust soon settled; the candles blew out. Two major elections have gone by and it is now quite clear that the people’s resolve is illusory.

Why did the mass movement disappear sooner than it took root? Actor Rahul Bose, who started the Group of Groups (GOG) comprising 51 individual organisations in response to the terror attacks admitted, “So many groups sprang up that we thought a larger, collective group would lead to something. We had planned to send, a memorandum to the government, letters urging the implementation of police reforms and so on, but didn’t manage anything. Looking back, it’s a marvel we managed to sustain the group for six months and hammer out a common minimum programme. Then, we all got busy with our lives. It has been a collective failure.’’

A few weeks after the attacks, Mumbai saw several protest marches. At one such march, a motley bunch of South Mumbai residents got together at Marine Drive, shouting “Chhagan Bhujbal Murdabad’’ soon after Bhujbal’s reinstatement as home minister. They also shouted slogans against Union agriculture minister, Sharad Pawar and claimed they were courting arrest and would march up to Mantralaya protesting against politicians. But with the arrival of a few police vans the chorus changed to ‘Mumbai Police Zindabad’. When the protesters were informed they would not be allowed to shout slogans against politicians, they began chanting ‘Vande Mataram’. The cops forbade protesters from marching to Mantralaya, and allowed them to march to the next signal instead.

According to civic activist Indrani Malkani, one of the founders of the Malabar Hill Residents Association, there’s little that ordinary citizens can do to fight terror, besides getting trained to deal with the situation. “After 26/11, what we saw was an emotional outburst resulting in little action. Several NGOs have regrouped under a new name but with little result,’’ said Malkani. For Gerson D’- Cunha of AGNI, “It would be too much to expect these citizens’ groups to last very long. Sudden trauma does not bring long-lasting groups into being.’’

Surendra Srivastav of the Loksatta Movement said the educated middle class has not noticed the link between political culture and bad governance. “Everybody wants Shivaji to be reborn but not in his own house. Mumbai is a commercial city and its citizens spur into action for a short time,’’ he said. Actor Sushma Reddy who joined GOG said: “Older groups had differences which couldn’t be surmounted.’’

Psychiatrist Anjali Chhabria explains the short-lived action as a response to sudden shock and anger. “At that time, it was a collective emotion spurred by constant television visuals making one feel helpless,’’ she said. “As time elapsed, everyone resumed their routine activities, even as the helplessness remained. The stress of day to day life keeps people busy.’’
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