Between Farmers' Protests and Case Against Sanitary Panels, Indian Women on Social Media Are Raising Dissent
Another difficult week has passed, and Indian women and their allies continue to raise their voice against injustice and tyranny. Check out some of the best posts on social media from the past seven days.
And I knew, I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed, without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today – my own government.
Martin Luther King Jr.— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) December 4, 2020
The ongoing protests by farmers against the APMC (agricultural produce market committee) Act continues to gain support from various quarters - firebrand journalists Barkha Dutt and Saba Naqvi, and standup comedian Aditi Mittal among them.
The most moving dimension of #FarmersProtests is the spirit of giving, the Langar, the volunteers who run it, feeding even the police who has at times turned their lathis and cannons on these men & women. Spent the morning with these farmers as they chopped gobhi, pyaz for lunch pic.twitter.com/12r4rDW4wO
— barkha dutt (@BDUTT) December 1, 2020
The same old trick is being applied to legitimate #FarmersProtests. Find a couple of Individuals, twist their words out of context and label the entire movement terrorist inspired.
— Saba Naqvi (@_sabanaqvi) November 29, 2020
For all the balle balle and shaava shaava mainstream Bollywood has done, few legacy Bollywood actors speaking up about the farmers in Punjab.
— out of context aditi mittal (@awryaditi) December 3, 2020
At a time when freedom of expression is under attack in the country like never before, the Supreme Court’s decision to initiate contempt proceedings against Rachita Taneja - for a cartoon in comic series ‘Sanitary panels’ which criticised the apex court - drew wide support for the artist. Activist Trisha Shetty and actor Swara Bhasker were among those who raised their voice in Rachita’s support.
Hey, @sanitarypanels I hear your art is hurting fragile ego’s on a mission to debase our Constitution. Just here to say, more power to your pen, to your art and to your spirit.
Huge fan. Cheering you on, everyday.— Trisha Shetty (@TrishaBShetty) December 2, 2020
Stand strong @sanitarypanels https://t.co/M29vil8CDF
— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) December 2, 2020
Love Jihad continues to make news too, and veteran journalist Pragya Tiwari took an analytic and critical point of view on the new developments.
My essay in @AJEnglish on the real intent + consequences of 'love jihad' legislation
"The central premise of 'love jihad' reduces Muslim men to their religious identity and vilifies them as malicious, entrenching suspicion in the psychology of a nation"https://t.co/bA14VliJIy— Pragya Tiwari (@PragyaTiwari) November 30, 2020
Not to forget among all these events, December 2 marked the 36th anniversary of the Bhopal gas tragedy which killed thousands of people and left many more to seek justice to this day. Supreme Court lawyer Karuna Nundy’s tweet on the same not only brings back memories but also reminds one of the times we live in.
It was tonight, 36 years ago, that Union Carbide's plant leaked MIC gas and caused endless trauma and death to this day. Power to the survivors of the Bhopal gas disaster and toxic waste dump, who keep fighting for justice. https://t.co/dTVL3kWxS4
— Karuna Nundy (@karunanundy) December 2, 2020
We shall wrap up the week with another reminder - that the most important power, and right, of a citizen in a democratic country is that of dissent. Journalist Neha Dixit sums it up with precision:
The last 6 & a half years in India give out a strong sign that it is time that the culture of dismissiveness & cynicism towards protests, strikes, non-co-operation must end.
They break status quo of caste, class, gender & majoritarianism. Give us new leaders.
Normalise dissent.— Neha Dixit (@nehadixit123) December 4, 2020
