Compelled by Humanity

Those Calcuttans who feel that even walking down the streets of this city on a hot May afternoon is better than sitting at home and pretending that all's well with the world did just that on 9th May 2008: they walked in accordance with their conscience. This was the second time that angry, conscience-stricken, humane Calcuttans took to the streets to protest against the systematic violence being perpetrated by the state against those who cannot defend themselves anymore. As Aparna Sen said from the truck when the march ended at Chowringhee, "We are being accused of taking money for these protests! We are being accused of doing this for our own publicity! Those accusing us are so deeply implicated in politicking for selfish gains that they don't realize that there may be something called the compulsion of simple humanity and nothing more." The last time such an anti-state-terror march took place there were a million marchers and the media was out in full strength to cover it. This time only a few TV networks sent outdoor vans to cover the march. Does this mean that for the media, anti-state-terror protests in Calcutta aren't sexy anymore? (The story of tens of thousands of ordinary, otherwise apolitical citizens marching down the streets in Calcutta without ANY support from ANY political party was not deemed worthy of even a mention in The Telegraph, for example.) Nonetheless, the protests will continue, with or without the help of the media.