I wrote this on 28th June 2005, when I was at home for a vacation. I just came across this when browsing though my PC and thought of putting it on my blog. All these written here are what came across my mind 4 years ago while watching some program on TV and do not mean any offense to anyone - individual or organisations.
I don’t know what the correct date of the Emergency was. 1975 was the year I guess…
The things I got to read or any sorts of information about those days were very few, or rather I didn’t tried to get any information, may be because I’m also a part of the upcoming or existing generation of irresponsible malayalis. When some well-established or well-known writers of yesteryears pass away, there would be some parts or reviews of their articles or cartoons of them, in the newspapers, which protested against those days of Emergency and perhaps those were the only means for me to make some idea about the Emergency days…
But recently I happened to see a program in one of the leading Malayalam channels, which was done by a young journalist or better to say a media person, featuring some political situation or personal views of some political people who were the sufferers or the part of the Emergency. The people among them belonged to different political parties, from Congress to CPM to BJP to some other organizations like RSS. All of them were talking for and against the Emergency. All of the matters they were talking didn’t matter to me as they were purely political except for some.
What I noticed from all those talks and what they were able to point out was the fact that we malayalis, despite being educated and literate, could not and cannot respond against the good and bad in the society. We like to live our lives as it is and don’t mind to question anybody even if we are not given our basic freedom. It was clearly said in the show that the protest for the Emergency ordered by Smt Indira Gandhi who was the then leader of ruling Congress Party was very little protested in Kerala. The Communists were the opposition in the Lok Sabha and they didn’t do anything to protest against the inhuman decision taken by the central govt, even though this Emergency was against all their ideologies and all. All the thinkers, as they call themselves, of the party kept quiet till the Emergency was over.
RSS, it was quoted, was the only organization, which actively protested against those dark days of late seventies. And then they, the RSS, were just an organization in their infancy and so they could do only a little. Mr. P Govindha Pillai, one of the senior leaders of the Communist party told to the interviewer that they were against the Emergency in their soul and mind and said that not even a little boy in the party was in favor of this inhuman decision. He also told that they have helped RSS, even though they had exactly different ideologies, to protest against the Congress decision. As the Communist Party of India was incomparably huge organization than the RSS, and the fact that Communists were the opposition (So they could have done a lot more than this.), Mr. P G was, in my views, accepting the fact that his party kept its ideas and views only inside their mind or their minds were seized by idleness or due to lack of self respect or due to the lack of commitment to the party. Mr. P G accepted the facts and may be because of his this particular nature, the new leadership of the party kept him out of the party.
Some of the people who were interviewed were telling that the Communist party failed to benefit from the situation which was against the Congress, but the communal parties arose were the benefactors. In their opinion, this was the time when the communal parties beneficed, and was the time when parties like BJP and Janta Dal came to mainstream. They could easily get some supporters, apart being communal due to other parties’ stand on the situation. It might also have been because of the notable work done by the RSS. So now all these parties blame the situation for the emergence of a communal party like BJP. But where were they when they actually had to respond? If BJP emerged from Emergency, then all the communal riots and all other communal problems said to be created by the BJP must be alleged to be caused by the political parties existed at the time of Emergency. I am not sure whether I am right!
Now you must listen to what the most hated person in Kerala nowadays, I believe, says about those days of Emergency. Yes, I’m talking about Mr. K Karunakaran who was the home minister of Kerala during the days of Emergency. He says that those were the days of cherishing memories and that was how the state was meant to be forever. He says that those were days of perfection, the days when all the government offices opened and closed at right time, days when women in Kerala could freely walk around, days when women in Kerala were not afraid of their men to come drunk late in the night. And he also boasts that he made arrangements for the proper functioning of schools and all! I don’t know whether this fellow don’t know the importance of freedom, or better to say the problems of Fascist-like reign? You must also note that, this is the same person, who dared to make a new Congress Party from the already split-into-pieces Congress Party in Kerala, probably because of his lack of freedom in his party. (Or for his personal interests or due to his concern for his children?). No wonder why people started turning off the TV when this fellow appears on the screen!
But another Congress leader Mr. P C Chacko may be not that “committed” worker as Mr. K Karunakaran, accepted that the Emergency declared by Smt. Indhira Gandhi during Congress government, created such a bad image of Congress party among common people and also told that the Emergency was a big mistake of the government. Accepting things as it is a good quality, I believe, and a sign of wisdom. And let us pray for Mr. P C Chacko, not to be expelled from the party as Communists did with Mr. P G. And there were such a big number of political people – I don’t know which all parties they belong – who still believe or try to convince themselves that the Emergency did not make any notable changes to their life then!!!! Now only I realized that freedom was such a simple thing without which also we can easily live!
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