I CAN'T BREATHE

#Ican’tbreathe

 

Once again, the United States of America has bagged the world’s attention for “not so good” reason. Since becoming a Covid-19 hotspot, the US has had the highest numbers of deaths around the globe. But these days the world is looking at the US in shock and dismay for a different reason—.  Shocked by the killing of George Floyd, an African – American man who was suffocated to death, and dismayed, at the leadership that is unable to understand the repercussions from this incident. Nearly 50 years ago, the US had protested and demanded equal rights under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., with a “dream”. 50 years later, they have returned to square one.

The sudden demonstrations in the US are not only against the right of equality being taken away, but also the systemic denial of the right to live as a normal human being. While the US is not new to these incidents, many have turned a blind eye against these events, type-casting them as trivial incidents. There is more to this sudden outburst.  It is stemming from people’s frustration; about injustice such as racism, and unequal rights, as well as other issues like economic depression created by Covid19, and environmental degradation.

Six or seven months ago, Indians also demonstrated against injustice. When the Indian government declared plans to implement the CAA & NRC. People came together to demonstrate peacefully and express their dissent. But the similarities don’t end here. We have also had multiple cases of lynching in India. Here, people are being lynched for their religion or their caste. But unlike the US, we should not trivialize these incidents. Indians by and large, are tolerant people. Indians have always waited for a Mahatma Gandhi or a Babasaheb Ambedkar. Do we always have to wait for an emphatic leadership to wake us up from our slumbers, and remind us of our democratic and constitutional rights? For how long must we do this?

Bigotry takes place when superiority overpowers humanity. Arrogance and prejudice of “me” gives way to atrocity. The world has become a much smaller place today so let us not divide but stay together. Everyone needs the other. You need a neighbour. Loneliness is awful.

Let us not grow immune and turn a blind eye towards the happenings around us. Let us remember all the victims of the system — Nirbhaya and many other girls like her; Pehlu Khan and many other minorities like him; Mukesh Vaniya and many other Dalits like him; Rajkumari and many other migrant workers who died walking, on their way home in these Covid times. They all must have said, “I can’t breathe”.