We often see people living in slums and in poor conditions and feel pity for them. We often see people getting illegally arrested and tortured inhumanly. We often see people being harassed and dragged through the bureaucratic machinery of India. We often see people standing under terrible heat in long serpentine queues at railway stations, hospitals, and other government institutions. Are all these people weak, cowardly or powerless?
Feelings of pity usually arise when we see wearied and worn-out human figures – when we see people portrayed as being weak and powerless, and coming from the most deprived sections of society.
Certainly, when one comes to know that these people have no easy and comfortable access to all the democratic facilities and privileges, one feels that they are at their weakest and the lowest points in life. But, in my opinion, their external conditions do not reflect their weakness or vulnerability. Their living conditions are, in fact, a grotesque reminder of the inefficiency and the incapability of our governments, as well as that of the media and the intellectual elite of our society who fail to relieve India of its ever-present mass corruption and injustice.
In my opinion, it is not the people living in slums or the people without any power, privileges, or money who are weak. Who should we call weak then?
Those leaders (ministers/religious heads/social heads/corporate bosses, government officers, the rich and intellectuals) who lie just to hide what they can’t face in real life are weak, cowardly, and powerless. They lie just to shamelessly hide the deadly consequences of their own irresponsibility, procrastination, lethargy, and misdeeds.
Those leaders who steal others’ hard-earned money, possessions, ideas, and concepts – those who know that they don’t have the capability to create these stolen things – they are the ones who are weak, cowardly and powerless.
Those leaders who try to dominate or rule through fear so that no one can raise their voice of truth and justice against them are weak, cowardly and powerless. Such people know very well that they don’t have their own personal power to control the awakened and enlightened masses. The people who try to scare or frighten the general public with their position and money can be seen as the weakest or the most afraid people on earth.
Those leaders who manipulate or do double dealings in life are weak, cowardly and powerless. These people know very well that they don’t have any loyalty, honesty, integrity, and transparency in their lives and no one in society would trust them. Thus, they become con men or manipulators – one who wear masks of different personalities on different occasions. Such people have no truth, moral courage or solid personal stand through which they could convince the general masses easily, so they turn to manipulation or the art of trickery. And such habit then becomes their source of livelihood.
Those leaders who never appreciate and recognize the sterling achievements and crowning victories of popular social activists, whistle blowers, and honest government workers in genuine and enthusiastic manner are weak cowardly and powerless.
As we all know, when informed intellectuals like Rajiv Dixit, Narendra Dabolkar, Govind Pansare, Justice Loya, Gauri Lankesh, etc did something courageous to expose the evil-doers of society, people in their social circles start abandoning them. Rather than becoming morally strong and loyal to support such people, political leaders, government officers and others became pathetically afraid, weak, and powerless.