who will protest that we are not protesting the right way???

I logged onto Facebook today, after quite some time, and was really disappointed looking at my news feed. Almost all the posts were filled with hatred!
They included posts by collegues offended by Aamir Khan's generalisations trying to defame the medical profession, posts by Jagan supporters, who cried foul on his arrest, posts by CSK fans who felt let down, posts by people trying to raise their voice against the recent petrol price hike, a few even by people who hate God because they think they are ATHEISTS.

People who know me know that I have always encouraged people to protest anything they feel is not going in the right direction... but WHO WILL PROTEST THAT THESE PROTESTS ARE GOING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION???

I don't care how carelessly Aamir slings mud on doctors.... "Uska peshaa hain bhai!!! He has to work in a way to raise the TRP ratings, and make things a little interesting... and He is only doing his Job!!!" But why should WE resort to cheap acts like calling Aamir names, in the veil of a protest?

You say that "A thorn should be dealt with a thorn". But if we, the self proclaimed patriotic future citizens of India, (Read Facebook addicts - Indian chapter), cannot find a way to protest without undue hatred, I think Kapil Sibal may be right in banning us!!!

(I seriously never thought i'd ever say that even in my wildest dreams)

What relation has Aamir's previous marital life got to do with you protesting against his comments on a TV show? And if you think Aamir has no right to defame your profession, what gives you the right to defame his show, just because you have a difference of opinion?

I will not ask people to look at the good points he raised in the show (like Indian govt not spending a good part of the GDP on healthcare) but I sincerely plead with you to KNOW WHY YOU ARE PROTESTING, TO BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU ARE PROTESTING FOR, and try to TELL PEOPLE THE REASONS FOR YOUR PROTEST.

If you hate Aamir, watch his next movie with a black badge on your arm... don't pelt stones on his posters. If people ask you, have the courage and patience to tell them WHY AAMIR IS WRONG in generalising the lives of a few greedy doctors onto the profession.

The fault lies with US. We were never taught to protest properly in school, and we can't make sense of the sudden freedom social networking sites give us.

Hurling abuses, calling names and pointing out someone's defects doesn't qualify as protest. 
A protest should come from the bottom of one's heart. 
It should be a strong voice that shouts that you stand for the truth and against all that is wrong. 
It should be strong as a lion's roar when it says that you believe in what you say.....

I logged out, and followed my dad's advice to lighten my mood when I was unhappy.  "when you feel distressed about something, read.... read whatever you feel is close to your heart and all stress will vanish"

It really works though. I will end this with a few lines of what I read. Co-incidentally, MahaKavi SriSri hinted through these lines as to "What" is needed by revolutionary poetry.

sindooram, raktachandanam,

bandhookam, Sandhyaaraagam,

puli champina lady neththuru,

yegaresina yerrani jenda,

rudraalika nayanajwaalika,

kalakaththa kaalika naalika,

               ..........kaavaaloyi nava kavanaaniki.

Raabandula rekkala chappudu,

poga gottapu Ghoonkaradhwani,

aranyamuna hareendra garjana,

payoDhara prachanda ghosha,

Khadgamrugodagra viraavam,

Jhunjhuneela shadjadhwaanam,

                ...........kaavaloyi nava kavanaaniki.

The next time you click to share a protest, please take a moment to review whether you really believe in the protest. If you do, would you protest in such cheap words? , If not please take the time to post a proper protest, explaining why you hold your view. Spread awareness - NOT hatred.

Maybe.....

"There is no hope for OC guys rey... it is a joke that you want to apply."
"Yep, our condition is truly pathetic... The competition is tremendous, and seats are scarce."

"Reservation too doesn't help as much as you think... competition is gobbling up everything."
"But it is better than being in General Quota right? I mean, you still have an unfair advantage"

These were a few points of discussion outside the NIMS library the other day, where I was taking a break from my books with my colleagues Rajesh, Sridhar and Ram Murthy. In fact, I think this discussion is universal among students, whether they are preparing for UG or PG entrance, or applying for govt. jobs.

"కానీ మీ పరిస్థితి చాలా మెరుగు సుమా !" said an old man, sitting next to the Badam tree, shocking us out of the discussion.

"It is easy to comment from the outside Sir, not so easy when you are actually in the line of fire" Sridhar retorted back.
All of us seemed to subconsciously support Sridhar.

"Sorry that I was interrupting, but I still do stand by what is said. I am Ramana. I  underwent a 2-D Echo and am waiting for my son, when I overheard your conversation. I hope you don't mind" said the old man in flawless english. 

The old man looked very organised, educated and had an aura that charmed me in a way I cannot explain.

We had formal introductions, and told him we were medicos preparing for PG entrances. Rajesh tried to explain to Ramana garu, the various difficulties students face, due to reservations, lack of seats, and the privatisation of medical education.

"I do understand the gravity of the situation you people are in... but have you thought of a solution?" Ramana garu asked. What he didn't know was he had opened a can of worms in our heads.

"There is no solution! The only plausible solution is to quash caste based reservations, and bring in reservations based on the economic strata of students. This will give a fair advantage to people who are truly backward." said Ram murthy. "This will see to it that a Minister's son, who hails from a scheduled caste, is not given an unfair advantage over the son of a poor pujari, who is a brahmin by birth. " 

"Yep, but is it possible practically murthy? The BJP govt tried something similar a few years back, to introduce a concept of economically backward classes, but BJP was kicked out of power." said Sridhar.

"I don't agree. BJP lost power because of it's inefficiency to control corruption in it's own ministers." I said, opening my lips for the first time.

"Let us not really drag politics into this, because you cannot hope that political decisions, which are very improbable to change, might give you a solution. What are your alternative solutions?" asked Ramana garu. His question drew an obvious blank on all our faces.

"Your situation is a lot better than what we faced. The chance of quality education was rare in the past, when we were students. But do you know what was the advantage we had?"
"We were more ambitious and confident of our lives than today's youth. God has been replaced by dissatisfaction as the only Omnipotent and Omnipresent entity that today's youth knows.... It is indeed a unfortunate fact."

"You cannot change politics, you can only hope to by doing your duty of casting your vote to an eligible candidate, without being influenced by his caste, or his political party.
You cannot change the system, you can only hope to change it by becoming a part of it, by joining the civil services.

But there is always one thing you can do.
Strive to work harder without complaining of the 'unfair' advantage somebody else has. Swami Vivekananda said that 'all that is impossible is just an illusion'. So, if you think you have missed your PG seat because of unfair reservations, push yourself to the limit by working hard to cover the gap created by those reservations. Remember, the strongest steel is forged in the hottest furnace."

"ఎందుకీ నిస్పృహ ? కదిలే భూమి ని ఆపే శక్తీ నీ లోపలే వుండగా ?"

Ramana garu then took our leave as his son had come to take him home. But he did leave us thinking for a long while...

Are we letting disappointment and despair take over our mindset? 

Are we , as the youth of this nation, not supposed to take up more responsibility about our lives? 

Maybe whining about how unfair the country has been to you is just an excuse we use to hide our inability to deal with our lives....

Maybe....