The object of proposing the 'Cellular Satyagraha Divas' February 14th was to assess public opinion for the 'convenient' alternative to the preferred non-violent plan of action, which involved joining the people of Mangalore on the streets in an demonstration of solidarity - a peaceful show of strength' rather than a protest.
Such a non-violent plan of action seemed premature without a response from the people of Mangalore itself. Meanwhile, the citizens of Bangalore were overawed with the logistics of such an initiative which involved travelling to Mangalore en masse to execute such a 'show of strength'.
The alternative was to design a strategy that straddled geographical challenges with an equivalent if not more significant impact. Thus, Cellular Satyagraha is a 'strategy in progress' building on the lessons of the Cellular Silence Day initiative.
It is perhaps time to explore migrating protests off the roads onto the digital and infotech highways, where a protest does not physically inconvenience or, affect the livelihood of those who do not wish to take part. Thereafter, as and when a protest does hit the streets, it would enhance the significance and value of the same.
Infotech highways are perceived as avenues of delivering consumption, encouraging you to make more calls, send more messages, watch more television etc. etc.. The ownership of these highways is in the hands of a few who wish to determine how we think, what we think and even when to think. The 'big brothers' of business decide "what is good for business is good for the people of India"
If at the press of a button on a cell phone or, TV remote we can assume control over that process; empowering citizens with the knowledge that they can stop consuming as and when they choose, then there is potential to exploit this strategy to enthuse and engage significant sections of the population in participatory 'press button' democracy.
We have to push such highways through to the rural areas in due course to empower the citizen in the vlllage too, so that he/she too may choose to have their voice heard - or not heard - at the press of a button.
This would be a participatory democracy of citizens with the choice of involving themselves in the process; having a direct influence rather than outsourcing their democracy to elected representatives and political parties over whom there is virtually no control between elections.
The Cellular Satyagraha strategy is effective only if millions put off their cell phones. It is therefore necessary to find out how many are prepared to do so; to assert their citizen rights at the cost of some inconvenience - that could be deemed 'self sacrifice' in this age of rampant consumerism
If we affect big business then they lean on the political class, since the latter rely on their funding and support on the business houses. Quite simply, if Muthalik is 'bad for business' then he be will shut down; the captains of industry do not want to antagonise the 'consumer'
Secondly, if the numbers switching of phones and ready to sign a petition are the same, then that sends a message to the political class that ignoring significant sections of public opinion - mobilised through such digital highway initiatives - would no longer be an option.
The 'Cellular Silence Day' initiative had an exponential effect with infinitely more people putting their phones off, than the 4900 who actually signed the petition. In Gujarat, for example an entire community boycotted the products of two of the telecom providers. One of the business houses even thought it appropriate to use legal intimidation to silence the petition.
If a few thousand signatories could generate national media coverage for three weeks, consider what more zeroes could do, added to that number of 4900.
So, this is another step towards scaling up the strategy, engaging citizen support, so that in the near future it becomes progressively easier to mobilise public opinion and have them respond instantly via the digital highways; to make them aware of the potential and possibilities.
What this is NOT, is a strategy of confrontation that alienates the people with whom engaging in dialogue is most important. It is to inform the powers that be that the citizen is no push over; that in the era of consumption he/she can exert influence at the press of a button.
If you have not visited then C+ive website yet, at www.c-positive.in, may I suggest you drop by and browse the charter. The idea is to have a home grown civic society where strategies and initiatives emerge through the 'noise and chaos' of discussion. It is the citizen who is supreme, not elected representatives and certainly not political parties.
It is through such engagement becoming wider, more intense but remaining constructive, that non-violent strategies of the digital age will evolve, engaging everybody in the process of building consensus
Such a non-violent plan of action seemed premature without a response from the people of Mangalore itself. Meanwhile, the citizens of Bangalore were overawed with the logistics of such an initiative which involved travelling to Mangalore en masse to execute such a 'show of strength'.
The alternative was to design a strategy that straddled geographical challenges with an equivalent if not more significant impact. Thus, Cellular Satyagraha is a 'strategy in progress' building on the lessons of the Cellular Silence Day initiative.
It is perhaps time to explore migrating protests off the roads onto the digital and infotech highways, where a protest does not physically inconvenience or, affect the livelihood of those who do not wish to take part. Thereafter, as and when a protest does hit the streets, it would enhance the significance and value of the same.
Infotech highways are perceived as avenues of delivering consumption, encouraging you to make more calls, send more messages, watch more television etc. etc.. The ownership of these highways is in the hands of a few who wish to determine how we think, what we think and even when to think. The 'big brothers' of business decide "what is good for business is good for the people of India"
If at the press of a button on a cell phone or, TV remote we can assume control over that process; empowering citizens with the knowledge that they can stop consuming as and when they choose, then there is potential to exploit this strategy to enthuse and engage significant sections of the population in participatory 'press button' democracy.
We have to push such highways through to the rural areas in due course to empower the citizen in the vlllage too, so that he/she too may choose to have their voice heard - or not heard - at the press of a button.
This would be a participatory democracy of citizens with the choice of involving themselves in the process; having a direct influence rather than outsourcing their democracy to elected representatives and political parties over whom there is virtually no control between elections.
The Cellular Satyagraha strategy is effective only if millions put off their cell phones. It is therefore necessary to find out how many are prepared to do so; to assert their citizen rights at the cost of some inconvenience - that could be deemed 'self sacrifice' in this age of rampant consumerism
If we affect big business then they lean on the political class, since the latter rely on their funding and support on the business houses. Quite simply, if Muthalik is 'bad for business' then he be will shut down; the captains of industry do not want to antagonise the 'consumer'
Secondly, if the numbers switching of phones and ready to sign a petition are the same, then that sends a message to the political class that ignoring significant sections of public opinion - mobilised through such digital highway initiatives - would no longer be an option.
The 'Cellular Silence Day' initiative had an exponential effect with infinitely more people putting their phones off, than the 4900 who actually signed the petition. In Gujarat, for example an entire community boycotted the products of two of the telecom providers. One of the business houses even thought it appropriate to use legal intimidation to silence the petition.
If a few thousand signatories could generate national media coverage for three weeks, consider what more zeroes could do, added to that number of 4900.
So, this is another step towards scaling up the strategy, engaging citizen support, so that in the near future it becomes progressively easier to mobilise public opinion and have them respond instantly via the digital highways; to make them aware of the potential and possibilities.
What this is NOT, is a strategy of confrontation that alienates the people with whom engaging in dialogue is most important. It is to inform the powers that be that the citizen is no push over; that in the era of consumption he/she can exert influence at the press of a button.
If you have not visited then C+ive website yet, at www.c-positive.in, may I suggest you drop by and browse the charter. The idea is to have a home grown civic society where strategies and initiatives emerge through the 'noise and chaos' of discussion. It is the citizen who is supreme, not elected representatives and certainly not political parties.
It is through such engagement becoming wider, more intense but remaining constructive, that non-violent strategies of the digital age will evolve, engaging everybody in the process of building consensus
5 comments:
I think there is a point here, a very valid point. Satyagraha on the web. It makes Satyagraha a global phenomenon. With the shrinking of the globe, something that could affect the whole globe at once was never far away. Apart from a nuclear engagement of course. And here it is, Global Satyagraha, without inconveniencing the daily lives of the people. I can't agree with this anymore, cause I have very recently been a witness to a so called non-violent protest at the Borivili Station by the public. It was more violent than one could imagine. If this is the kind of silent protest that we get to see on the roads, then please, it's better that the problem against which such protests are held, persists.
While I have no doubt that many more options would start popping out of our collective heads, this is the right beginning. We can voice against the oppression of the Palestinians, we can voice our support against Child Abuse, we can condemn... (to be contd.)
Rafiq Lasne at 14:23, on 06 February
we can condemn the corporate leaders who support the candidature of one of the most fascist person of recent times as the PM of India.
This indeed is the right direction. We have a great power in our hand, as Ranjan rightly puts it, with the press of a button we can let know the powers that be that the real power is with the citizens. Together with the power of vote that we have, this power can really make the most powerful amongst the powerful to look up to us, seriously.
Global Satyagraha, way to go Ranjan.
I agree. It is precisely this spirit of responsible citizenship and respectful protest (taking civil disobedience to the information highway without inconveniencing the masses) that will send the message loud and clear to those who forget all too easily that democracy is government for, of, and by the Indian people. By moving satyagraha to the ... Read Moreworld wide web, resources can be instantly mobilized via vehicles such as C+ve that bridge the geographical gap. The rural and urban electorates should feel as one, finding their forum on the C+ve discussion boards. I am also optimistic enough to believe that, iif given a chance, the digital age will engage political opponents in dialogue, not distrust.
Let us consider C+ve a 'training site' for RESPONSIBLE protest and EFFECTIVE strategy - a departure from the chaos of bandhs and the noise of street slogans, all of which certainly have their time and place but all too often become a tale full of sound and fury signifying nothing....
I agree. It is precisely this spirit of responsible citizenship and respectful protest (taking civil disobedience to the information highway without inconveniencing the masses) that will send the message loud and clear to those who forget all too easily that democracy is government for, of, and by the Indian people. By moving satyagraha to the ... Read Moreworld wide web, resources can be instantly mobilized via vehicles such as C+ve that bridge the geographical gap. The rural and urban electorates should feel as one, finding their forum on the C+ve discussion boards. I am also optimistic enough to believe that, iif given a chance, the digital age will engage political opponents in dialogue, not distrust.
Let us consider C+ve a 'training site' for RESPONSIBLE protest and EFFECTIVE strategy - a departure from the chaos of bandhs and the noise of street slogans, all of which certainly have their time and place but all too often become a tale full of sound and fury signifying nothing
Dear Ranjan,
Even though I guess we might have some commonality in our politics, I find the logic of this one quite convoluted. The cellphone industry and any corporate worth their salt would know that all those behind Ram, Rahim or Jesus Senas of this world are nothing but subscribers to realpolitik. Such forces are of no threat to corporate interests - at best, they may pose occasional inconvenience to them, and that's it.
I am really surprised that you can still pursue your 'cellular satyagraha' model, even after Ram Sena chief has proclaimed publicly that they will go around hounding every boy and girl who dare to walk together on the streets on Feb 14th ((they have threatened to forcefully marry off any boy and girl seen together on the streets on 14th) . I would have thought the response to it should be to crowd the streets with young boys and girls asserting their right to self expression - through gestures, art, SMS, cards, human chain, whatever!
I guess my response to you comes from a disappointment that a brilliant idea like celluar silence day is now being applied illogically though with good intention.
Will be more than happy to be associated where we have greater agreement on issues.
Best wishes for your efforts.
Warm regards,
Tom
Hi,
Ranjan,I tend to agree with Tom. But there is no & will never be any doubt about the intention. U take a call. I, for one, will switch off the phone, if u ask me to.
Regards & Respects
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