Burning effigies is a part of culture

It could well become the defining feature of Indian culture. The effigy burning and protesting that is. The rest of the world is taking note of the speed and efficiency with which numbers run out on to the streets as the moral custodians of the country's culture.

Amazed by the likeness of the effigies to the "culprit" in question, what many are now beginning to wonder, is the diversity of the stockpile that the protesters have.

Indian politicians, Indian celebrities, Indian cricketers and the foreigner who is the Indian cricket coach, are all very well, but Richard Gere? Doubtless, it is the result of great foresight and preparation for any contingency, with many lessons to be learnt by crisis management teams.

Taking to the streets in protest was immortalised during the years of the Indian independence movement, but in recent years has dramatically increased in frequency, resulting in mockery of the act itself.

As for the effigies, it is still unclear as to when the first one was burnt in India, and why, although today they do make for splendid TV images, providing great comic relief.

Reservation row

Last year, when the reservation row was at its peak, with protests and effigy burning taking place across many cities, I happened to be at the site of one such rally. On either side of the road were the two camps - pro and anti.

To be honest, they weren't really doing anything, except sitting around. It was a hot Indian summer and there would be the occasional sudden outburst of slogan shouting, which would taper off into a whimper within a minute.

And then the TV cameras and reporters descended on the venue. The protesters still sat around, but it was clear that there had been a media sighting which resulted in some shuffles within the respective camps.

As the leaders of the two sides met mid-way, the cameras were tested and the reporters walked around to assess the situation.

At that point the leaders of the pro- and anti-stance walked up to a reporter of a major English-language news network and asked her, "What would you like us to do?". She looked puzzled. To which they said, "Tell us when you want us to start shouting. We can even burn effigies if you want."

Performance

As the cameras rolled, some youngsters whipped out combs to sort out their hair and then began their performance. The press on its part just watched, shrugged and filmed. Needless to say, few of those present knew anything about the issue they were protesting against.

It was apparent, as with most issues, that they were a mob completely manipulated by vested interests, who were not out for public grievances but personal glory.

Activism is still yet to mature in India. Right from ensuring that the newly anointed activists actually understand the causes they're representing to better organisation and more creative tools of communication, there is a long way to go.

It is unfortunate that armchair activism is on the rise and the chiffon-wearing celebrities cooing vague one-liners get more attention than the cotton-clad individuals, who have dedicated their entire lives to the lives of others.

However, all is not lost, as with a little bit of reinvention and a lot of innovation, the real people, who actually have credibility to their voice, might actually be heard.

Vinita Bharadwaj is an independent writer based in Dubai.