People's Democracy

HUGE banners, hanging from the tree tops proclaimed it as "Violence-Free Zone". Another banner questioned "Why is there always Money for War, not Education?". Yet another declared "An Eye for an Eye Leaves the whole World Blind".

As one entered this "zone" one could see school children singing songs denouncing the US war on Afghanistan. One could also witness parodies being sung bringing out American imperialism’s true colours. Poems were recited expressing anguish over the trauma unleashed by this inhuman war. In between a skit was also staged on the Bush-bin Laden jugalbandi. Intellectuals were speaking out against the US strikes.

All this, and more happened during a sit-in demonstration against the US war, organised by Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) on October 20 at the V P House lawns in New Delhi.

Academics, artists, students, intellectuals, attended in large numbers to register their protest. On this occasion two anti-war posters designed by artists Parthiv Shah and Shamshad were released by film actresses Shabana Azmi and Sharmila Tagore. Later both of them recited poems against the war, written by famous personalities.

Professor Prabhat Patnaik of JNU, in a brief address, traced the US imperialist designs in waging this war against Afghanistan. He strongly opposed the war saying it would breed more terrorism while unleashing massive suffering on the impoverished people of Afghanistan. "What is needed now is a real global struggle against both terrorism and imperialism", said Prabhat Patnaik.

Renowned academic Zoya Hasan and senior journalist Praful Bidwai also spoke.

Among others who were present and performed were poets Gauhar Raza , Manglesh Dabral, Vinay Dubey, Javed Naqvi and Asad Zaidi, singers Manu Kohli, Vidya Shah, Rahul Ram and Susmit Bose.

Novelist and activist Arundhati Roy’s recent writing against the US war was read out to the gathering.

Theatre group Act-One performed a skit on this occasion while a choir group from Springdales School presented anti-war songs.

The six students who were arrested and charged with sedition by the Delhi police for distributing anti-war pamphlets in some colleges, presented themselves before an applauding audience. The right to oppose war will be defended no matter how so much oppression is unleashed was the symbolic significance of these students participation in the sit-in.