College girls reach out to Park Circus women

JHINUK MAZUMDAR, TT, 31 Jan 2020, Calcutta: A group of girls from Lady Brabourne College recited a poem and played an instrument at Park Circus Maidan on Thursday evening, reminding adults that students "have come to the forefront" at a time when many adults are refraining from doing so.

A Muslim girl recited poetry, a Christian girl played the ukulele and a Hindu girl held the microphone for her friend, while hundreds of women sat listening to them on the ground, still soggy from the downpour in the morning.

"I don't know what has happened to the adults, no one wants to come to the forefront. But students are coming out. Students in the country and even in our state like in Jadavpur University, Presidency and many other rallies are leading from the front," said Nazreen Fatima, a second-year student of sociology.

Addressing the women surrounding her she told them, "It's a sacrifice that each one of you is making by keeping aside all your other chores and responsibilities at home to be here and fight for the rights. But this fight is not for power it is for the society… religion is a way of life but they (government) are using it to decimate us. But whether those in power come out with lathi, guns or a sword your weapon is non violence," she said, on a day that Gandhi was assassinated 72 years back.

The undergraduate girls said it was important to remind everyone of Gandhi's principle of non-violence and what better way to do so than register their protest through arts.

"Arts is a non-violent form of protest and a powerful one and today we are trying to remind people of Mahatma Gandhi and his principles through this peaceful resistance. We have used an art form also to communicate with these women and establish a bond with them," said Srijoni Das, a third-year student of history.

Some of them in the group of five were first-timers but some of them have come several times to join the sit-in with the hundreds of women.

The participation of the girls from Lady Brabourne College was significant because even as these students do not have the exposure to mainstream politics because of having an apolitical students' body, the response to the CAA and NRC by the students is political. Lady Brabourne College is one of the few institutions in Bengal where the students' union is an apolitical body and political parties have no say in the students' elections. But the students' response to the CAA agitation was significant because it was political.