“Bro, I don’t give a shit about politics. I just wanna make music and films.”

For many years I have consciously tried to stay away from politics. It’s a complicated, dirty game and it does not resonate with me. What it does though, is that it affects me whether I like it or not. There have been recent events in our country that have made me feel more guilty about being ignorant about politics. I feel like as the middle class in today’s India, it is our responsibility to be aware of the situation of our country. I was talking to a friend of mine and we were discussing the amount of guilt we felt about not being involved and it was time for us to either change that behaviour or stay quiet for the rest of our lives.

Just to make things clear, I don’t have any political affiliations and I am not biased towards any particular party. I feel like they are all the same. They are all chasing power and superiority over one another. Anything goes in the world of politics and I don’t think I will ever completely understand it. But that doesn’t mean I should completely ignore it. It is my duty as a citizen of this nation to get information about matters that I don’t understand. One of the best ways for me has been talking to people who understand politics. They dumb it down for me and I also read a bunch of articles and question them about things that I don’t understand. This gives me a good perspective on the matter.

The recent passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act affected me deeply. Without getting into details about the entire situation I felt like I needed to voice my opinion about the situation and not stay quiet and ignore it like I used to in the past. But I didn’t want to be another keyboard warrior sitting at home and vomiting his opinion on social media. I wanted to be present physically and speak to people and understand things better. This made me take the decision of being part of the anti CAA & NRC protest that took place at August Kranti Maidan on the 19th of December. It felt good to meet like-minded people who resonated with your thoughts but I feel this is not enough. I’ve heard that there have been pro CAA & NRC protests going on in the city. I would like to go there and talk to people and understand what their views are about this entire situation. I feel like this step is important.

To anyone that gets repelled by politics, I feel you. It took me a long time to realize that I couldn’t afford to be ignorant any longer. Give it a shot because, in the end, the decisions made by our nation will directly affect us sooner or later. Speak to friends who are more politically inclined than you. Try and get their perspective but don’t get influenced by it. Either read about the opposing views or speak to people who don’t share your friend’s perspective and are willing to speak to you calmly about their views. Even if you don’t have an opinion about something, it is important to at least keep yourself informed. That is the least we can do.
Photo Credits: Aditya Sankhe.