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COLUMN: Indian Protests by Guitarist of Indian Hardcore Band Death By Fungi

By on December 18, 2019

As the world continues to burn in all corners of the planet, we invited the guitarist, Vrishank Walia Menon, of Indian hardcore band Death By Fungi to give us his perspective of what’s been going on in India this past week.

Stand with solidarity with people all over the world fighting injustice.
Keep yourself aware.

What we’re seeing in India is the result of many years of disenfranchisement and disempowerment. More and more, social media and national rhetoric has been hijacked by the centrist party and the current extreme-right government to spread fake information and keep the people in the dark. It started with Kasheer and now Assam is blacked out and cut off from the world. I can’t tell you what’s happening on the ground but the fact that we don’t know is enough of an indicator of human rights violations. My friends of Kasheer and Assam have repeatedly told me that the situation is much worse within the states and information that diffuses out of the state is very controlled.

Do we as Indian citizens have no right to know?

While the nation is protesting CAA and NRC, the government went ahead and started the construction of camps for “illegals,” not that different from the chilling illegal immigrant encampments in the US. And let’s not pretend like we don’t know what this is a first step to. This government is obsessed with telling us what’s “Indian” and what’s not – Apparently all the Muslims I grew up with and chill with on a regular basis aren’t Indian but beating your wife and committing human rights atrocities are cool? FUCK that. I, as much as anyone else, have as much of a right to define whatever “Indian-ness” means and I chose to define it by the thousands of years of shared history between people of all religions and ethnicities. We must redefine the truth that is being shoved down our throats to make it based on actual truth and history. And in my city, Muslims and Hindus smoke the same shit.

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“I, as much as anyone else, have as much of a right to define whatever “Indian-ness” means and I chose to define it by the thousands of years of shared history between people of all religions and ethnicities.”

***

For the first time, the progressive and egalitarian voices of India are raising their voices and taking to the streets PEACEFULLY but have been met without nothing but police violence, disenfranchisement from their educational institutions and the contention of millions of complacent liberals. I do not think human rights are “un-Indian” as Amit Shah put it, I think our voices have been so disempowered that we have no reason but to voice it on the platform we have left – the streets.

If you are protesting, thank you for fighting the good fight! There are protests happening all over India and we have strength in numbers. I urge all the progressive thinking people to work their way out of their complacency and join the effort in whatever way possible. Many are scared of police violence and repression. I say that we have had so many years being afraid of speaking up for our nation that it came to the point that we were close to helpless. So now is the time to contribute in whatever way you can. If joining a demonstration isn’t for you, consider making art, spreading information RESPONSIBLY and the at the very least, don’t shit on those who do care. My solidarity to everyone.

Here is some info about an upcoming protest at this link and in the flyers below.

Here’s an article with updated info just released by BBC. Click HERE.

Check out Death By Fungi: https://www.facebook.com/deathbyfungi/

 

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