Activism in India

I am of South Asian descent. My skin color and background have always been a conflicting part of my identity...So it made sense for me to examine activism and activist art in the South Asian subcontinent, to understand my people.

For two centuries, the English dominated my people. And during the first half of the 20th centrury, extreme civil unrest, civil disobedience and small battles became the only narratives the Indians knew. The Indians wanted the British out, and they did care about the cost. Hundreds of thousands of lives were lost, hundreds of thousands of people were left homeless...refugees in their own land. But it all worked. Eventually, the British caved. It may have involved economic factors as well, but the story told back home is that our passion and fight for freedom won us our land back.

In contemporary times, when social and national identities are at crossroads, when patriotism levels are at an alltime low, Rang De Basanti was produced. It's a film about a group of students, much like myself, who take up the fight for freedom. The film showcases the fight during the 1940's against the British, and juxtaposes it with the fight today against our own political powers. To me, Rang De Basanti (translated- Paint Me Yellow), is a commercial activist project.

Even if you haven't seen the film, a simple browse through of the film's website will relate it's activist spirit to you. The graffiti covered wall where the students hang out in the film is used as the background for the website. It has messages painted on it by the characters- things like "Inquilaab Zindabad" (translated- long live freedom), "nights are dark, days are darker" and "well, the rebel has arrived". These messages give off a sense of rebellion against the powers that dominate their lives.

In the next few days, I will upload a few images from the film and discuss motifs of rebellion and the acitivist spirit that is so popular in contemporary India.