Some Thoughts on Activism
This article was first published in the print edition of Manushi Journal. (Issue-85, Nov-Dec 1994)
Today there is widespread dissatisfaction with the way things are run in our country. Among other things, we are dissatisfied with our government, our economy, our educational institutions, our public health system, the bureaucracy, the police, and the judiciary, as well as the way we have ordered our family structures and social relations. Because of this disgruntlement there has emerged a whole range of social and political activists who have taken it upon them- selves to change things for the better.
Some have confined themselves to dealing with specific issues such as the environment, law reform, or helping disadvantaged people — whether tribals, landless poor, or slum dwellers. Some, like me, find it hard to stay confined to specific groups or issues (though I find I spend more time on some areas of concern than others) and would like to bring far-reaching changes that will make our society more just and humane for all, and not just improve things for this or that section of the population…