Often when I have come
across this term sprawled on the walls of buildings and on roads in
Calcutta, I have always wondered what does it mean? “Brigade chalo” (Let's go to the brigade, crude translation!),
“Dharamtala chalo” (let's go to Dharamtala/ Esplanade)...but why go anywhere? What does it mean?
Invariably I have always tried to associate this term with the poem
“Charge of the Light Brigade” by Lord Alferd Tenneyson...to put
my confused mind at rest, I looked up the word 'brigade' in
Wikipedia, and this is what it said “A
brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically
composed of three to six battalions plus
supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or
reinforced regiment”....So where in Calcutta, can there be a
brigade? Somewhere near Fort Williams, Maidan? Again, Wikipedia
helped me to understand this vague idea of mine, “During
the British Raj white soldiers were stationed in Fort William. When
they came out on the Maidan for strolls, they used to kick Bengali
boys they found on the Maidan.” (Imagine that!)
Now, that we have understood where “Brigade” is, why
would some slogans entice us to go to “Dharamtala” (Esplanade),
“Dharamtala Chalo” (March to Esplanade)...is it because it's near
Maidan, that is a very silly reason so I won't elaborate on that
further!!!
The basic idea is to have a large gathering of people
somewhere either near Maidan or Esplanade and then have a political
leader give a speech, without going into the political side of the
story (besides I have never been to such parades, so I won't be able
to do much justice to the political implications of such gatherings).
Yet somehow, such slogans bring these lines from the poem to my mind,
“Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason
why,”
Isn't that what the crowd does these days? A mass of
people inflamed by some ideas, but whose, theirs or someone else's? I
am afraid it might be someone else's ideas these days...can a mass of
people or in other terms, a mob, think for themselves, is it even
feasible? How scary is it when a mob is influenced by the wrong
political or social ideas, very much indeed! It is such ideas that
lead to riots, mass violence and more appalling stuff! Then how is it
brave “not to make reply” and “not to question why”, how come
putting one's faith in someone blindly considered courageous and why
is this glorified?
"Freedom isn't free. It shouldn't be a bragging point that 'Oh, I don't get involved in politics,' as if that makes someone cleaner. No, that makes you derelict of duty in a republic. Liars and panderers in government would have a much harder time of it if so many people didn't insist on their right to remain ignorant and blindly agreeable" - Bill Maher
