The movement in India appears to take this language divide for granted. There are many like the security guard who do not have access to the Instagram stories of English-speaking, highly privileged influencers (which in it’s own way, may not be the worst thing). I’m referring largely to one strata of the India’s diverse society – the English-speaking, upper/middle class. The slogans and popular references employed in the recent strikes are largely monopolised by the English language, c atering to a mainstream understanding accessible to a rare few.
In today’s times, while social media may be the chosen instrument for activism and propaganda, there is an inevitable class and cultural divide when it comes to the fight for the environment – one which makes it very hard to pass on the message and take the fight forward.
This is not to highlight that she was ignorant of the cause – which, in our millennial thirst for ‘wokeness’ may not be an absurd possibility – but to showcase that she could not communicate the pressing issue in the language this situation required (Hindi, in this case). The person whom he addressed had been sloganeering a few moments ago, but she fumbled to express the basic agenda. What appeared to be an excellent initiative and righteous action in theory raised unsettling questions when seen with a critical lens on the ground.Ī security guard walked up to us during the march at Jantar Mantar, and asked one protester, “ Yeh morcha kis liye kar rahe ho aap log? (What are you guys marching for?)” A few weeks ago, the Global Climate Change Strike took the fight for climate awareness on to the streets of Delhi, and organisations like Fridays for Future started marching to mobilise the population against the silence of the government and policymakers on the environmental degradation of our planet.
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