ANDOLAN  

ANDOLAN
Protests & Movements of India

Shipra Agarwal | 20180125046

INTRODUCTION

Just half a century ago, scientists and philosophers would have seen social protests & social
movements as a gross intrusion of a democratic regime. It was only as the field of sociology
developed that the west started seeing how crucial are protests to a democracy and the transition
from autocratic to a democratic regime. India, however, has remained a land of dissents, debates
and inquiry. Right from the Sepoy Mutiny in 1857, to social movements like Satyagraha to
environmental protests such as the Chipko movement, India rebels. It is extremely difficult if not
impossible to travel away from plurality in most elements that has or is shaping our nation. Is it
this that enables the Indian democracy to surprisingly survive despite the high mortality we see
with respect to democracies for developing nations?
The purpose of this paper is to analysis social protests & movements in India and what space
they occupy in India, as we know it.

LITERATURE REVIEW

The literature analysed for understanding social protests and movements are search papers on the
iconic protests and movements as well as research papers from sociology journals on what
protests really means and their evolution.

Social Movements

Sociology journals highlight how it’s only recently that the relationship and how complex
systems such as religion and politics have been studied in tandem to decode social movements.
They also breakdown the inception of the words, define it’s elements while citing examples. An
example that is noticed being cited across literature is Gandhi and his impact on driving the
importance of social movements and probably even forming the present age of non-violent
petition-signing movements.

Protests through the Ages

A reading of history offers insights on how the various movements, protests, rebellions or by
whatever name they have been called through time happened and impacted.
ANALYSIS

Social protests are a simply a departure from the hegemonic structure by marginalised or
dissatisfied individuals. It is however, an ever-evolving element, changing with the
socio-political scenario or with the cultural shifts of the nation or community involved or today,
even the world at large. Social movements is a term that came about into usage only in the
1950’s by sociologists & political scientists. The term tries to differentiate itself from a riot
lasting for a few hours and focus on Hobsbawn’s study which describes it more in conjunction
with religious and political movements.

India experiences a mix of both protests and what we define now as social movements that
have often been seen as iconic to its own identity and throughout the world. Social movements
can seldom be divorced from globalisation processes. Whether it is modern day protest Farmer’s
March or the Dandi March of the 1930’s; we gather, we march, we protest – it is this, that binds
and divides India and can be seen as the ultimate paradox defining the socio-culture space and
the political elements of the nation.

Marriage of Religion & Politics in Protests

We begin with the ​Indian Mutiny of 1857​​ which was a simple uproar against the British by
Indians serving the British. What is documented in history as a military revolt was seen as a civil
disobedience movement when it happened by the then colonised nation. What however is to be
noticed that the movement was started by Hindu soldiers of the British army majory from the
Oudh and Bengal. So infact, it can be seen a ​religiously​​ guided rebellion, that went on to have
deep political and administrative ramifications and hence gets recorded as a political protest. It
was something as simple as religious sentiments for food – the use of beef and pork fat in rifle
cartridges – that led to the First War of Independence. Not the killing, depravation of access to
public spaces or even reclaiming their nation; a religious sentiment of the dominant religious
community of India is what it took to bind and bring out the supressed self-respect and need for
freedom.

India’s consumable violent tendencies were brought to a halt only by the Gandhian Era with
protests like the Civil Disobedience Movement commenced by the iconic Salt march. A civil
protest that is one of the most important stages in the anti-imperialist struggle. A marginalised
group demurring to get back what was now seen as understood as ‘rights.’
This marks a new stage in the ​andolaans ​that shaped India. A protest that was not guided by
religious sentiments, but the need for social, cultural and political rights. What is deeply
interesting is how it is this need for freedom and rights that possibly led to partition and created a
divide that guides the religious protests, riots and movements of even of present day India.
The mention of Gandhi brings us to ​Swadeshi Movements​​ – prominently in the era of Gandhi
and Satyagraha. This highlights some important elements of ​social movements ​– Who is moving?
Who is moved? What measures are adopted to achieve a collective goal? It is through the change
in answers to these questions that each protest shapes and affects the society in different forms.
Starting from leaders like Dadabhai Naroji traveling with Gandhi and his era to voicing against
obsolete technology during the licence-permit raj to the present day
liberalization-privatisation-globalisation paradigm; Swadeshi Movements and their evolution or
shifts as answers to above questions maps how dissenting changes goals, motivations and the
rubrics society.

Perils of The Environment

Forgotten between the banter of human relations in socio-political spaces are environmental
protests and movements. The ​Bishnoi Movement​​ founded in 1700 AD against deforestation in
the Rajasthan region; given the shape of a ‘movement’ by Amrita Devi and practiced through
non-violent protest only, Bishnoi today is a recognised a religious sect. The region is protected
by a legislation that exists even today. The most iconic environment protest remains the ​Chipko
Movement​​ of 1973; known for the involvement of women whose mention remains dormant as
“movers” it brought with it ​‘eco-feminism’
Further movements such as the Narmada Bachao movement which gained a lot of media traction
and political importance or The Their Dam Conflict; We see the amalgamation of politics,
religion and even elements of feminism taking form through simple protection of environment.
This is the power bestowed by the ‘rights’ commanded by the previous protests – Right to
freedom of speech & expression.
Here we come to see another element of social movement: what makes social movements
successful? More importantly, what makes one movement more successful than the other and
how do we measure this success?
One key role here, is of the mover itself as seen in the Bishnoi Movement whose mover was not
it’s founder but Amrita Devi; more important however is the concept defined as social theorists
as ​‘social mobilisation’​​ of resources in terms of arms, money and most importantly, people.

Rebellion or Freedom? Present day Scenario & The Digital Era

The Jan Lokpal Bill of 2011 and the Nirbhaya Movement of 2012 form the two most important
protests of the past decade in India. Both of the movements were non-violent protests
showcasing most elements of social movements passed on through the various dissents India saw
over the ages. Marginalised by seething corruption and pollical autonomy, the anti-corruption
movement experienced country-wide support from the masses much like the civil-disobedience
movement. The movement’s success can be measured through it’s mention as “The top 10 new
stories of 2011” by the Time Magazine; as well as it achieving it’s goal of getting a bill to the
parliament.

Role of Legislation

Article 19 of the Indian Constitution gives every citizen the ‘right to freedom of expression and
speech’ Any amount of freedom, does however ever become uncontrolled or unconditional.
Questionably so, how is it freedom then if it is itself bound by a rules? But such is the role of the
legislative system built through dissent from once existing system of chaos and no order. ​This
includes the right to form associations, hold meetings, and come out in processions. This right is
subject to certain regulations contained in a number of laws, such as the Indian Penal Code, the
Criminal Procedure Code, and the Police Act of 1861. These laws are give the government the
right to impose certain ​“reasonable restrictions”​​ on the right to assemble, if such assembly is
likely to lead to a disturbance in public peace and order or if it poses a threat to national
sovereignty. With this, the Constitution seeks a balance between the freedom of speech
guaranteed in Article 19 (1) (b) and social order as defined in Article 19 (3).​ The existence of
these laws in tandem and their functioning helps the Indian democracy survive.

Research Methodology

For the purpose of analysis of the topic of this paper various secondary sources were utilised. To
understand the context and meaning of social movements, etymology and it’s roots sociology
research papers were referred. For data and information on the topic in Indian context books,
newspaper articles, archives were read to understand the sequence of events. This was followed
by reading research papers that conducted primary research to understand the impact of the
events or protests. Multiple websites on Indian history were referred to gauge the guiding factors
for protests. YouTube and other social media platforms were referred for recent events, what
people have to say about them and what impact they have had on the community.

Conclusion

As I traced the various movements, however known to me they were, I noticed patterns and
evolution and how deeply these movements have affected aspects of the India I grew up and live
in. Defining the elements of a social movement as: 1) Who is the mover? 2) Who is being
moved? 3) What are the methods adopted? 4) How do we measure the resources and success?
This helps us understand the undertones, impact and even purpose of the protests. The sentiments
that governed them even if they are seen or interpreted differently now.

Most importantly is the understanding of how religious, political and environmental protests all
intertwine and, in the land, we live in, can never function or be interpreted in silos. It is this
understanding of how these elements merge that makes the complex systems of our society and
its present-day functioning. Decoding these helps us interpret the sentiments and thinking of
individuals and groups at large.

References

1. https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/a-brief-history-of-the-environmental-mo
vements-in-india-1518523870-1
2. https://www.thebetterindia.com/18248/most-powerful-social-citizens-movements-in-indi
a/
3. https://nptel.ac.in/courses/109103023/download/Lecture%2029.pdf
4. https://www.orfonline.org/research/dealing-with-violent-civil-protests-in-india/
5. http://www.academia.edu/18697228/Mutiny_or_Revolution_The_Consequences_of_Eve
nts_in_India_in_1857
6. https://www.jstor.org/stable/2645699?Search=yes&resultItemClick=true&searchText=pr
otests&searchText=in&searchText=india&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3F
group%3Dnone%26amp%3Bfc%3Doff%26amp%3Bed%3D%26amp%3BsearchType%3
DfacetSearch%26amp%3Bwc%3Don%26amp%3BQuery%3Dprotests%2Bin%2Bindia%
26amp%3Bsd%3D%26amp%3Bacc%3Don%26amp%3Bfacet_journal%3Dam91cm5hb
A%253D%253D%26amp%3Bpage%3D1&seq=9#metadata_info_tab_contents
7. https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/can-the-state-restrict-a-citizens-right-to-prot
est/280083
8. https://nptel.ac.in/courses/109103023/download/Lecture%2029.pdf