Standing Up Against Injustice

“Every act of rebellion expresses nostalgia for innocence and an appeal to the essence of being.”

                                      ― Albert Camus, the Rebel: An Essay on Man in Revolt

It is not a crime to speak your mind in a democracy, especially when it is something, which has been built upon the numerous sacrifices of sweat, sword & blood of our forefathers, who dreamt of better future for their generations to come, away from the jaws of slavery they could never escape. The British ruled India for 200 consecutive years and during all this time, the native Indians saw every atrocity which they even didn’t dream about. Slavery is never a pleasant feeling which could be enjoyed or talked about with great interests; rather it is a painful situation in which an individual curses his life. Henry David Thoreau says, “Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.” The world has seen many revolutionary who stood against injustice and brought about revolutions to change the course of history & map of the world itself.

There have been revolutions in world as early as in the 2^nd century BC, when Spartacus, one of the slave leaders who led a major revolt against the Roman Empire, in the Third Servile War. Spartacus has become symbolic of revolutionary leaders fighting oppression. Jesus Christ, the prophet of Christianity, taught a new message based on forgiveness. He challenged many of the prevailing religious and social orthodoxies of the day. Sri Aurobindo, an early Indian revolutionary, who was one of the earliest Indian politicians to pursue complete Indian independence for his country. After spending a year in prison on trial for revolutionary activities, he later retired from politics and became a spiritual philosopher and teacher. Mahatma Gandhi, whom we know as father of our nation, inspired a series of non-violent protests against British rule. His iconic protest against the salt tax, helped to raise the profile of Indian independence.

Standing against injustice has been a vital need of society & to let humanity survive and usher in an atmosphere of equality.  A man motivated by gandhian thought, & human values stood up against the injustice done to innocent people, who were left homeless & foodless post communal violence of 90’s across India, and was wronged up by the ruling government. He has spent his 21 precious years of life behind bars longing for justice. He did no crime, all he did was just an attempt to save humanity from getting stained in blood, and he just tried to awaken the masses, so as to bring about an immediate change in society, which could ensure justice and equality. He became a revolutionary in his own terms but has been captivated by the corrupt system for raising the voice against it. This revolutionary was Hari Singh, who is serving life sentence in a Delhi prison today and is awaiting justice for him. Do we have the courage to stand for justice?  Do we have the will to stand up against injustice? Do we have the heart which could feel the pain of revolutionary who is being harassed by a corrupt system? If yes, then we should be with this man, to get him & his family fair justice. Justice for Hari Singh.