The Game of Statues

Last week was a happening one for the country as a whole. It has been a week for trials and tribulations and everyone is antsy. Soon after BJPs ascension to the throne of Tripura, the statue of the communist leader Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (A.K.A. Lenin) was taken down, saying that the country will not support this “foreigner” or “terrorist of sorts” on its soil. The BJP also made a statement saying that the communist leaders should keep this statue in their headquarters and worship it.

This action received a widespread reaction from the different facets of our nation. There were supporters of this act who went on to say that they didn’t want communist statues on their “Bhartiya” soil. Some expressed their concerns about the way the statue was taken down. They were concerned about the kind of turmoil that may follow during the BJP’s reign in Tripura.

Now, we know the mentality of most Indians. If the north-east gets all the attention, we get insecure. So, the South raised its voice. The politician H. Raja - a member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly -  tweeted saying that EVR Periyar was up next in taking the fall. He later took down the post claiming that he had not authorized it and apologized, only a little too late. The damage had already been done.

That evening, 2 drunk party workers, one from BJP and the other from CPI, vandalized the statue of EVR Periyar in Vellore. The glasses were broken and missing and so was the nose. Apparently, this wasn’t enough either.

Up next was the Syama Prasad Mookerjee’s statue in Kolkata where the so-called assertive nationalists took to pouring black paint over the statue.

 The final blow for the week was our very own Bapu. Yup, you read it right. The statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Kerala was destroyed on the morning of the 8^th of this month. The perpetrator, this time unknown, ruined his glasses and threw stones at his garland and destroyed it. The statue of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar suffered a similar fate in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, where miscreants poured paint all over his bust.

Now, like most Indians who just want to know what’s going on, I got curious and followed this fall of statues to try and make some sense of it. Suffice to say, I’m still pretty confused. I decided to summarize this weird week for all. The country was on its edge because of a change of power in the most neglected corner of the nation. People weren’t in their right minds and made bad decisions. Many people suffered for the stupidity of the few. And honestly, we are glad that it’s all over and done with.

Sincerely Yours,

The Girl With A Quill.