Sunday, June 14, 2009

Creative Protests 2: Gandhigiri

In 2003, Indian film actor Sanjay Dutt (no stranger to the law himself) starred as Munnabhai MBBS, a small town lad in Mumbai who pretends to his parents to be a doctor but actually makes his living as a small-time thug or "goonda" practicing extortion, called "goondagiri".

The movie was a big hit, spawning a sequel in 2006 called Lage Raho Munnabhai

In order to win his lady love's heart, (and also beset by a talking apparition of Mahatma Gandhi) Munnabhai has now become an RJ preaching ..er.. "gandhigiri" as a substitute for "goondagiri".

It's a lot simpler if you watch the video.


"Gandhigiri" with its dual antecedents in violence ("Goondagiri") & non-violence ("Gandhiism") has gained prominence fast in India and across the world.

Observe:
+ A feast held for 20 befuddled foreign students in Punjab (as a way of protesting against racism in Australia)
+ A bouquet of roses for the health minister in Delhi (to protest inaction on a dengue epidemic)
+ and my favourite: Flowers for the USCIS (Immigration) Department in Washington DC (protesting delays in green card applications)

Quotes from the head of USCIS
"The public reaction to the July 2 announcement made it clear that the federal government's management of this process needs further review,"

Quotes from the feasted students:
Visibly confused but enjoying all the attention, Simin, president of the foreign students association here, said, "It's really a heartwarming thing done by the Indian students. I really liked the garlands. After today’s function, we feel safer and more secure in this city. We just hope the same treatment is reserved for Indians abroad."

"Visibly confused, but enjoying all the attention"? I bet.

Gandhigiri has potential to go global. A group of US Citizens trying to bring their fiances into the country sent a batch of chocolate kisses to the Vermont Service Center of the USCIS

Poor USCIS, but... hahahaha... I heart gandhigiri!

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

No comments:

Post a Comment