Gone are the days of the tyrant kings and their outraged subjects. Gone are the days when the despots ruled ruthlessly and the common people cursed their fates. Those rulers enjoyed all the good things of life and considered themselves to be destined to rule over others. Power was monopoly for them. Those ruled were deprived of the basic necessities of life. They were not even considered to be human beings. The common people were denied all pleasures and opportu nities. We learn from history how the power hungry rulers oppressed their own people when they demanded the minimum requirements of life.
But of late, things have started to take different shape. The common people have started to establish their rights to live and to enjoy like any other human being much to the displeasure to the ruling class. They feel that they have long been cheated and that God had not sent any one to rule. Democracy was preached by Pluto and Socrates about 2000 years back; but how many countries do actually preach it? The frustration of the oppressed and neglected classes has driven them to the point of no return. They have now woken up much to the discomfort of the ruling class. They have started asking for justice and want to be treated equally. Look at Africa and the other Latin American countries. After centuries of slavery and deprivation they have awakened and that has led to political as well as socio-economic independence in many cases. Even in India, the down trodden people have awakened slowly but steadily, to establish their rights in the society. Political parties like the Naxalites are the outcome of this movement. They are preach ing the farmers and poor peasants to snatch away everything from the affluent communities if necessary, by force. This may not be considered an isolated political extremism but a legitimate demand of socio-economic independence from the clutches of the ruling class.
Everywhere they are on the march and are up in arms. The sooner we accept their rights, the better it is for the country. In one of his poems, Rabindranath pronounced, "A day will come when we shall have to share our food with the people whom we are neglecting, thumiliating and insulting today." They have at last woken up and are up in arms to take revenge for the injustice done to them over the centuries. They have realized that mere persuation or pleading would bring them no justice. We cannot afford to wait any longer. Let us acknowledge their rights in our society. They are already on the march. Let us accept them as one of us before it is too late.
