Quest For Unity

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Quest for unity

(Kumari to Kashmir in the path of Bharath Jodo.)

Author:

Kirthi

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https://www.pustaka.co.in/home/author/kirthi

Table of Contents

About the Author

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

About the Author

The author of this book, Kirthika Tharan holds varied identities such as social activist, psychologist, healthy diet planner and a guide, women entrepreneur, women empowerment developer, religious harmony activist, progressive thinker and so on. Kirthi was born to Mr. Venkata Subramaniam and Mrs. Girija in a small village named Kollumangudi in Mayiladuthurai. She is presently residing in Bangalore. Being a nutrition psychologist, she is a founder of an organisation named Hepta sense, where she offers services as psychologist, dietician and ZENLP trainer, reforming many lives.

Kirthi is a well-known face of Tamil Nadu, very popular for her political views, analysis and ideas. She is very active on social media and visual medias. She has authored three books on psychology, health and fitness. Quest for Unity is her fourth book emphasizing her ideologies on Unity.

Translated By S K Subiksha

S K Subiksha was born and brought up in Chennai. She is a law student who equally loves language and literature. She has previously written many blogs and has published her poem in an anthology called Ink and Imagination. This book is an attempt to traverse through unventured waters by exploring her strength in translation.

Preface

Quest for Unity

The very title of the book conveys the need of the hour. This book is purely a work based on experiences gained through the travel and not a mere imagination. The book speaks about the journey of Rahul Gandhi to eradicate the feeling of hatred spread all over the country and to sow the seeds of unity and peace. Author of the book, Kirthika Tharan had been a part of the journey and it’s her vision about the whole journey.

Kirthika had travelled the path all the way from Kanyakumari to Kashmir which Rahul Gandhi had taken for the Bharat Jodo Yatra. She has met people whom he met earlier, interacted with them, and observed the results of his yatra amongst the public. She was keen to know the impact created by him all through this yatra, and so, she has taken her friends Kavitha and Nisha with her and started her journey from Kanyakumari in her car. Among the three, only Kirthi knew driving and she had bravely taken up the task of completing the trip driving all by herself. Its commendable of her friends for trusting her so much and being a constant pillar of support to her throughout the journey. The women trio successfully completed the trip.

What invoked interest in Kirthi on Rahul Gandhi’s political yatra? Kirthi, a homemaker, successful entrepreneur, a psychologist, is hardly connected to politics. It’s her genuine fear for the people of her country. The fear of people being misguided towards hatred through religionist political doctrines. She was constantly disturbed by the questions like Will this hatred ever stop? Will a leader rise to save the nation from this wide spread discrimination based on religion? she got her answer from the announcement made by Rahul Gandhi as Bharath Jodo Yatra. The movement seemed to be a sun breaking through stormy clouds bringing warmth and chill to a farmer’s heart.

The trip from Kanyakumari to Kashmir had given her a lot of insights. She experienced the diverse culture, traditions, languages, food habits across every state she travelled. The one ideology that never changed was Being Indian. She was overjoyed to see that the people in the places where Rahul Gandhi visited were transformed in to peace loving and unity seeking minds.

Travelling towards the Northern part of the country, Kirthi realized that people lacked political awareness. Especially women were scared to even discuss politics. Many Northern states showed displeasure over the ruling party. However, they weren’t vocal about their opinions fearing bizarre consequences. She registers this scary scenario as a question to democracy. During the journey, Kirthi mentions an incident where a youngster talks about casting his valuable vote based on his religious inclination. We should vote to this party because we are Hindus was his statement. This incident reveals the depth of religion-based politics inculcated in the young minds of the country.

Kirthi elaborates briefly about the mentality of the people and the impact over general public by Rahul Gandhi’s visit. Being a psychologist and feminist, she has a clear analysis of the scenarios and the book comes out as a documentational proof of the same. It is evident from her writing that the ignorance in people were more painful to her than the physical pain she suffered through the journey.

Quest for Unity is not just another travelogue, but a statistical analysis and a document that reflects the prevailing political scenario of the country. Every Indian must read this book. I extend my appreciation to her for the book. May Kirthi sour high with all her future endeavours.

Introduction

On the momentous day of the Tamil harvest festival, Pongal we decided to undertake the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which translates to The Unite India March. The idea was to retrace the path of this mass movement from Kanyakumari to Kashmir by car. Before I dive into this enthralling experience, let me answer a significant question. Why was I interested in this?

The Bhartiya Janata Party seemed like nothing more than a national party to me before demonetization. Vajpayee wasn’t involved in a rally like ‘Rath Yatra’. Only Advani seemed to be problematic. That was all I knew about BJP politics. Back then I remained unaware of the harsh communalistic background of BJP politics.

But slowly and steadily as I began to read more on this topic, I began to realise the true face of BJP, Hindutva, and the organisation behind it. At the same time, I keenly followed their rule over India.

Before I understood this, even I too was trapped in the illusion of a strong leader and a corruption-less rule. As I began to truly comprehend the danger this party posed, I began to notice a lot of serious issues.

If not this leader, then who? If not BJP then what? When I was in my quest to unravel the answers to these questions, I had completely lost faith in Congress.

A few years ago, my son who was yet to enter his teenage years had asked me, Have you listened to Rahul Gandhi’s speech? He speaks with such clarity. How can people call him Papu?

To make sense of what was happening I began to also follow and notice Rahul Gandhi’s actions. This was during a time when Congress’s presence was hardly felt in Tamil Nadu. As I listened to his speech, I found it to have a newfound spirit. His speeches were now trailblazing.

There was an announcement regarding the Bharat Jodo yatra. At that time, I had posted that if I had the opportunity, I would like to participate in the Bharat Jodo Yatra for the entire period of 150 days. And to my surprise, I got a call the very next day asking if I could come to Kanyakumari the following day. That is the wonder of nature. A good thought always bears fruit.

I started my journey to Kanyakumari. I was joined by Ms. Subhadra on this wonderful trip. We were able to meet a lot of people like Sangeetha, Sathya, Divya, Dinesh. Jothimani Mam who embodied simplicity was also present. I had the opportunity to speak with her and meet many other honourable personalities including Tutukudi Udayakumar who is well-known for his involvement in the Kudankulam protest.

After this, we resumed our journey to meet Rahul Gandhi. After the security check we were waiting in a room where we had the opportunity to meet respected leaders like Tamil Nadu Congress leader Mr. K.S. Azhagiri, Senior congress leaders like Mr. Jayaram Ramesh, Mr. Digvijaya Singh, Tamil Nadu Congress MLA K. Selvaperunthagai, Congress MP and Social Worker Ms. Jothimani Sennimalai. This meet was organised by Ms. Lakshmi Ramachandiran. Bidi (Hand rolled Tobacco) Workers Welfare Organisation’s leader, Anti-Alcohol protester, and House help union’s leader who has been working dedicatedly in this field for the past 20 years were also present there.

The group of us later met with Mr. Rahul Gandhi. Everyone had various concerns to raise. I had concerns regarding the problems faced by Women Entrepreneurs.

Even though Rahul Gandhi was well informed about these issues, I felt the need for someone from Tamil Nadu to give feedback. Therefore, I presented small feedback regarding other party pursuits, protests, notices, social media, and the silence of Congress. Soon others joined in to give their valuable feedback. Rahul Gandhi listened to everything calmly with an ever-present pleasant smile.

‘A good leader is a good listener’ and Rahul Gandhi embodied this attribute to its fullest.

The Sriperumbudur terrorist attack is a scar that will never heal from our hearts. I remember this very vividly because our van was moving towards Karnataka from Ooty on a holiday. My pregnant sister was aboard. Tamil Nadu vehicles were being destroyed. The violence left nothing but catastrophe in its wake. That day was a disarray of emotions. On one hand, there was the shock and despair of hearing about the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi. There was also the indescribable feeling of uncertainty, terror, and distress about being safe. Rahul Gandhi was a small child back then. I noticed his face on television. My heart wished for him to be safe, and that remains true to date.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra gave me a chance to meet a lot of people and through them, I learnt a lot more. On the way, to Kerala, I met a fisherwoman. I heard her weep, Oh dear! The lord was killed in the ploy of the traitors, leaving this lad an orphan. This poor lad walks these streets and my heart goes out for him dear!

And As I listened to her lament, I learnt something valuable. Those wails in Malayalam and tears of concern were some of the treasured assets this family has earned.

There was no media frenzy about this mass movement. The media which is well known for making a huge deal out of nothing maintained silence, even after it became clear that the Bharat Jodo Yatra was gaining momentum. This paradox baffled me. The North Indian media remained hidden throughout my entire journey.

At this point, it feels prudent to point out something. At a time when Congress had lost support in many states including Karnataka, at a time when the future of Congress seemed very bleak, our honourable Chief Minister M.K. Stalin proposed Rahul Gandhi as the alliance’s prime minister candidate. It now seems appropriate for CM M.K. Stalin to launch this movement by handing over the national flag to Mr. Rahul Gandhi. To think that this beautiful country’s transformation began in the Gandhi mandap of Kanyakumari with the support of our CM is a memorable moment for the people of Tamil Nadu.

The flag was the symbol of change, the journey was the start of many new beginnings. Amidst the backdrop of the scarlet sun gleaming behind the great poet Thiruvalluvar this momentous occasion saw a new beginning on that day, A beginning that began from the south. Red signifies a new revolution and the red glistened across every face there in the form of sunlight. The seeds of the new revolution bloomed red across every soul. I felt the truth of this statement as I heard Rahul Gandhi - the silent storm - who started from Kanyakumari speak with fervent passion among the crowds in Kashmir.

India begins from Kanyakumari and this book begins at that point when I met Rahul Gandhi on Congress’s invitation. The journey beyond is mesmerising. Join in to see this Yatra through the eyes of a spectator.

Chapter 1

Iobserved the widespread influence that Congress exercised. On one hand, there were former ministers, on the other hand, there were former as well as incumbent Chief Ministers and ministers casually walking side by side on the streets.

Usually, even if one minister comes to town, the town is in a frenzy. However, this time so many respected ministers and chief ministers under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi strode those streets with the simplicity of a common man. This simple fact never ceased to amaze me.

Despite the considerable security around him, Rahul Gandhi sat before me. For some reason, his eyes wandered across the place. Everyone but him was served tea, which I assume was because of the protocols given to him.

In times, when even a counsellor has minions under them, Rahul Gandhi sat with other politicians on an equal footing- exemplifying his simplicity and uniqueness. He was surrounded by local leaders, higher officials, and security guards but no personal assistants. The fact that he didn’t even have a PA with him was truly astonishing.

It was not easy to meet him. There was a lot of competition between people to meet him. That day he only met with people who were involved and concerned about public welfare. Tutukudi Udayakumar, Arunmozhi, and many others are living testimonies to this. Every word he spoke was truly impressive. I was amazed by the same.

Rahul Gandhi spoke less but listened carefully. I was perplexed when those around us told me that once Rahul Gandhi accepted a proposal, he made sure that it would be fulfilled. I wondered how was that possible. He was going to meet so many people with so many different concerns. How would he be able to remember everything? I later learnt that these concerns were documented, which will later sent to the Delhi office. From there these concerns would be addressed.

I came to notice a man in traditional clothes with a turban on his head and the Indian flag in his hand. He was the one who carried the national flag throughout the journey. He did it with such ebullience.

Later I got to meet a lot more people. I was introduced to Mr. Udayakumar. I also got to meet a North Indian who spoke for a long time. Subsequently, when I got to talk to him, he gave me his visiting card. The card revealed that he was a former union minister. I was awestruck. How was it that they were moving about so casually without any fuss made about it? Seeing the politicians, ministers, and others I realised that the hold congress held over India was widespread.

The security check was strenuous. They had us arrive in the morning and were then made to sit in a room with many others. The meetings were for a short period, a person got only five minutes. Lakshmi mam was involved in organising this.

Everyone started talking. Even though the meeting was supposed to be for only 25 minutes it extended to 40 minutes. Geetha mam who protests on behalf of house helpers spoke for their rights.

Ms. Subhadra spoke about inculcating awareness of ‘the ill effects of liquor’ as a part of the school curriculum. Rahul Gandhi replied that this could be implemented in congress-ruled states. Bidi / hand-rolled tobacco workers union leader Tara spoke for the political participation of women. Many others raised a myriad of concerns. Mythili Sundaram, a local leader was also present.

I spoke on the