This outburst of rage at the India gate- is it a passing weekend revolution or a manifestation of a deeper anger and frustration with the administration?
I personally think that more than the particular horrific incidence of rape that took place, the profound anguish, angst and resentment is over the perceived sense of callousness and inaction from the political class and breakdown of the security and administrative system for the “common man”.
People are mad that the Police and government is only to serve the "rich" and the "powerful", and cares little of the "aam aadmi".
And the "Aam aadmi” here is the angry, agitated, aggrieved, aggressive urban and semi-urban middle class.
With its sense of empowerment born of economic prosperity and technological tools of internet, electronic media and social networking sites, the “Aam Aadmi” have decided that the time to defer to the non-performing political establishment is perhaps up and over. It is ready to confront the system.
Will the political class finally wake up to this "awakened" urban middle class reality?
It is also very important that sooner rather than later, this awakened middle class realizes that the tens of millions still outside the purview and privilege of being called "middle class" is also closely watching all that is happening and time is not far when they will feel empowered too.
So far the middle class has by and large kept itself disconnected from these teeming millions of Indians in the hinterlands, still by and large untouched with the economic prosperity and technological revolution.
Will it remain as insensitive, aloof and self-serving, caring only about its own class, with almost no engagement with the 80% of Indians subsisting on less than Rs 20 per day, as the political class exhibits its arrogance and dis-engagement with the city bred “Aam Aadmi”?
http://www.aajeevika.in/studies/understanding-poverty/1-arjun-sengupta-paper.pdf
When there is a similar outrage at the India gate and the Rajpath by smart English speaking college students and smart techies braving water canons and tear-gas shells, not only when a 23 year old Delhite medical student is gang-raped, but also when a poor 5 year old girl is brutally raped in some distant district of Bidar, we will know that this much required connect is happening.
But sadly, from all that it seems, we the “Aam Aadmi” are too self-obsessed with little time for those outside our social and economic class.
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-12-20/hyderabad/35933290_1_bidar-hulsoor-water-cannons
