Scores of people in Hyderabad, comprising of activists, students, NGOs, youth groups came together at Lamakan – a place in Hyderabad dedicated to the free-spirited people of Hyderabad, to commemorate the second anniversary of the Shaheen Bagh protests.
Nikhat Fatima | TwoCircles.net
HYDERABAD – The second anniversary of Shaheen Bagh protests, the historic peaceful protests that began in Delhi in December 2019 by women of the area demanding repeal of the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), was observed in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Scores of people in Hyderabad, comprising of activists, students, NGOs, youth groups came together at Lamakan – a place dedicated to the free-spirited people of Hyderabad, to commemorate the second anniversary of the Shaheen Bagh protest.
The majority of the people in the audience were those who had participated in the anti-CAA movement and had faced arrest by the police.
The anti-CAA protests were held to revive the spirit of the fight to save the Constitution of India by scraping the CAA, NPR and NRC Acts.
Over the last two years, opposition to these laws, which a wide section of India’s civil society believes to be discriminatory and which “goes against the democratic nature of the Constitution of India.”
The stage was set up replicating the tent erected at Shaheen Bagh with two senior citizens Khalida Parveen and Jasveen Jairath sitting on a cot symbolizing the Daadis (grandmoms) of Shaheen Bagh. These old women of Shaheen Bagh not only led the movement but also inspired the younger generation of the country.
At the event in Hyderabad, the welcome note began with a volley of questions posed by the convener of the event, Sarah Mathews about the discriminative Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). This set up the tempo of the event.
A video playing the Urdu poet Rahat Indori poetry’s was screened to the gathered people. His couplet, “Sabhi ka khoon shamil hai yahan ki mitti mein, kisi ke baap ka Hindustaan thodi hai,” was played and it met with a thunderous applause.
During the event, the poetry of Rabindranath Tagore like his ‘Where the Mind is Without Fear’ was also recited. Other poems which were recited included ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley, songs of resistance like Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s ‘Hum Dekhenge’ and Habib Jalib’s ‘Aise Dastoor ko Main Nahi Maanta.’ The recitations saw applause from the audience.
Another video clip compiled by Tajuddin showed the protests against CAA, the violence inflicted on the students of Jamia Milia, the poem ‘Sab Yaad Rakha Jayega’ by Amir Aziz, the protests of Hyderabad and the arrest of some women activists. The video refreshed the memory of the days of protests against CAA.
Student leaders spoke about the NRC in Assam and how it cost the lives of innocent people. The leaders talked about the unconstitutional nature of the Act, and hailed the heroic role played by the women of Shaheen Bagh who carried out a peaceful protest leaving their homes and making the protest site their home.
The speakers also talked about the strategy of the current government to exclude Muslims and relegate them as second class citizens, saying this “strategy has been the agenda of the forefathers of the Hindutva.”
The speakers said that the “anti-CAA movement was not just a Muslim issue but one that concerned everyone, especially the marginalized sections of the society such as Dalits and Adivasis.”
“The Shaheen Bagh protests is a landmark in the history of protests not just in India but throughout the world. Women in different states started to look up to the women of Shaheen Bagh and started following the same format of protest. The protestors of Shaheen Bagh braved all odds and faced hostility and even risked their lives,” Shiba Minai, an anti- CAA protestor said on the occasion.
Minai said that “the Shaheen Bagh movement also showed that as much as the world likes to underestimate Muslim women, especially in India, the Muslim women showed that they know how to fight for their rights.”
“I regret that in Hyderabad we could not have our own Shaheen Bagh,” she told TwoCircles.net.
A soulful rendition of the Preamble song ‘Ham log, We the people’ written by Vinay Charul had everyone’s attention. The song speaks about the dream of every Indian to live a life of peace and dignity.
The program concluded with a delightful surprise for the audience – a Qawali programme by Irshad Nizami’s troupe. The Qawals sang songs that spoke about revolution, fighting for peace, and harmony.
Khalida Parveen ended the event with a powerful vote of thanks saying that “this movement, which is a fight for justice, should be kept alive.”
She questioned the audience about their responsibility towards the youth who have been falsely accused and jailed for protesting peacefully. “The youth have emerged as leaders to fight for justice and when they have been arrested and kept in jails for long periods, it becomes the duty of the elders to fight for them and save them,” she said.
Recalling a time when women folk were confined indoors while the men went out to fight and protect the women, she said, “Today, things are different.”
She said women have to come out and fight. We, mothers, should become a shield for our children. Let the oppressors bullet go through us before it reaches our children,” she said, adding that, “Shaheen Bagh has taught us this lesson that women should lead the movement. And we will continue the fight till the laws are repealed”.