Why I have a problem with #9baje9minutes

At the behest of her Prime Minister, India recently participated in a community activity of lighting a candle or a diya for 9 minutes at 9 PM on the 5th of April. This is part of a wider effort towards preventing the spread of the Coronavirus -- such communal activities are intended to maintain citizen compliance of the national lockdown in a harmonious way. Despite the use of diyas, I do not mean "communal" in a negative sense here. I mean it in the sense of an activity which unites people and brings them together in a shared quest. Activities that reinforce the strength of a community (the sum is greater than the parts!) are helpful in times of social isolation.

My problem is not with the lighting of a candle or a diya

I do not have a problem with anyone lighting a candle or a diya. It is your candle or diya, you light it with your own matchsticks and in your own homes. It is hardly a matter of cost, I would not mind if you lit my candles or diyas with my matchsticks in my home too. There is nothing uncomfortable about an individual performing this activity, or any activity done purely to find joy.

My problem is also not in lighting candles or diyas as a community activity

The Italians have been singing from their balconies, when the statistics clearly show they don't have reasons to celebrate. It is precisely when the hour is darkest that people need to be reminded what joy feels like. If tomorrow the Prime Minister does announce a rangoli competition (as has been proposed satirically on social media), it wouldn't be this aspect of the announcement that would irk me.

Just for the record, I am also okay with the use of Hindu references. About 80% of Indians identify as Hindus. It would be great if there were other activities that were more familiar (and hence provided more comfort) to other communities, but an 80% rate is a start. No issues there.

My problem is when communal solidarity is offered

as a substitute for transparent governance

That the poor and destitute Indians resort to lighting candles as a sign of hope is understandable -- because to them, hope is truly the only thing that is keeping them going. My problem is when the rest of us -- the ones suffering not by hunger or contagion but by the less uncomfortable maladies of mental and emotional fatigue -- are willing to accept such suggestions in place of transparent governance. That the uneducated do not understand the mechanisms of governance, and hence need not be burdened with details, is acceptable. That the educated do not demand more clarity is deeply disappointing. We made our peace with the vulnerability of our frontline medical personnel by drowning their pleas for protective gear in the exuberant empathy of our pot-clanging. I suppose we will also normalize the darkness of rural India's future by blinding ourselves with our candles and diyas.

My problem is the cheapening of the idea of "citizen contributions"

Our generosity in making peace with others’ plight is well rewarded by discounted certifications of patriotism by those we don’t question anymore. We bang pots and we light candles and we pat ourselves on our backs for making our contributions. And since we are happy to receive appreciation for our own hollow efforts, it is only fair that we reciprocate in kind. After all, who wouldn't forget about the survival of millions of their brothers and sisters, if the Prime Minister of the country seemed to be so concerned about their mental health instead? The charm is captivating; we revel in the attention, we stand ready to return it when needed.

It used to take much more than blind loyalty to contribute to the nation. I'm not even interested in broaching the distinction between loyalty to the Government and loyalty to the nation; you are free to take this as you please. Being informed was certainly the very minimum one required to feel better about oneself. Asking questions about people's problems and Government's solutions used to be another. Questioning the efficacy of those solutions, with the possibility of offering improvements to the Government used to define civil ambition. Today, the hallmark of an adarsh citizen is that he does not question the Government, lest it disturbs them from their deep cogitations. The adarsh citizen also proves his support by discouraging others from questioning.

The prosperous will see the end of their plight with the end of the pandemic. There are many with the luxury of such patience and such faith. The ones with the emptiest stomachs will perish, irrespective of the size of their hearts. They can be posthumously celebrated as paradigms of patriotic selflessness. Governance in the largest democracy in the world has been reduced to spectacles of symbolism.

It no longer unsettles us that some of our democratically elected leaders do not answer us. It is okay because we no longer answer to being informed and responsible citizens in a democracy anyway. The Prime Minister gives no real answers in his speeches, his Mann ki Baat has long replaced any Mudde ki Baat in the country. It is okay because we no longer have any questions. Ambiguous assurances are welcomed by an incurious citizenry. It is a win-win after all.

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“It had become usual to give Napoleon the Credit for every successful achievement and every stroke of good fortune. You would often hear one hen remark to another, “Under the guidance of our leader, Comrade Napoleon, I have laid five eggs in six days” or two cows, enjoying a drink at the pool, would exclaim, “thanks to the leadership of Comrade Napoleon, how excellent this water tastes!”...”

-George Orwell, in Animal Farm

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