The first thing I was up to today morning was to try and
reach Lena Kumar (a friend of my Tirunelveli days) and find out whether he is
alright. Lena Kumar is with the May 17 Movement (I have my own reservations
about the outfit. But ain’t we a democracy? Not bothered either about two different opinions prevailing among mainstream media; one section labeling it an 'extremist outfit' while the other claim May 17 is working for the intelligence unit...)
Because the May 17 activists were arrested by the police at Marina on Sunday evening when they tried to hold a candle-light vigil to commemorate the killing of innocent Tamil population by Sri Lankan government during the civil war. I wanted to find out whether Lena Kumar is alright. The first time I tried I couldn’t reach him. I was almost sure he was arrested (This was not the first time he was going to jail) But after sometime I got `engagement tone’ on his cellphone. I tried at least twice, again; ‘engagement tone.’ He called me after sometime. I was relieved when he said he was not arrested because he stayed out to take care of procedures such as applying for bail for his friends, arrested by the police. He said he was in Chennai. I’m mentally tired and didn’t wish to see him now. He too, I thought, would be busy with his works. I told him, “if people like you get arrested we are least bothered, whether you get bail or languish in prison…All that we (media) were concerned about at the moment are trivialities such as whether or not Rajinikanth will enter politics, and what politicians have to say about it, because it is what sells and what excites us, we call this ‘positive stories.’ We’re not bothered about the people (downtrodden). Majority of us, like always, stand by authority and the influential. We dance to their tunes. How entertaining, you see!!!
Because the May 17 activists were arrested by the police at Marina on Sunday evening when they tried to hold a candle-light vigil to commemorate the killing of innocent Tamil population by Sri Lankan government during the civil war. I wanted to find out whether Lena Kumar is alright. The first time I tried I couldn’t reach him. I was almost sure he was arrested (This was not the first time he was going to jail) But after sometime I got `engagement tone’ on his cellphone. I tried at least twice, again; ‘engagement tone.’ He called me after sometime. I was relieved when he said he was not arrested because he stayed out to take care of procedures such as applying for bail for his friends, arrested by the police. He said he was in Chennai. I’m mentally tired and didn’t wish to see him now. He too, I thought, would be busy with his works. I told him, “if people like you get arrested we are least bothered, whether you get bail or languish in prison…All that we (media) were concerned about at the moment are trivialities such as whether or not Rajinikanth will enter politics, and what politicians have to say about it, because it is what sells and what excites us, we call this ‘positive stories.’ We’re not bothered about the people (downtrodden). Majority of us, like always, stand by authority and the influential. We dance to their tunes. How entertaining, you see!!!
May 22, 2017 (10.30 a.m.)
