Credit: DH Illustration
On a daily basis, we see injustice happening to people all around us, though it might be on a smaller scale. Let us be true to our hearts! Do we really care to raise our voices against injustice wherever we encounter it? In this fast-paced world, we overlook wrongdoings and move ahead with the notion that protecting ourselves against injustice is a mere waste of time.
To be honest, we are afraid that raising our voices to defend against unlawfulness would create unnecessary hassles in our daily routine. So, we tend to look over unjustness and move ahead with our lives.
Here is a true-life incident about our renowned national leader, Bal Gangadar Tilak, who, even at a tender age, stood up to injustice happening to him.
Here goes the story. When Bal Gangadar was doing his primary schooling in Ratnagiri, he had an experience that made him stand out of the ordinary. One afternoon, after the recess break was over, the teacher happened to find peanut shells scattered on the floor of the classroom.
This enraged the teacher, who shouted at the class to find out the culprit. When there was no response from the students, he threatened to give each one of them a nice spanking if the child who committed the mistake did not step forward. When there was still no response from the children, he decided to cane each one of them.
Everyone was meekly subdued to the punishment except our national hero. Bal Gangadar Tilak refused to accept the punishment, as he had not committed the mistake. He rightly pointed out why he should undergo the punishment when he was never involved in the wrongdoing.
This made the teacher uncomfortable about giving the children further punishment. Though Tilak was chucked out of the school for raising his voice, his father came in support of him, and he was re-admitted to the school.
No doubt, this unique quality of the child—to stand up for himself—led him to great heights. This small anecdote about Bal Gangadar Tilak is a perfect example of raising a voice against injustice, however small it may be.
As Martin Luther King rightly quoted, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
Let us give it some thought!