JAI PRAKASH

The slogan ‘andhere main ek prakash… Jai Prakash’ (a light beams in the dark… Jai Prakash) echoed in the 1970s. The dark times referred to the authoritarian rule of then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi; which eventually led in the infamous declaration of a National Emergency. Constitutional and democratic rights were trampled upon and a dissenting media and protesting citizens were under severe attack.

It was in these dark times that Jai Prakash Narayan, popularly called JP, stood up as an inspirational loknayak (people’s leader). JP was born on 11 October, 1902. A bright student, he joined the freedom struggle. Equally influenced by Gandhi and Marx, he eventually moved towards the Gandhian principles of non-violence.

In 1954, JP dedicated his life to Vinoba Bhave’s Bhoodan (donating land to the Dalits) campaign. He gave up his land, set up an Ashram in Hazaribagh and worked towards uplifting his village. He gave up Rahneeti (polity of the state) to embrace Lokneeti (polity of the people). JP believed that Lokneeti should be non-partisan to build a consensus based, classless, participatory democracy. He became an important cog in the countrywide network of Gandhian Savodaya workers.

In 1974, he led the student’s movement in Bihar and transformed it into a larger people’s movement with a call for Sampoorna Kranti (Total Revolution). He became the pivot for the protest and overthrow of the draconian Emergency. While others crawled when asked to bend, or played indifferent, JP chose to take on the darkness by standing up to it!

His life is lesson to stand up to the larger challenges. He moved from the active politics to community work to a people’s movement. It is not enough to do community service. It will be better if we measure up to the greater challenges that constitute the larger picture for humankind… like JP did!

Let’s BE BETTER at taking on the dark doom…
Like JP, let’s stand up to chase away the gloom !

- Pravin K. Sabnis