Hazare, Wangchuk & protest
History remembers many hunger strikes. But it does not remember them equally. Once Sonam Wangchuk was moved to hospital by police, following growing concern over his deteriorating health, the immediate debate centred on familiar political questions. Were his demands justified? Did govt respond appropriately? A more enduring question lies beneath these: why did one hunger strike capture the imagination of a nation, while another – equally sincere, equally courageous – remained confined largely to those who already sympathised with its cause? The answer has less to do with the justice of either cause than with the architecture of how each was perceived to begin. To be clear: whether one agrees with Hazare or Wangchuk is beside the point here.
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Views expressed above are the author’s own.
