BENGALURU :“Hey Ram!”T these were the last two words uttered by Mahatma Gandhi before he took his last breath. Using these words as their slogan, Gram Seva Sangh has launched a series of protests against two things - one is for the strengthening of the Gram Swaraj, which includes steps towards improving rural economy; and the second is to fight the Goods and Services Tax (GST) imposed on handmade goods.
In a call to introspect and find non-violent means of ‘countering authoritative pollution of religion, culture and environment’, ‘Hey Ram: A Multi Lingual Cultural Evening’ has been organised as part of the movement. Abhilasha CA, secretary, Gram Seva Sangh, says, “This cultural evening is a continuation of our earlier struggle. We have been protesting against GST, taxation on handmade products and the poor situation of rural economy.”
Cultural evening, sign of protest
Earlier too, as part of the tax denial satyagraha, they staged a play and did not charge GST on the tickets. Musical Thayavva was produced and directed by Prasanna as a sign of protest, highlighting the need to protect handmade goods. For this event too, there will be no tax charged on the tickets. As Prasanna puts it, “Any ticket above ` 250 has to be taxed, but we have declared we won’t tax them and are even ready to be arrested for that. This event is a protest of sorts against the imposition of GST on handmade products. It is also about keeping the country together on a moderate agenda.”
The group welcomed the move of imposing a zero per cent tax slab on 29 handmade goods, which was announced four months back. However, the lack of any action on the same gave way to a renewed agitation - Hey Ram. Like the Town Hall protest held in May, they say, “There will be more such protests.”The message of Hey Ram will be presented through this cultural event. Poets, singers and artists have been invited, and among them is Vasu Dixit, a vocalist, songwriter from Folk-fusion band Swarathma. He will be performing Kabir’s songs at the event. Keeping in line with the intention of the event, Dixit says, “A movement is needed when there is a need to exercise our freedom of speech and expression. Without really creating any major damage, in a peaceful way, music and art become bridges between people.”
Taking a ‘moderate’ political stance
Theatre personality and activist Prasanna has been at the forefront of this agitation, and has been mentoring the movement. He says the use of ‘Hey Ram’ is a response to other religious slogans being used widely by different groups. “Gram Seva Sangh stands for two things: Gram Swaraj, which means strengthening the handmade industry. And on the social and economic front, we want the Gram Swaraj to be strengthened. “