A lot of rage, a little Rang De
May 24, 10.30 pm: Fortitude
From young men, I turn to five young women -- undergraduates from Lady Hardinge Medical College in Delhi. They refuse to give me their names, and don't want to be photographed either. And, while the men assumed there were no leaders, these ladies disagree. "It is the leaders of the Youth for Equality movement who inspired us," they say. "They told us the truth about reservations, and it angered us."
Of the five, two have been on hunger strike for 4 days now. Their parents aren't upset about their being here, but are concerned about their safety. "We are prepared to carry on," says one. "We aren't getting anything out of it. Half of us don't even intend to stay on in the country. But, if this fight were fought earlier, we wouldn't have been here. This isn't about us. The fight has to start -- that is important."
Their jaws are set tight when they tell me they intend to stick it out. "Why not?" one asks me. "Remember Darwin's principle of the survival of the fittest? That's how it must be. We are professionals. The question of reservations shouldn't arise. If you practice, you improve your skills and move forward. It's that simple."
Also See: The Next Partition of India