Gerald D'Cunha

“No, I didn’t see the red flags;  I saw their red blood which is the same as ours”. - Aditya Thackeray I repeat it once again, today: I have consciously decided to stay miles away from hardcore party- politics and the hardcore 'party-religions'. Like others around me, I, too, cast secretly my ballot to a political party or a candidate, who, I think is better. And, like all, I, too, follow a certain religious faith and keep my faith totally a matter of my personal choice. I have no business to impose my preference on even my own wife or son… Leave alone on people outside my home. So, the night before last, when I blogged about the farmers’ march from Nasik to Mumbai, I wasn’t guided by the Communist red-flags or any bias towards the ruling party. As I said, I have better things to do in life than waste on things like playing dirty politics.   Those who love to do it, let them do it… I am fine to keep my political or religious tastes pri...

S ome days ago, when I first saw the images of the Farmers’ March from Nasik to Mumbai, I was over-awed by its very idea… I knew it would be powerful… I knew it would make its impact, even though a large section of media, for its own reasons, chose to ignore it, down play it or even ridicule and condemn it… I knew, this: Nothing could stop an idea whose time had come!   To me, the poor farmers of drought-hit districts of Maharashtra are brave! Imagine walking a distance of 180 kilometers in the burning heat for six-seven days! Imagine the magnitude! What are their demands? Loan waiver and transfer of land to the tribals… Both these demands are genuine and they have been long-pending and not taken seriously by the authorities… Hence the March to Mumbai… As I write this, over thirty-five thousand of protesting farmers have camped themselves at the K.J. Somaiya grounds, barely 15 minutes away from where I live. The sky is their roof and the sta...