Marina unseen-Jallikattu protest

When protest to conduct jallikattu came up in allanganallur, and the news of the subsequent protests in marina supporting those arrested was telecasted on kaanum pongal, I was so sure that it was just for that day, and people would disperse soon after the holidays were over. But, the youngsters in tamil nadu proved me absolutely wrong. With protests catching severity in the marina beach on the 4^th day, my family and I decided to pay a visit to the beach to join the protest and catch a glimpse and be part of the history. And what greeted us were sights of unity and humanity and of course tamil vigour. The smells of the sea greeted us in patinampakkam, with faint sounds of slogans in the distance. The entire roads to the beach were handled by youngsters who donned the role of traffic policers. As the sun set, it was painful to see the youngsters say “Sir, please switch off your headlights. The lights are making our eyes burn”. That is the only action they expected from us, as a gift for their selfless deed. As we advanced into the main areas of the beach, the chanting grew louder with various slogans from each side. There were rallies, songs, skits and many events going on at various places with the same motive. “We want jallikattu. Amend pca. Ban peta “. Only the ways of propagation were different. As the time for dinner grew near, the air was filled with aroma from all directions. No, it wasn’t a food fest. But I assure you, food here would definitely be better than anywhere else. Cause they were cooked with lots of love by random people or should I rather say ‘TAMILIAN’???? So many volunteers flooded the place with freshly cooked food for the protestors who were stationed at marina for 5 whole days.  Now, do days seriously matter when all you have to care about is the cause and nothing else? We know for sure that it doesn’t, as we have our tamilnadu brothers and sisters to take care of everything. And by everything, I literally mean everything. Let me tell you what I witnessed there. The e-toilets on the road adjoining the beach were stinking and the waste water from the toilets was flowing out on the road. Suddenly a few youngsters formed a human chain and requested the passers-by to walk on the sand away from the toilet. Quickly another group of youngsters brought in sacks of sand from the beach and started throwing it all over the flowing water and waste to cover up the stench. They were not civic workers to do this. They are all youth like us who believe that anything can be done for the protest to be a success and they were just proving it. Another remarkable thing was the absence of any stench of alcohol in the place. To all those who think that youth just know to drink and party hard, this was the perfect backlash. Yes, they may have partied hard on the same roads and sands during new-year, but once it comes to a cause, there is no stone left unturned. The light from the mobile phones at night was even brighter than the light house. The 2^nd longest beach in the world may have witnessed many events-new year eves, festivals, political meetings, funerals and even the tsunami. But nothing was as large as the protest now. Women and children and even unborn babies are totally safe in the midst of so many people. No chaos. No stampede. It is history in the making. And we TAMILIANS are creating it. Let’s not rest until justice has been served. Lets watch the bulls sprint out of the gates. No, not for 6 months. But forever. Until then, marina will be the same.

தமிழன் டா!!!