Jantar
Mantar in the heart of the inner circle of New Delhi is a historical site of
astronomical value. In those days it helped in keeping a watch on time and in
study of the movement of earth, sun and moon. Built by Sawai Raja Jai Singh
II of Jaipur in 1724, the observatory played a vital role in a period when
there were no wrist watches.
Today
Jantar Mantar is known not for the Samrat Yantra, the Mishr Yantra or the
Prakash Yantra, which were architectural and astronomical marvels, but for the
various Satyagrahas and sit-ins that are organized in the vicinity, just like
the famous “Hartali
Chowk” near Patna Secretariat.
Time
seem to have stopped at Jantar Mantar and for the scores of protestors for whom
the place has virtually become their second home. Some of these protests
such as the one led by Ex-Army men who demand OROP or by the farmers who sit in
protest against suicides seeking justice from the government with no success or
breakthrough is indeed heart-rending. It makes a mockery of "JAI JAWAN JAI
KISAAN" and of our commitment to the cause of Fauzi and Kisan. While the
Government waits for their patience to fizzle out, these protestors who have
spent years at high altitudes during their service career (Army-men) or out in
open fields (Farmers) do not blink, looking right into the eyes of the
Government-eyeball to eyeball- so much so that they even braved the lathis
of an insensitive government and yet maintained their peaceful protests in true
Gandhian way.
. 
Some of these protests such as the one for a
separate state of Gorkhaland for the Gorkhas are relatively new. Attendance of
protestors at such site is encouraging, though only time will tell for how long
they will be able to maintain the tempo.
The Cause
may be noble, not so noble and completely ignoble- yet the protestors do not
buzz from here. Just like protest by staunch followers of Asaram Bapu and
Rampal who too have been sitting in protest for years together, though the
attendance at these protest sites have fizzled out.
Just
as the safety valve helps release the pressure from the cooker, the Jantar
Mantar helps in gradual release of pressure as protests become milder with each passing month. No one pays attention to their grievance- real or
otherwise. While they all believe their protest is for a noble cause, the
press, the public and the successive governments think otherwise. This reduces
the significance of their cause significantly, so much so that the powers that
be pay virtually no attention to these protests. Yet this is an important
breeding ground for prospective leaders. Public figures such as Anna Hazare and
Kejriwal have risen to fame from this place. Hence prospective leaders still
spend time at this place which has become a sort of nursery, nurturing future
leaders of India. When this happens, the traffic is regulated much to the
discomfiture of the daily office commuters who view such protest as mere
political gimmick by novice leaders interested in their own political career
building.
