Letters: Test ahead for Sharmila

With reference to Geetanjali Krishna's Lunch with BS interview of Irom Sharmila, "Living fully, after a break" (August 27), her 16 years of fasting is reminiscent of Mahatma Gandhi's methods. A comparison can be made of her decision to end the fast with Gandhi's decisions to call off struggles during the Independence movement viz, after the Anti-Rowlatt protests, Non-Cooperation Movement and Civil Disobedience Movement.

Historian Bipan Chandra referred to this long-term strategy of our Independence struggle as "struggle-truce-struggle". Phases of mass-based demonstrative struggle were followed by "passive" phases of political work. Like Sharmila now, Gandhi, too, faced the ire of his supporters and colleagues.

However, during the phase of political work, Gandhi warned those entering councils to not get co-opted by the very system we have waged a struggle against. Sharmila will now have to face a similar test.

Sachin V K Jadhav, Washim

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