In recent days, a word has been restored to the vocabulary of Indian politics. That word is ‘resistance’. Whether resistance should be rendered in Hindi as pratirodh (resistance) or satyagraha (nonviolent resistance rooted in truth) is open to debate. The prefix prati can also carry negative connotations. But beyond that, there is something else — something deeply soothing.

What could possibly be soothing about resistance? The question is a legitimate one. Many episodes associated with resistance come to mind. There is resistance in Mirabai’s songs, in Andal’s verses, in Soyarabai’s abhangs, in Avagha Rang Ek Zala — but there is also love. After all, even today, the establishment is afraid of love, isn’t it? What greater form of resistance could there be than love?

When resistance emerges from the womb of lived reality, it transforms into a struggle for one’s rights. That is satyagraha. It is vaster than the idea of rights. And it is impossible without practice.

Resistance cannot be carried out through old methods alone. It is not a one-day programme. It is not a sensational news story. It is forged through years of blood, sweat and tears. And even then, something like Chauri Chaura can happen. At such a moment, the seeker of truth has to admit: we weren’t completely prepared. This preparation is itself a practice.

Over the past few years, we have encountered new practices of resistance. They were not discovered through deliberate search; rather, the wires simply kept connecting. These practices are not really new. They were not invented for the first time. They have begun to reappear on the political terrain.

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