The Right Time to Speak
MUKUL SARAL
The phone rings.
It’s from my daughter’s college—
“Please talk to your daughter.
She’s participating in protests.
Tell her this is not the right time
for such activities.
This is the time to study.”
..
I reply, “Yes, I will definitely speak to her.”
But I can’t help asking—
According to you,
what is the right time
to speak for one’s own rights
and the rights of others?
Are you ever able to speak up?
..
The call disconnects.
..
I recall the first notice
from the college
that arrived at our residence,
I had to explain to my daughter then:
“It’s your first year in college, be careful.”
Even in the third year, I had to say:
“It’s your final year now, stay cautious.
What if there’s action taken…
What if your result is withheld…
What if you’re sent to jail…”
..
My daughter wants to pursue a PhD.
Will I say the same then?
Most PhD scholars
are now under government scrutiny.
..
She wants to become a teacher.
Will I say the same then?
Teachers too
are often in the government’s target.
..
And I begin to wonder—
when the entire country
is in the government’s crosshairs,
how long will I keep saying—
“Be cautious.
This is not the right time to speak.”
..
Speaking is what I chose as a profession.
I am a journalist.
And now I am being told-
“Don’t speak.
If you want to keep your job-don’t speak.
If you want to stay alive-don’t speak.
If you want to raise your children-don’t speak.
And if you do speak-don’t speak the truth,
don’t ask questions…”
..
So I ask you-
When is the right moment to speak?
What time is it right to raise one’s voice?
..
Then it dawns on me-
This is the time to speak.
..
And I remember my own sher (verse):
..
“Sach kehne mein sar katne ka khatra hai
Chup rehne mein dam ghatne ka khatra hai”
(To speak the truth is to risk being beheaded,
To stay silent is to risk suffocating.)
..
This poem (originally in Hindi) is written by Mukul Saral, a journalist and the father of Com.Sakhi, unit secretary of SFI JMI, who was unjustly suspended by the JMI administration for protesting against the anti-student policies of the university. This poem was written immediately after he received a call from the HoD and later the police informing that his daughter has been participating in protests.