Just Sarin

so the company (not D-company, but bharti) decided to provide some good entertainment for employees and family by showing Lage Raho Munna Bhai. definitely a great comedy film, with excellent reviews from everyone - and it still managed to exceed expectations.

i think this is perhaps one of the best ways to convey a social message - through laughter and tounge-in-cheek comedy. i'm sure more people would remember what's preached, though i doubt many will practice it any more than if they hadn't heard about gandhi's high thinking.

if you ask me, for non-violence to work, there needs to be a conscience that can be affected - and to such an extent that soothing the conscience will over ride the physical gains that otherwise would accrue.

in the case of the indian freedom struggle, the east india company was reigned in by the british common folk (through the parliament) - some of whom had begun to have ties with indian and in general who had nothing significant to gain personally from the continued plundering of the indian sub-continent.

if anyone is aware of a case where a single person - i.e. a dictator or king or ruler, has bowed down before a non-violence movement, i'd be more amenable to agreeing to such a hypothesis.

personally, if i had to gain from a situation where the other person were to react through peaceful opposition, i doubt i would give the man much regard. and i doubt that its worth much showing peaceful resistance to people in the Indian govt. who really don't care much except for how much they can take under the table, and back home as their black money.