Putting toolkits in the right hands
Acouple of days back, when the Delhi Police had filed an FIR against the creator of the informational document, allegedly on charges of being part of an international conspiracy to defame the country, many in India learnt a new word – ‘toolkit’. This document, or ‘toolkit’ as it’s referred to, was declared by the Delhi Police as being ‘created by a pro-Khalistani Organisation ‘Poetic Justice Foundation’. Containing details of the cause, the social implications and impact of the Farm Bills, the toolkit came under scrutiny after it was tweeted by 18-year-old activist Greta Thunberg, who has chosen to espouse the ongoing farmers’ protests in India. By her admission, she explains that the content shared is “meant to enable anyone unfamiliar with the ongoing protests by farmers in India to better understand the situation and make decisions on how to support the farmers based on their analysis”. Following the FIR filed by the Delhi Police, many social workers and activists were quick to clarify that a toolkit is commonly used to explain a cause or social issue, outlining guidelines on how to address the topic. These approaches include online support, ways in which one can protest peacefully or donate or lend their support to a new or ongoing cause. It is also worth analysing that this toolkit may not be too different from terse instructions being given by IT cells of political parties where followers are told to amplify their issue of the day. Those directives, however, are not accompanied by explanations, context and don’t get into details of why one must ‘retweet’ or ‘share’. The seemingly orchestrated strategy of getting actors, celebrities, sports personalities and leaders to counter the farmers’ protest could also involve a toolkit of sorts, as Congress leaders in Maharashtra have asked for an investigation into whether those who tweeted their support were coerced into doing so, citing the identical use of words and hashtags. Maharashtra’s Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has promised to look into these allegations. If the Delhi Police do decide to pursue the case and prosecute the unnamed person who is being creating this now infamous toolkit that Greta tweeted, it has the uphill task of proving in international courts of law that the content in the document could be considered incendiary and powerful enough to cause social unrest. The key challenge in this would be the simple fact that the protests have been raging for months before any international personality got involved, with no signs of abating. Regardless of whose argument one chooses to support, what we are also witnessing is the tremendous power of social media as an agent of change. And when one thinks of the sheer number of issues that could use positive endorsement – like ending fear of vaccines, encouraging the public not to be reckless by not wearing masks, promoting less wastage, conserving resources – it seems like the Centre would do well to take a leaf out of Greta’s book and create many informative ‘toolkits’ that can be shared and amplified to jog the masses into spreading the right word.