A year ago, in September 2014, the Jadavpur University protests or the Hok Kolorob movement as it is popularly known, captured the imagination of the students. The protest, not just in the university campus but also in the streets of Kolkata, manifested itself in a number of ways — singing, dancing, posters, graffiti, poems, songs, slogans, street plays and performances. In a world where the constant factor seems to be changing, it is now no longer a jolt to the senses to be confronted with a full-scale revolution, or at least, in a smaller measure, with protest. As a resident of the capital city, one does not have to look beyond one's own backyard really. Whether it is for saving the environment, or against corruption, or against rape, protests which begin with a few voices and then grow into movements, are an almost everyday reality.
Amidst the din of analysis that fills newspapers, news channels, academic institutions, homes, and every place conceivable, what fascinates one are the symbols of protest that mark these movements. And that permeates almost seamlessly into the monotony of our daily life. Often this writer is tempted to ask a passerby, wearing a tee bearing the face of Che Guevara, whether he/she has any idea who this familiar face isIJ It is iconic, but does the wearer know what the icon stands forIJ Students participate in umpteen protest marches chanting ‘Ho! Ho! Ho Chi Minh, we shall fight, we shall win’ which certainly sends the adrenaline flowing through their veins, but undoubtedly, there are at least a few who are a little confused about the identity of Ho Chi Minh. Symbols and icons do that: They help one to rise above ones ignorance and become a part of a collective with an ideological goal that gives it an identity. By sporting or supporting a symbol, you almost become one with it; like the symbol, you too stand for something. Thus symbols are empowering and alluring. They can, of course be dangerous as they can be misleading. That they are hugely significant, highly contentious and play an undeniable role in creating and sustaining movements, makes symbols of protest valuable subjects for analysis.
A domain where protest plays a significant role is agit prop (agitational propaganda) and it is the one kind of protest where symbols abound. Harold lasswell speaks about the propaganda as being “the management of collective attitudes by the manipulation of significant symbols” and historian, Oliver Thomson in the 1990s, described it as “the use of communication skills to achieve attitudinal or behavioural changes among one group by another”. A common conception defines agit prop by its most obvious manifestations — the exercise of violent lung power by masses of people, generally in the public square, armed with pamphlets and vicious slogans. While this vision is not completely untrue, it is only a partial vision as agit prop experts employ a range of symbols, ideas and activities to influence thoughts, attitudes, opinions and actions of various audiences — including such disparate modes of communication and human interaction as educational and cultural exchanges, books and scholarly publications, the adoption of slogans and buzzwords, monuments and museums, spectacle and media events, Press releases, policy initiatives and person-to-person contacts. In the theatre of agit prop, such as street performances, ample use is made of symbols, be it the musical instruments to hail the audience with or the masks and other basic props as well as banners and slogans.
The social and political impact of the counter cultural movement of the hippies in the US of the 1960s cannot be denied. While many attribute this success to the values attached to the hippy movement such as their anti-war sentiments or their care for the environment or opposition of middle class values, it would be a slightly lopsided point of view. For such values were propagated and practiced by people long before the hippie movement started. Actually, what made the hippie movement so attractive to the youth not just in the US but across the world, was the paraphernalia accompanying the hippie movement: The hip and exotic trends, the music and lifestyle, the new fashion that was created and the focus on art and culture, all lent the hippy movement its distinctive identity and made it one of the strongest social and counter cultural revolutions in history.
Contemporary revolutions such as the Egyptian revolution, the sudden trend towards a man who appeared no less than a Mahatma in public perception and in whose name the movement still survives (very dimly), Anna Hazare, underline the effective use of symbols in such movements. There was more to Egypt's revolution than political change reflected in the blossoming of its artistic scene, in everything from revolutionary graffiti to poetry, cinema, and literature. The revolution generated a great outpouring of artistic energy that took many shapes outside the rallies and protests; artists in Egypt launched online magazines and new publishing ventures, put up photo exhibitions in subway stations, and held open-mic nights.
In India, Anna Hazare didn't just herald a movement that was welcomed by the man on the streets but he also became an iconic figure. Simbian Anna was the operating system of a smart phone launched by Nokia; brands such as Tantra and Inkfruit sold merchandise such as tee shirts, caps and bags that sported the Anna look. Anna Gandhi caps, badges, masks, wristbands and headbands were popular in the days when the movement was at its peak. Free online games such as Angry Anna were created. There were barbers that offered Anna haircuts too! Small wonder that management institutes such as the Delhi's Faculty of Management Studies, deliberated on how Anna became ‘brand Anna' and thus a brilliant marketing strategy!
The most effective use of symbols of course can be traced to the Nazi movement. Even though the power of Nazism was ultimately the power of an Army, the creation of that power was accomplished in no small measure by the use of symbols. Hitler himself became an icon, the embodiment of two of the primary symbols of the the Nazi movement, the swastika armband which was seen in the Nazi uniform for example and the Nazi salute. He devoted much attention to the creation of the national socialist symbols. He chose red for the Nazi flag because he said it was the ‘most inciting colour' and later the red of the flag came to represent the sacrificial blood of the martyrs of the movement and was called blood flag.
Mass rallies were crucial for Hitler both to attract followers during the struggle for power and later in reinforcing his hold on power. He built loyalties by constantly commemorating the war dead; hence March 16, remembrance day for mourning the dead of the First World War was transformed into heroes remembrance day associated with the rebirth of the German Army and the glorification of the military. Yes, one is not comfortable with anything associated with the Nazi movement, but one simply cannot ignore their strategic use of symbols. Anybody who has been to the Wagah border will comprehend the tremendous impact of symbolism where the grand spectacle put up by the border guards, their display of aggression in full regalia reminds the audience of the conflict that still persists between the two nations. One wonders if changing the symbols might lead to peace.
(The author teaches in the Department of English at Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi)