ComMutiny, The youth collective has been working to bridge the gap between people in the quest for a better world through Samjho Toh Express – Friendship Beyond labels campaign. By Vijay S Kumar
People find it a bit difficult to internalise the fact that their mind has been trained to give conditioned answers to the questions in every day life. No matter what you read and what you think your subconscious, that has been stuffed with certain conditioned responses, arrests you from breaking free. We live in a country, where even talking about homosexuality is still considered as a taboo. People are forced to camouflage their identity pertaining to peer pressure. And once they come out, they are treated as odd ones.
Here is the relevance of ComMutiny, the youth collective that has been working on to bridge the gap between people in the quest for a better world through the Samjho Toh Express – Friendship Beyond labels campaign. Samjho Toh Express aims to create a world where we can break the barriers, where violence is just a term in textbooks and where there is no division based on colour, creed, caste or sex.
The name Samjho Toh Express sounds familiarIJ “Yes, it has been derived from the Samjhuta Express, the train that runs between India and Pakistan, but what it entails is a bit different”, said Bappaditya Mukherjee, the chief architect of the campaign. Almost every one who envisages something claims that it is unique, but Mukherjee rejected the argument saying “We had a goal, when we started, the change that I am talking about happened on its own and that is the beauty, and that is why this is nothing like what you have heard before.”
The video of the campaign that was circulating on youtube was an eye opener for many, especially the youth. The whole idea of creating a space where people from diverse backgrounds, irrespective of what they do and where they belong to, can come together, talk, become friends, exchange ideas, develop respect for each other as human beings and not as anyone else and throw away conditioned responses was striking. The video throws light on the interactions in the group and its pre requisites. It shows Anando Bhowmick, a dwarf man who is a little reluctant to talk to Honey, a transgender man, who was equally skeptical about his acceptance and how it ends up as an association based on mutual respect.
“Yes our concept forms the core of what we do, we divide it into three parts. The first part is Junction – the place where the journey starts, here people will meet from diverse backgrounds and learn to understand and respect each other. Then there is the second aspect called Track- here people can talk, discuss and possibly work together for a period of 30-40 days and finally we arrive at the Manzil, the final destination. Here, they share their experiences and tell others - to a wider audience, what they have learnt about other persons” says Saudamini Pandey who works with the group as project coordinator.
People from different parts of a state or a city can come and meet at a place fixed by ComMunity as per convenience of the participants. One wonders how such an initiative works, but for those who are in the group it is simple “We are connected to as many as 21 partners across 14 states, who organize these events locally” adds Pandey. “When we say cross border, it implies that we should cross the borders in our minds, we have to open ourselves to dialogues and see what happens rather than thinking of the other person as someone inferior. Such thinking would lead to conflicts, wrong perceptions and even to wars”, he says.
Talking about the impact the group has been able to create, Mukherjee says “We have been able to help a 100 people up till now, slowly we are venturing out into other mediums and I am sure that people will find the need to associate themselves with our platform in the days to come.”