Silent Protest

                         Silent Protest

 Write:Vijay Madan

Photo: Vijay Madan

Vijay, while on one of his early morning photography walks, came across a scene that stirred something deep within him. He was in a small town, where the sights and sounds of street performers still echoed with the old traditions. As he wandered through a dusty lane, his Nikon camera dangling from his neck, he noticed a familiar scene—a ‘madari’ with his monkey, trying to draw a small crowd.

The ‘madari’ beat his small drum with a rhythmic consistency, his rough voice calling out commands for the monkey to perform. The crowd, small but curious, gathered around, expecting to be entertained. But Vijay’s attention wasn’t on the ‘madari’ or the people. His eyes were drawn to the monkey, a small creature lying on the ground, his body chained to the drum, holding onto the metal clasp as if trying to resist its pull.

The monkey’s reluctance was palpable. He didn’t want to dance, didn’t want to obey the commands of the ‘madari’. His eyes reflected something deeper—an exhaustion, perhaps a yearning for freedom that Vijay felt in his own chest. The monkey pulled at the chain, its small hands clutching it with an almost human desperation, as if to say, “No more.” 

Vijay clicked the shutter. In that brief moment, the photo captured the contrast—the innocence of the creature and the crude reality of its imprisonment. The monkey’s soft brown eyes glanced at the camera for just a second, and Vijay felt an unspoken connection. It was not just a dance the monkey was resisting—it was the loss of its freedom, the forced rhythm that wasn’t its own.

As the ‘ madari’ continued to beat the drum louder, trying to coax a reluctant dance out of the creature, Vijay put his camera away. The image he had taken wasn’t just a photograph of a monkey; it was a symbol of resistance, of a creature's quiet defiance against a life it did not choose. Vijay walked away, leaving the scene behind, but the echo of the drum and the image of that reluctant dancer stayed with him, a reminder that even in the smallest beings, there is a desire for freedom.

This moment stayed with Vijay for a long time. Every time he looked at the photo, he remembered that sometimes, we all resist the rhythm imposed upon us, seeking a beat that is truly our own.

            अनसुना प्रतिरोध

विजय, अपनी सुबह की फोटोग्राफी वॉक पर, एक ऐसा दृश्य देखता है जो उसे अंदर तक झकझोरदेता है। वह एक छोटे से कस्बे में था, जहाँ अभी भी सड़क पर कलाकारों की पुरानी परंपराएँ जीवितथीं। धूल से भरी गली में चलते हुए, उसके गले में लटका उसका निकॉन कैमरा झूल रहा था, तभीउसकी नजर एक परिचित दृश्य पर पड़ी—एक मदारी और उसका बंदर, जो एक छोटी सी भीड़ कोआकर्षित करने की कोशिश कर रहे थे।

मदारी अपने छोटे से ढोल को एक लय में बजा रहा था, उसकी कर्कश आवाज बंदर को नाचने केआदेश दे रही थी। छोटी सी जिज्ञासु भीड़ इकट्ठी हो रही थी, मनोरंजन की उम्मीद में। लेकिन विजयकी नजर न मदारी पर थी और न भीड़ पर। उसकी आँखें बंदर पर ठहरी थीं, जो ज़मीन पर लेटा था, उसका शरीर ढोल से बंधी जंजीर से जकड़ा हुआ था, मानो वह उस खिंचाव का विरोध कर रहा हो।

बंदर की अनिच्छा स्पष्ट थी। वह नाचना नहीं चाहता था, मदारी के आदेश मानने को तैयार नहीं था।उसकी आँखों में एक थकान, एक आज़ादी की चाहत झलक रही थी, जिसे विजय ने अपने भीतर भीमहसूस किया। बंदर जंजीर को खींच रहा था, उसकी छोटी-छोटी उँगलियाँ उसे इंसानी हताशा केसाथ पकड़ रही थीं, जैसे वह कह रहा हो, "अब और नहीं।"

विजय ने शटर दबाया। उस छोटे से पल में, तस्वीर ने एक विरोधाभास को कैद कर लिया—उसमासूम प्राणी की निरीहता और उसकी बंदिश की कठोर सच्चाई। बंदर की मटमैली भूरी आँखें एकपल के लिए कैमरे की ओर देखती हैं, और विजय को एक बेजुबान जुड़ाव महसूस होता है। यहसिर्फ नाच का विरोध नहीं था—यह उसकी आज़ादी की चाह थी, वह मजबूर लय नहीं थी जो उसकीअपनी नहीं थी।

जब मदारी ढोल को और जोर से बजाने लगा, बंदर को नाचने के लिए मजबूर करने की कोशिशकरते हुए, विजय ने अपना कैमरा वापस रख लिया। उसने जो तस्वीर खींची थी, वह सिर्फ एक बंदरकी फोटो नहीं थी; वह प्रतिरोध का प्रतीक थी, एक प्राणी का अपनी ज़िंदगी के खिलाफ खामोशविद्रोह। विजय वहाँ से चला गया, उस दृश्य को पीछे छोड़ते हुए, लेकिन ढोल की गूंज और उसअनिच्छुक नर्तक की छवि उसके साथ रह गई, उसे याद दिलाने के लिए कि हर छोटे से छोटे जीव मेंभी आज़ादी की चाह होती है।

यह पल विजय के साथ लंबे समय तक बना रहा। हर बार जब उसने उस फोटो को देखा, तो उसेयाद आया कि कभी-कभी, हम सभी उस लय का विरोध करते हैं जो हम पर थोप दी जाती है, उसताल की तलाश करते हुए जो सच में हमारी अपनी होती है।