A section of Mumbai residents decided to take to the streets on Sunday in order to participate in the “March for our lives” movement:
People take out #MarchForOurLives in Mumbai. pic.twitter.com/1AHNxAAF89
— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2018
Chiefly “March for our lives” is a movement to implement stricter gun control measures in the United States of America following a mass shooting in a Florida school back in February. The main march under this banner took place in Washington DC which was attended by about 2 lakh demonstrators.
Considering that the matter was chiefly US-centric, the fact that some Mumbai residents were marching for it when India itself doesn’t lack for issues, amused quite a few people:
Are they marching in Mumbai to protest gun laws in the US? pic.twitter.com/SSHCTak8yS
— Arnab Ray (@greatbong) March 25, 2018
When the earthquake is in Hawaii but you mark yourself safe in Hoshiarpur! https://t.co/2ncUAKKLWu
— Pratyasha Rath (@pratyasharath) March 25, 2018
wow I will never stop making fun of the apathy and indifference of rich townie kids. india (for all its problems) has one of the strictest gun control policies IN THE WORLD. more kids die from midday meals and general infrastructure problems than from guns. you privileged idiots! https://t.co/O1a7kOvqkA
— Utsav (@Wootsaw) March 25, 2018
America has a Obesity problem Please go out for a run regularly from tomorrow morning. https://t.co/HaQjLX9vBK
— Ram (@ramprasad_c) March 26, 2018
Mumbai kids rallying for gun control in US? Makes sense. Ultimately they will all be in US for higher studies ? https://t.co/QmhYlVDqPD
— Kundan Srivastav (@Kun_Srivastav) March 25, 2018
When you watch too much Netflix, drink too much Starbucks and start hallucinating that you are now in the United States you get this ? https://t.co/NMgJPmhm2e
— Rajeev Mantri (@RMantri) March 25, 2018
In order to possibly explain their position regarding this march, one of the conveners of the Mumbai march called it an effort to show people in the US that they aren’t alone. He also claimed that the Mumbai marchers stood with the American people in their mission to end gun violence. Calling the march as an awareness movement, he asserted that, as “citizens of the world”, they should make sure gun violence against children should not happen.
While it’s touching to note that the Mumbai residents chose to show solidarity with the Americans, terming the march as a possible gun control “awareness” for Indians, would be a fallacy considering India already has one of the strictest gun control laws in the world. Time is taken to get a gun licence in India usually ranges in years and the rigorous process dates back to the British period when the imperialists actively sought to disarm the Indians.
The Mumbai marchers though aren’t the “odd men out” in this affair considering other cities like London, Sydney and Tokyo too witnessed similar marches.
