Before the COVID-19 pandemic hit India, the country was witnessing widespread protests against the CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act) and NRC (National Register of Citizens). Just like all other formal and informal sectors, activism too has been affected by the coronavirus. Several civil society groups, NGOs and writers who used to be active in protesting in the streets in the Telugu states say that they too, have witnessed the change.
From registering protests to book launches and insightful talks on literature, venues have changed from the physical to the digital.
Rythu Swarajya Vedika (RSV), a farmers rights organisation in Telugu states is known for working at the grassroot level to prevent suicides and advocating for agrarian rights. They said that they have had to adopt a dual mode of protest and organisation in the current times of COVID-19.
Kondal Reddy, Secretary of RSV, speaking to TNM said, "Earlier, we used to reach out to farmers on the ground about their problems but now with COVID-19 it has become certainly difficult to meet in the face of threat."
Kondal says that they are doing offline and online protests whenever required. According to him, the timing of the recent Farm Acts passed by Parliament has made it difficult to register their protest in a wide manner .
He said, "We have organised online talks with experts to create awareness about why the law is anti-farmer. There are certain technical issues to engage people in a Zoom call, or other platforms, but we are doing it."
The organisation along with other like-minded groups held a protest recently in Hyderabad while maintaining COVID-19 guidelines. It has to be recalled that in September, a collective of civil society organisations and NGOs in Telangana organised a 'People's Assembly' program to discuss problems of the people, alleging that the opposition in the state was ineffective.
Representatives from the Democratic Youth Federation of India’s (DYFI) Andhra Pradesh wing also said that the circumstances resulting from the pandemic have to some extent hurt activism, or at least limited it.
Student organisations working from different universities in both states have also organised virtual protests and talks on contemporary issues.
Surya Rao, DYFI Andhra Pradesh Secretary said, "In initial days, during lockdown we have asked cadres to reach out to migrant labourers and other vulnerable sections to help them. Later, we asked the cadres to confine their activities to their neighbourhood while maintaining physical distance. "
Surya Rao further said that they have organised virtual protests and online talks to discuss contemporary issues that are affecting the country. He said, "We have organised 35 academic lectures for job aspirants with experts to create awareness about different exams syllabus, beside protests."
Yakshi, an NGO based out of Hyderabad working with marginalised communities in both Telugu states had also opined that their social service and other outreach drives were either affected or had to change.
Anil Gorre, a coordinator with the NGO said that physical interaction was reduced with communities in view of the spread of COVID-19, certain programmes which require regular interaction with people were shifted online.
Anil Gorre said, "There are internet accessibility issues sometimes and other technological issues, but slowly we have adapted to the changes."
Several literary groups and circles have organised talks and reviews of books along with launching of new books to encourage literary enthusiasm and discuss issues.
Bahujana Rachayitala Vedika (BARAVE), a collective of Dalit-Bahujan writers and poets, said that the pandemic had stressed the need to explore technological advancements despite certain drawbacks.
Ravi Kumar Nukathoti, poet-academic based in Ongole and coordinator of BARAVE said, "We have tried engaging people and activists through online dialogues. Just like a digital divide among students, there is a digital divide among activists and poets who work in subaltern movements, we are trying to overcome it."
Several activists and poets feel that the change in the activism was inevitable while opining that online experts' talks can be conducted even in a post-pandemic scenario since they will be less expensive.