Key Points

With relentless power cuts and an overwhelmed grid, frustration has reached such a peak that former Union Minister Pradeep Jain Aditya and fellow demonstrators turned to symbolism and satire.

At the centre of the protest, held at Jhansi's bustling Elite Chauraha, was a buffalo. Yes, a buffalo. As a local man passed through the protest site with his buffalo, demonstrators seized the moment. A placard labelled "Electricity Department" was swiftly hung around the animal’s neck. In what became the image of the day, Pradeep Jain Aditya, armed with a flute-like been, stood in front of the buffalo and began playing—mimicking the traditional act of a snake charmer.

The message through metaphor: “Bhains ke aage been bajana”—blowing the flute before a buffalo, a popular Hindi proverb used to describe efforts wasted on an unresponsive audience (Electricity Department).

“This is symbolic,” Jain told reporters. “We are not harming the animal. In fact, even buffalo are suffering due to this heat and power outage. This isn’t just about humans anymore,” he argued.

The protest, marked by symbolic shackles and dramatic gestures, came after days of unrest. Locals say that despite Bundelkhand producing significant electricity, barely 10 per cent of it reaches cities like Jhansi. One protester chained himself in symbolic bondage, holding signs that read: “Give us power or jail us instead.”

Jain, who has been spearheading the protest with support from multiple political parties and social groups, said, “The government is in a Kumbhkarni slumber while people here suffer through blackouts and unbearable heat. Today, we blew the ‘flute’ in front of the system. But this is the last symbolic protest. Next, we’ll take this to the streets and to every doorstep.”

Critics tried to spin the protest as animal cruelty, but Jain responded sharply. “Why don’t you ask the government about cows dying from neglect?” he questioned. “This buffalo, too, is a victim of the same system. She stood with us because she’s suffering in this heat just like the people.”

The protest, dramatic and unusual as it was, echoed a larger sentiment - one of fatigue, desperation, and a demand to be heard. As Jhansi simmers in the summer sun with little electricity and even less response from authorities, the question remains: will blowing the ‘been (flute)’ finally wake the powers that be?

“Only time and power supply will tell,” say protestors.

- IANS