Posted in FB by Manas Paul
September 27, 2017: As soon as the internet services were restored the Tripura netizens, who were put at their wit’s end due to utter inconvenience following state government’s blanket ban of internet communications, except landline broadband for three days recently,-took the social media by storm giving vent to their disapproval and dissent.
One after another Facebook posts–mostly one liners – started pouring in. While largely the social media users were angry and took strong exception to the ‘complete ban’ for so many days-there were many others, who supported the government decision to snap up the virtual communications to preempt rumors spread and prevent any further fall out in the state which had witnessed extremely volatile time in recent past.
What was, however, most curiously striking was the height of sarcasm and fun that got wacky expressions by which the netizens resented the government stand. There were hundreds of them, but some stood out like a ‘sore thumb’. None was opposed to the ban on ‘social media services’ like Whatsapp, Facebook, twitter etc for sometime so as to prevent rumor mill spinning venom or creating further trouble, but what they resented most was complete ban on internet communications.
Interestingly, some also came up with coining a new word ‘Netbandi’, ostensibly taking cue from the ‘Notebandi’.
One wrote : State government acted like ‘Hanuman’ who when could not find the right plant took away the entire Gandhamadan.
Then the other seemed more specific and well, in a sense simple in his wisdom speech: ‘I have learnt a lesson. When I shall not be able to shut down my computer , I shall put off the main switch board’.
He was followed by another post: ‘From now on for peace and to maintain law and order police is not at all required. Snap out the internet, everything will be alright. God knows who gave the idea’.
There were peculiar posts with fun. One posted , ‘Modi : Hamne note bandi kiya, Tumne keya kia ? Manik: Hamne netbandi kia, tumhare aur hamare bich sirf ‘aa kar’ ka fark hain, jyada uchhol mat’. With sarcasm running best from many netizen’s posts, some were, nevertheless, more scathing. One said, ‘People’s fundamental right was taken away during the last four days’.
In another post came the statement, ‘the complete ban on internet services is tantamount to ‘attack on freedom of expression’ , — ‘government could very well shut up the social media if so the situation warranted. Why all internet communications ?, he asked while some others posted, ‘now you know how the life is in Communist China’. Some, of course, were not without faux pas though ..” it is like we are living in ‘South’ Korea under the rule of Jong..He was, however immediate corrected by his friend : It should be ‘North Korea’.
There were too often references to Kashmir. “ We are proud. We can experience Kashmir sitting here in Tripura’, said one.
While some were clearly political in their posts, saying the internet was completely shut for political reasons—so that reports of the “attack on the tribals in Khowai by CITU should not go out”. Another, obviously belonging to the opposition camps posted, ‘ you have to change the government to prevent such attacks on freedom of speech”.
Many others, preferred to remain ambiguous in expressing their disapproval. One wrote , ‘at last we came to light from darkness’, then other wondered why her ‘mobile could run for so long without recharging for the last three days’.
There were also posts that claimed the complete ban was ill-advised and an uncalled-for knee jerk step when only social media ban would have served the purpose. Nevertheless, even as the Facebook is abuzz with sarcastic and funny posts, all did, however, agree that the extreme step despite the extreme inconvenience to some extent played a role in bringing a semblance of normalcy in the state.
( I could not take names of the friends whose posts were referred to here as it was originally written for the Tripura Times. I give credit to all of them with highest regards)
