Shabana Azmi On The Delhi Protests: ‘This Is A Victory Of The Students, Nobody Else’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Shabana Azmi, who is recovering from swine flu, was present at the students’ protest at Jantar Mantar and witnessed their determination firsthand. Speaking exclusively to Variety India about the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, she says, “It is entirely the students’ victory. Bachche log lage rahe (the kids were at it). They didn’t give up until they achieved what they wanted. I love their passion and obstinacy. Zidd is a necessary stepping stone to achievement,” says the actress who is no stranger to activism and has consistently lent her voice to social and political causes over the decades.
 

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Azmi sees reform and change as an ongoing process. She says, “I’m an optimist, and I always see the glass as half full. India is a country that lives in several centuries simultaneously and is full of contradictions. So, although a lot has improved, there is a lot more to be done. Abba (father Kaifi Azmi) had told me, ‘When you are working for change, you need to build into that expectation the possibility that change might not occur within your lifetime, but if you carry on working sincerely and with dedication, change will happen even if it does so after you are gone’. That is my mantra for working towards change.”

She adds that meaningful progress is rarely immediate, but every collective effort contributes to a larger movement that eventually reshapes society. She says, “ Transformation is a very slow process, and one must keep at it without expecting instant gratification.”