When the world famous French architect Le Corbusier designed and built independent India's first planned city—Chandigarh—he provided the widest road leading upto the capital complex that houses the Punjab and Haryana Civil Secretariat as well as the Vidhan Sabhas of the two states which share the city as their joint capital. “Jan Marg” was made as the widest not because it leads up to the capital complex, but was to provide ample room for people marching in protest to the place that represents power. According to Corbusier, protest was an integral part of democracy, and a city made to mark India's new found freedom and democracy cannot afford not having a road for protesters to march on.
Lutyens' Delhi has many wide roads leading up to Parliament, and the Sansad Marg, on which is located the Jantar Mantar, is one such. Those who want to draw the attention of Parliament to their issue, protest sitting there. Come rain, thunder or sunshine, they continue the protest either till their problem is addressed democratically, or sometimes, when fatigue gets the better of them. During those cold months when the Nirbhaya issue was hot, men and women, old and young, thronged the Jantar Mantar area, sometimes with candle lights, and some other times with placards and banners, and often, raising angry slogans in response to impassioned speeches by all manner of people—women MPs, male ministers, theatre personalities, activists of different hues and student leaders. Those who are getting the benefit of OROP—One Rank One Pension—too should find the area to be “haloed precincts”. It was here that veterans of many battles fought for their pension in keeping with their rank, regardless of when they hung up their boots. Even now, some soldiers are there, wanting a bit of tweaking. Jantar Mantar also continues to be home to farmers from all over the country, notably Tamil Nadu, focussing on and demanding a solution for the agri distress they are facing.
Jantar Mantar, with a sundial among other structures, was meant to calculate astronomical tables. But the location—with proximity to Parliament and Raisina Hill, as well as the Gurdwara Bangla Sahib— ensured that protesters could be seen and heard by the powers that be, without having to worry about food and shelter. The gurdwara offered both, and in any case, people pitched shamianas on the pavement and slept on mattresses borrowed from the gurdwara, drank water from the tankers the NDMC sent. But the toilets was a serious issue. With no soch given to shauchalayas, the prestigious road in the heart of the capital, did indeed stink. And yes, there was a lot of litter on many days.
Possibly this led to the NGT directing the Delhi government to clear the Jantar Mantar of protesters, and direct them to the Ramlila Ground, citing environmental laws.
The protest now is over this NGT order. Many say the court could instead have directed the government to facilitate protest in the larger interest of democracy. Civil rights activist Anjali Bhardward told media that it was a question of where citizens can put forth their dissenting view point, protest and highlight wrong doings.
The Ramlila Ground is where Ravana, symbolising evil, is burnt on Dussehra. Though this may make it a symbolic suitor, at 3 km away from Jantar Mantar, it does not enjoy the vintage position that Jantar Mantar does. It cannot attract the government employees who pass by the Jantar Mantar regularly, and it does not lead to Parliament. Fine for speeches of the kind late Jayaprakash Narayan made before Emergency was clamped, or the Anna Hazare movement more recently, it is simply not the kind where people can grab eyeballs even without a huge gathering.
