Police stop a procession of non -teaching staff, demanding the implementation of Central payscale, near Raj Bhavan. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Dec. 14: Silence might be golden but not too many protesting groups of the capital are buying that argument when they take to the streets to press their demands. Thus, when exponents of lungpower have to share the same street-corner, as was the case at Birsa Munda Chowk today, what we have is an indigenous version of the Tower of Babel.

The four groups were equally adamant about not losing the shouting match, never mind that their ?cause? drowned in the din of their own making. By 11 in the morning, the Jharkhand Pradesh Shoundik Sangh, Jharkhand State Trained Unemployed Teachers? Association, Jharkhand State Non-Gazetted Employees? Federation and the State Land Measurement and Chakbandi Federation had put up their tents at the Chowk, complete with microphones and loudspeakers. There was a problem, however. Each wanted its members to be heard first.

When a member of the Shoundik Sangh was all set to launch into his fiery speech, slogans from another camp cut him off.

With the loudspeakers blaring, he had no option but to sit down, not before, he gave his rival a look to kill.

The members of the Jharkhand State Non-Gazetted Employees Federation were not the ones to be cowered into silence. After a hasty meeting, one member got out of the tent, microphone in hand, and began to shout at the top of his voice. Other members lent support with a whoops and claps. ?We need another microphone,? said one. Two youths promptly rushed out on their scooter to get hold of one.

The lone member of the State Land Measurement and Chakbandi Federation was silent all the while.

?We have been on a dharna for 128 days now. People know us. We don?t have to shout or scream,? he said confidently.

His philosophic calm was not shared by other members, who began hollering into their mikes the moment they arrived. The policemen deployed on the spot started to run for cover. Some among them asked them to be quiet but to no avail.

It took the protesters a while to realise that only they could hear their ear-splitting slogans. Volunteers of each group then met and decided that they would take turns to speak for every 15 minutes.

The compromise formula brought peace for an hour till members of the State Land Measurement and Chakbandi Federation got carried away and refused to let go off the mike. The other groups were quick on the uptake and found their voices again. Their hopes frustrated, residents, meanwhile, braced for the sound blast and went their ways.