17 April 2008
The colour red doesn't just sell coke. It strikes a rather discordant note with most mainstream columnists and commentators. What is it about the Left that makes most educated post liberalized Indian intelligentsia react so sharply?
The Maoist victory in Nepal has been amongst the most grudgingly covered especially in print. So Prachanda and gang are looked at with some sort of consternation and their storming to power democratically, just about tolerated.
There are realms of newsprint giving sage advice that the Nepal experience is a good opportunity to for Indian Maoists to learn some lessons. But how about the other lesson, the more important one to be learnt? That when corruption and injustice become unbearable something's got to give.
King Gyanendra trying to cling on pathetically strikes me as more bizarre than a Maoist victory.
He has been given the option by Prachanda to live like an ordinary citizen. Doesn't sound so bad you'd think, but who wants to be ordinary when you can be extraordinary? Or as Shakespeare said "Nothing is so common-place as to wish to be remarkable." So the King wishes to stay remarkable. No news of plans of abandoning the palace or sounds of reconciliation. No photographs or quotes yet, but we might see plenty on page three when he moves boria-bistar to India and is seen attending some polo match or the other. Since the only "news" doing the rounds is that, the king might "flee" to Rajasthan, or some speculate Bangalore. Why flee? And why to India? Because living like a common man in your own country is no match against mai baap culture obsessed, left bashing urban liberalized India.
Although the royal titles, privy purses etc. were removed long ago, most royals still take that title and their blue blood rather seriously. Most made the transition to politics with ease given our political culture where scion, dynasty, lineage are an integral part of the political lexicon, even for those in parties with socialist pretensions. That's not all, then there's the protectors of Hindutva and their take on Hinduism too.
As reported by several papers a mahant from Gorakhpur (from the "lineage" of the Kings family guru etc.) is organizing a three-day meet at Devi Patan from the 25th of to the 27th of April, with Nepal as the main agenda. Several Hindu groups are participating. The World Hindu Conclave will discuss how to save the King and Hindutva. Can you believe it? Hey Ram. Bas ye hi dekhna tha.
The BJP's PM in waiting not exactly known for his discretion is quoted as saying (by the Indian Express) at a seminar on Democracy and Conflict Resolution in Asia - "My party and I stood firmly by the side of the people of Nepal in their desire for effective and fully empowered democracy. But we also backed their other aspiration which was suppressed by the rise of Maoist forces in the politics of Nepal: namely, preservation of Nepal as a Hindu Kingdom with constitutional monarchy."
According to the same visionary L K Advani - "Maosim and democracy are a contradiction in terms. The two can not go together."
I see. And Democracy and monarchy aren't contradictions? I've been taught not to argue with genius so I wont.
Moving swiftly on. Clinging pathetically to power is part of our political culture. Neither geo-politic changes, nor social transformations nor ripe old age creeping up on firmly entrenched leaders can make them exit gracefully. There's Surjit and Jyoyi Basu but.. oops.. they're Lefties, so they don't count.
Various circuses played out over the past few years in Jharkhand, Goa, Chhattisgarh and Bihar have proved, being disgraced is a better option for most in power than being dislodged.
Now his royal highness King Gyanendra is being given an honourable exit route. Be done with monarchy live like an ordinary citizen. But no!! When there is the option of a dishonourable and distasteful exit why take the honourable one. In all fairness to him, its out of the palace right now, a few months or a year down the line there will be inquiries, cases, judgments that may end with who knows what.
Paras, the King's son has had allegations against him for assaulting a police officer with the butt of his firearm for being stopped for drinking and driving. He is alleged to have run over and killed Nepalese singer Praveen Gurung. Nothing came of that. The royal stamp gave then immunity from prosecution but not anymore.
Now the lesson to be learnt more importantly is for the rulers here in India, blue blooded or not. When something becomes too rotten, it can't hold its own weight and is bound to fall. Relics from politics and religion can go blue in the face fighting it. It's pointless. The fall is inevitable.
Television and globalization has changed the world in many ways. When I was a child, kids my age growing up in small towns when not in school, spent the mornings going off into forbidden slug, chameleon and spider infested wild growths and playgrounds, afternoons and evenings flying kites and playing sport and finally sitting in front f the TV waiting for the Doordarshan logo to come spinning at you to present the dreadfully boring Krishi Darshan which meant we'd run out to fly a kite again. We thought that's how it was across the country, that's what everyone did. Obviously that wasn't the case. And it isn't now.
Today when a youngster in a small town turns on TV and watches the Q1-Q2-Q3-Q4 results in hundreds of crores, watches insane salaries and “aspirational” and lifestyle shows on slick channels and gets a supplement like Snob Today or Luxury Today with the India Today exclusive cover story on the Red Maoist Surge, he questions his life, his purpose, his relevance. He questions his piece of the pie. Tell him all you want to go fly a kite. Uhuh! Flying a kite in the afternoon isn't enough any more. He wants more.
It's human nature after all. And here I have on my side to present the compelling argument Shah Rukh Khan and Sachin Tendulkar telling us very convincingly very often in the Pepsi commercial "Ye dil maange more". I loved it. Even Hritik Roshan joining Sachin Tendulkar and Shah Rukh selling us Home Trade, remember the tag line - "Life means MORE". What a slick campaign that was, but I never did understand what Home Trade did or does or didn't do before the promoter got arrested.
So it's not just the rulers, monarchs, aristocrats and netas who want more. Even the aam aadmi wants more as the teeming millions become aware of what is on offer.
Some refuse to change. It's hard to when you have been taught to believe something your whole life. The King may want more, more time, more cars, more perks, more bodyguards, more red light beacon cars etc etc etc, but so do others. And here sheer numbers matter. One individual or family wanting more, however much of a figurehead of Hindu-rashtra he may be is no match for millions wanting more. And wanting more to eat, wanting a little more dignity will spur you on to fight way harder than wanting more to... I don't know, maybe spend on Hermes saddles or satin curtains? And that ground swell will make the pendulum swing the other way and relics clinging to primitive, self-serving ideologies are just attempting to delay the inevitable. That's the lesson that rulers here need to learn, take the honorable exit window given or be blown away by change. In the words of the biggest B.
"Tod marod vitap latikayein,
noch khasot kusum kalikayein.
Jata hai agyat disha ko.
Hato vihangam, Ud jaoge.
Tum toofan samajh paoge?”
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