India’s need for another independence from thuggish politicians leads to Dabang, Signham and Rowdy Rathore being successful
Balanced on a knife’s edge
Not too long ago we celebrated our nth independence
day. We waved a few flags, sent out customary greetings to our friends and
family, enjoyed a day off and forgot all about the real issues that face our
country today.
Make no mistake: India is at a precipice today balancing
itself at a knife’s edge. Currently, the entire social fabric that weaves India
together is about to be destroyed. And nothing can be more appropriate, more
illuminating than the current crop of movies that are being churned out by
Bollywood and are rip-roaringly successful.
Bollywood as a mirror of Indian society
Traditionally, Bollywood has always reflected India’s
broader sentiment at large. In the 50’s and 60’s it was Manoj Kumar singing “Mere
Desh ki Dharti” and Lal Bahadur Shastri saying “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”. The era when
the farmer issues dominated the on screen cinema personified by “Mother India”
In the 70’s it was the angry young man, Amitabh fighting against
established social order be it Gabbar in Sholay or becoming a drug lord in
Deewar. Of course there were Shammi Kapoor and Rajesh Khanna challenging the
Indian societal taboo of love marriage.
The same was true of 90’s when India was being liberated and
romances like Aashiqui, DDLJ, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman were the rage.
Today some of the most successful movies in terms of
collections are: Singham, Rowdy Rathore, Dabangg, Wanted, D-Day, A Wednesday
etc. A common undercurrent among all these movies is the humiliation of politicians
in some form or other. The omnipresent and most visible theme is the inevitable
fight against corruption and indifference of those in charge of our system.
The not so successful mentions are Rajneeti, Aarakshan,
Sarkar Raj 2, Policegiri, Zila Ghaziabad.
Of course, the above interpretation might just be a case of
reading the runes the wrong way and the Indian cinema goers may have developed a
taste for over the top action and the politicians might be easiest targets.
Callous, Indifferent and disinterested “leaders”
Although, I feel slightly differently. How often have you
felt like slapping a certain politician or a self proclaimed Godman when they make
their now customary assholic comments? How often have you found yourself cringing
and wincing at the sheer callousness of our so called leaders?
The angst against our system is no longer exception to the
norm. It is now the new “in-thing”. The fury is palpable, ubiquitous and
spilling over. Just go to any online forum. See it for yourself.
The message boards are filled with fights between #feku and
#pappu followers. Intolerance is rising and internet has now become a regular
place for intimidation and hostility. Internet, the medium which once was
founded as a way to communicate has become a channel to spread hatred and to
gain one over “the other side”. A classic battle of gamesmanship at its very
worst: that is today’s Internet. Where Julian Assange is forced to seek asylum
and yet gets none; where Irom Sharmila is ignored and Anna Hazare is lathi
charged.
The Zero Sum Game
All the debates today have just degraded into zero sum
games. Either I am right or you are right.
Can’t there be: your truth, my truth and the actual truth
which lies somewhere in between? Perhaps both of us are right and both of us are
wrong? But no. that possibility is no longer there.
The politicians have taken the intellect and reason out of
our debates and discussions. The debates have now degenerated into a loud cacophony
of noise where the one who shouts the loudest usually wins. Where Arnab Goswami’s
loud mouthed “the nation demands an answer”, Nidhi Razdan rule the roost and
earlier versions of dignified debates of Rajat Gupta’s “Janta Ki Adalat” have
been lost into obscurity.
Perhaps this anger is manifested in all forms and walks of
Indian way of living. The road rage incidents, the audacity of rapes in broad
daylight and trying to be right all the time.
Agree to Disagree
We have forgotten that one can agree to disagree. Even in
marriages caste, religion, sub-caste etc. are the definitive measures of a
match than the actual habits of the individual. India as a whole has forgotten
to appreciate and celebrate differences: whether be it lifestyle choices or be
it opinions of national concern.
Differences today are frowned upon than regarded as measure
of a healthy and thriving democracy. This is why a film bashing the politicians
is successful but a thought provoking movie is often ignored.
Today India is fighting for its very existence. Corruption
is rife and everyday a new incident of degeneracy that now an integral part of
Indian society. In a globalized world, such inefficiency will be punished more
brutally and more quickly than ever. We have not reached the levels of Somalia
but there are certainly pockets of areas in India that are inaccessible to us.
Rapes, scams, killings, hate speeches, division of country
nothing shocks us now. Chinese soldiers can come to Leh and make temporary
camps and we do nothing. Arvind Kejriwal’s candidate suffers “an accident” and
we still don’t raise a hullabaloo.
We once had fought a war for independence against the
foreign intruders. We now need to fight another war against our own kind and against
ourselves also.
Everyone is guilty
Of course, I am also guilty of the biggest transgression of
them all: Indifference and apathy. I never cared about the politics of our country
till it started to bite me. I too am a part of the apathy that has led to today’s
sorry state of affairs. Not proud to admit to it, but I can’t absolve myself of
blame either.
The step begins with us. If nothing else, we can at least
start taking an interest in India’s politics and burning issues and spare just
half an hour from our self-serving lives to at least know the challenges faced
by our country.
Start trying even if not actively participating
We need not jump headfirst into politics or even take to
streets and start rioting and protesting. We all cannot be Kejriwals. But we
can at least support people who are trying to make a difference. At least we
can go out to vote. Ask questions about qualifications, vision and the future
plans of our leaders. And involve not just ourselves but our cooks, maids,
cleaners, peons also by asking their reasons for voting and get them to choose
for the right person for right reasons. We won’t always succeed in our efforts
to get a proper person elected. But at least we can start trying.
We don’t need new laws or overnight system overhaul. We don’t
to implement radical thoughts but change our thoughts radically. We should try
to appreciate differences and not suppress them. We should try to listen to the
other side, keep an open mind and then make a decision than stay within our
comfort zones.
Otherwise from a crouching tiger we will became a “bheegi
billi”. We may always be “mango people” but we should not allow our nation to
become any more a “banana republic” than it already is.
Otherwise we will still be watching a 60 year
Salman bashing up yet another politician 10 years from now. J :P (NOM to Salman fans)
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