Anniversaries and Celebrations. The Political Mileage Story.
Have you noticed that we seem to be in the midst of several
celebrations? There is a country celebrating the return of ‘good days’. And a
state celebrating a lifetime of achievements. Big hoardings and press ads
announce the miracles achieved and highlight more promises being made.
Suddenly I get the feeling of déjà vu.
This euphoric sense of well being is nothing new. Several
times, several leaders have made similar claims. And celebrated with similar
enthusiasm. There was Indira with her Garibi Hatao regime that worshipped work
as if it was a new religion. There was Rajiv and his heyday banana days. Even
Lalu Prasad used accounting tricks to show off the Railways in good light.
Frankly I thought the country has learnt to see through the bullshit, see
through the sham.
But no. It looks like we still want to believe. Believe
anything that is said loudly and quite a few times. Whether it is denouncing a
scheme or a person, whether it is tom-tomming about notional milestones, we
seem to be lapping up the lies and the falsehoods.
I wonder if any of us has indeed stopped for a moment,
paused if you will…and really took a hard, unbiased look at whether life has
improved. Even slightly. For us. Or for people in higher or even lower Spheres
and Orbits.
Is Poverty alleviated? Is Education a birthright? Is gender
bias a thing of the past? Not by any measure. We seem to have spent more than
half a century undoing the messes we ourselves created. From traffic and urban
congestion to ill planned agriculture to rural alienation.
Perhaps democracy is the ultimate example of gullibility
being exploited. Perhaps we got it wrong when we decided to become a government
of the people.
I don’t know. And I do not have the bandwidth to do more
than loud thinking. But one thing I am sure. I think the celebrations are
premature. And anniversaries too soon.
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