While television cameras focus on the standard assortment of ?floats? rolling down Rajpath, that splendid road in New Delhi with the country?s power elite arranged in geometric angles to it, a far more interesting development in the young Republic?s history took place several kilometres south, some days ago. A spaghetti set of inter-twirling flyovers at the access point to Palam Airport, also the way to a spanking new eight-laned highway from Delhi to Gurgaon, found itself in an unusual VIP jinx. It was not a traffic blockade to yield the privilege of passage to someone whose time value had been ranked much higher than that of other commuters by government authorities. Instead, it was a snarl caused by the absence of a VIP. Nobody, went the whispers, wanted to inaugurate the flyovers and officially throw open the new highway because the delay had already angered Delhiites awaiting the easing of traffic jams. Such had been the fury that a group of people actually defied police barricades and stormed the location to conduct a ?citizen?s inauguration?. And now that the highway is finally operational, it turns out that obtaining a monthly concessional pass to drive through its toll plaza requires, apart from payment, the submission of certified true copies of vehicle registration and proof of address documents, though not proof of identity (as yet). All that remains, it seems, is a list of VIPs who shall have the prerogative of a free zip-through for being who they are, their exalted highnesses.
Just how much of this strikes Indian citizens as ironic this Republic Day? In any case, does anyone on the street even have the faintest clue what a ?republic? is supposed to be? It is an awkward word, no doubt, and radio quiz capsules aired recently in the capital, though hardly a properly representative sample, suggest utter confusion among the youth over the meaning of the term. Some of the responses are clearly aimed at humour, and a celebratory day on the national calendar that evokes the infliction of pain more than application of common sense does lend itself to parody. Still, the overall ignorance is worrisome. Perhaps the mysteriously anointed superiors who govern us would deign to fund an ad campaign explaining this ?republic? thing to India?s teeming millions. The catch: they might have to do some reading, too.
