We truly belong to a bygone age! We have a bunch of rulers who seem to be floating on some alien planet, disengaged from what?s happening around them, basking in some self-imposed glory that has now ceased to be a joke and begun to anger decent, civilised people. It?s always the small things that irritate. One such incident, which is representative across this city, was the arrival of a senior government functionary at a private celebration.
The police shooed away all other guests into neighbouring gallis to park their owner-driven cars in an attempt to allow the ?functionary? to drive up to the gate on an empty road, probably dreaming of waving crowds a la the Queen of England! Sic. It was humiliating to see a retired judge of our Supreme Court being waved off to some distant galli by a gross, nose-picking cop. If this is the definition of ?security?, God help us.
It is the easiest thing to identify ?leaders? by the tamasha that accompanies them on Delhi?s roads. And, not one of them has put his foot down and shunned all the nonsense around him. It will be a joy to see these characters retire, in their gallis, without even a chowkidar at their gates.
Christmas morning…and it was Vajpayee all the way. Nowhere in the world is the press so utterly ridiculous about the birthdays of their leaders. Newspapers had the PM peering out of a window in an advertisement on every page, page upon page. How demeaning for anyone. Imagine ?selling? a Prime Minister on his birthday through a rather tacky ad! Features abounded about the life and times of Mr Vajpayee and national television showed congregations of people singing a strange English song…happy birdday to you! I remember the days when leaders of the BJP were in the opposition and found the sycophancy around the late Indira Gandhi disagreeable. They quite rightly found the slogan ?India is Indira and Indira is India? unacceptable. But, come their chance to eulogise themselves, they have beaten all to the game.
There is no difference whatsoever in their strut or in their eulogies. What happened to these men and women? In fact, the Congress leadership from Sonia Gandhi to Sheila Dixit, to Digvijay Singh and the rest have unobtrusive security, men who are polite and who disappear into the furniture! Far more subtle, dignified and totally acceptable when compared to the crudities of those in power.
Boxing day…?India enters the metro age?, screams a headline. To me it read ? India remains at least two decades behind the rest of the world! And then, endless speculation about whether the great Indian public will respect cleanliness, keep the metro and stations spotless, not pee and spit and blow their noses all over the place. There is possibly no other place in the world where the people are so utterly disrespectful about their environs and habitat. Our ?leaders? should address the people of India through their TV screens and tell them to stop peeing and spitting all over the place. Maybe those ?happy birthday? ads should have the PM telling his people that the gift he wants from them is to respect public property. The ads will then be worth the many thousands they cost.
India seems to have lost its sense of humanity and pride. Dalits and Muslims are mercilessly attacked…eyes gouged, some killed and it is such reports that reinforce the brutality that seems inherent in the nation. Nobody in the top leadership, ruling or opposition, seems to get into the fray and revolt against all these happenings. Instead, one political leader, who seems to have learned from Narendra Modi, is linking ?national pride? with Sonia Gandhi?s Italian origin!
What has that got to do with ?national pride?? Surely pride has to do with respect for all, wherever they are from, whichever strata. Small wonder then that when killings happen, as long as the vulnerable are being hit, the voices of those in authority remain silent. When they themselves are the target they expect the entire nation, including the vulnerable, to come together. Let us discard this hypocrisy that has taken us to the bottom of the rung. Happy New Year.