Amarcord
She returned to her native land amidst much fanfare and as tears fell from her eyes she promised that democracy would be restored ,that terrorist activities which had brought her motherland nothing but disrepute would end, promised that she would make sure that the many blunders of the current head of state were reverted.The prodigal daughter had returned and returned with a purpose, it seemed.Thus as her country prepared for general elections the fact that the “Daughter of the East”would rise from the ashes as a stronger person and a stronger leader seemed evident.It was perhaps ironic that a fortnight later she fell prey to terrorist activities,one of the many evils that she had promised to crush.Liaqatbagh where her father had been given capital punishment had witnessed the death of the Mohtarma.The corrupt tag which had characterised “The Daughter Of the East” for a number of years had finally been erased.Death had cemented her legacy as one of the world’s most respected leaders,a woman who did not fear death and met her end fighting forces she was determined to defeat.
As Pakistan mourned the death of one of its tallest political leaders a nineteen year old made headlines for both the right as well as the wrong reasons.At nineteen Mohtarma’s son,a freshman at Oxford was handed over the party reins and as supporters of the Bhutto clan cheered ,the young man looked on resolutely.He had been left with the huge task of rebuilding a nation torn apart by religion,dictatorship and terrorism.The journey from being a facebook blogger to a rallying point for millions of his countrymen was inspiring and yet ironic .A new era had begun …or so it seemed
While an entire nation rejoiced at the prospect of having a young new leader and girls across the border found a new heartthrob few realized that the above was all but a cleverly executed poltical gimmick .A nineteen year old was but a puppet at the hands of his father,an influential politician who had been imprisoned for eleven years on charges of murder and corruption.The cleverly executed Bhutto-Zardari card ensured that while the existing votebank was maintained,newer voters could be attracted by projecting a nineteen year old at the helm of affairs.It was a win-win situation for all.
But such is the peculiarity of dynasty based politics that the actual heirs of the Bhutto name were found shying away from the limelight.Many believed that the children of the Bhutto clan were never on good terms with their aunt,the deceased Mohtarma.The eldest Fatima in particular had been vocal in criticizing her aunt shortly before her death and in her article addressed to her deceased “Wadi Bua”(published in the Hindusthan Times shortly after Benazir’s death)accepted that she had a complicated relationship with her aunt.
In India,the entire incident brought back memories of the famous Gandhi squabble which had led to a split among the scions of India’s most famous political dynasty.What was most incongruous was perhaps the fact that the the split led to the strengthening of the Janata Party which came to power for a brief stint a few years later.The “lesser”Gandhis were made ministers by a party which the Congress had fought for years.Idealogy or no idealogy,it was all about power,it was all about who made headlines and who didn’t.
I participated in a debate on whether the Indian democracy was a pseudo democracy and put forward the argument of whether any of us would have known a Sonia Gandhi,a Rahul Gandhu or even a Bilawal Bhutto had they not had their famous surnames.Even though the outcome of the debate,for obvious reasons did not go in my favour it was evident that what I had said was true.The reason I have said so much and yet so little is perhaps to illustrate the fact that we live in a democracy ruled by names,Big names.Just like the world of cricket where a Tendulkar and a Yuvraj and a Dhoni are indispensable regardless of their performances on the cricket field,the Indian political scenario is one which is ruled by heavyweights who have sky-high reputations and an efficient cadre system which ensures that they win year after year regardless of whether they manage to deliver or not.
This is partly because of the fact that most of us ie the new generation feign ignorance of the existing poltical system and yet at the same time are vocal about government policies,reservations,land acquisitions etc.Very few of my contemporaries actually know who the Vice President/the Speaker of the Lok Sabha is,a fact which was unthinkable thirty years ago.It has been argued that the primary reason why people detest poltics is because it is full of dirt,corruption.Leaders make promises and yet fail to keep them ,they visit their constituencies once a year and that too before the general election and yet gifted as they are in winning over millions their “crocodile” tears are amazingly effective.Leaders come and go,the plight of the poor remains the same.It is they who suffer and suffer the most.
I on my part would beg to differ.Ours being a democracy,we have the authority to choose our own leaders.Assuming that the evils of rigging and booth capturing are dealt with by the Election Commission,democracy although not a fool-proof system would be effective none the less.From a historical viewpoint it maybe argued that the fact that democracy in India is not a pseudo democracy is evident for in the late seventies when the country was reeling under a dictatorial style of functioning,the then Prime Minister,Indira Gandhi lost to a relatively unknown Raj Narayan(although she returned to power two years later with a thumping majority).In Assam, a number of college students led by student leader Profulla Kumar Mohanto stunned the Congress by winning the assembly elections there.In Bengal the talismatic Jyoti Basu,the longest running chief minister in the history of India had to taste defeat, a fact which although unthinkable is true none the less.Thus in the past, India’s people have often had the last laugh so long as elections are concerned.
But then let us forget the past and think about the present.I fail to understand how changes will take place if people do not come out and vote.We are particularly critical about state policies,about politicians and yet when election day comes we would rather sit back and surf the net or watch televison.It has been argued that people has lost their faith in leaders of the predominant parties for there is no reason why one should vote for a Lesser Evil because a lesser Evil is a evil none the less.What we forget is the fact that ours is a political framework where an independent candidate may be elected as a representative to the local/national assembly if there is adequate public support for the former .But no, we wont vote or follow politics rather we would use our voter id’s for getting mobile sims and as an address proof.The above fact although shocking is true none the less.
As I look around me I find people in great pain,people who have lost their lands,people who have been subject to much oppression by a dreaded political power,poor people with no where to go,no place to hide.Their lands have been taken away as a part of a cleverly executed political plan and although the government has promised that employment opportunities would be generated for the former it is evident that industries would require skilled and semi-skilled labour and not a fleet of agricultural workers.I happened to attend a seminar on whether the West Bengal economy was at crossroads where a representative of the state government argued that the Tata car factory would not only provide direct employment but would also generate huge indirect employment.A prominent leftist leader in a recent interview stated that as new industries were to be setup the existing transport facilities would be upgraded.People who had lost their lands could work as rickshaw pullers,as auto drivers as truck cleaners.As I rubbed my eyes in disbelief the senior leader also went on to say that if 30,000 people were given employment and if all these people had at minimum 3 family members then new hair-cutting saloons had to be setup.Thus at a time when the rest of the world was talking of improving and upgrading educational facilities and strengthening existing agricultural resources our leaders were dreaming of a new generation,a generation of rickshaw pullers ,of truck cleaners and barbers.
A primary reason why all this nonsense is taking place is perhaps because of the fact that idiots like us can neither provide a solution nor look for an appropriate alternative.At a time when the entire world has rejected socialism we continue to be awestruck when we hear of Marxism and communism.For a state whose idols include the legendary Rabindranath Tagore and Subhash Chandra Bose born a hundred years ago it is thus not surprising that while the rest of India is moving ahead Bengal is moving backwards “What Bengal thinks today,India thinks tomorrow” has been replaced by the phrase “What Bengal thinks today,the world has already rejected yesterday”.
I reiterate,attending a non-political rally denouncing the events of Nandigram and Singur does NOT in any way bring to an end our social obligations.Running away is not a solution nor is it an effective ploy.We must remember that millions choose to die rather than live under the oppressive Britishers,they sacrificed their careers,their families for their motherland,for an independent India,an India governed by Indians where the interests of all were protected.I often wonder whether all of their sacrifice was wasted for although independent India is governed by Indians yet we have still have instances of inter-caste/communal violences.The tyrant Britishers have been replaced by corrupt Indians and pseudo Communist Bengalis.We have a breed of communal politicians who have come to power by cleverly playing the Hindu/Muslim/Sikh card and a breed of even dangerous “secular”politicians who prefer to change faces with changing times.
Communism often advocates the need of a socialistic frame of functioning for efficient utilization of existing resources.However it is literally impossible to accept a poltical framework where efficiency is not rewarded,where the concept of private property does not exist.Cynics have argued that the above were one of the many reasons why the socialistic frame of government collapsed in the erstwhile Soviet Union.In India we have leaders who speak of “Somajtontro”(Socialism)and how it is necessary yet closer inspection reveals that even after thirty years in power in Bengal the communist government has failed to setup a single government engineering /medical college in the state.Age old institutions be it St.Xavier’s ,Presidency,Jadavpur University,BESU and Calcutta Medical College still continue to attract the best and the brightest minds of the state.Thus half-baked capitalism and half based socialism,complemented by an efficient grassroot cadre system ensures that the government returns to power year after year.Moreover there is lack of accountability among members of the opposition and such is the amount of uncertainty associated with the opposition that when they take a genuinely postitive stance,people do not take them certainly,laughing it off as a much publicized drama.We live in sad times.
Addressing a second issue,a revolutionary new car was launched sometime back amidst much fanfare.Marketed as the world’s cheapest automobile the Nano created waves both in the domestic as well as the international market.Resembling a revamped “autorickshaw” and priced at one lakh rupees (minus taxes)the Nano would target the Indian middle class and was symbolic of the Great Indian Dream its makers argued.What people conveniently forgot was perhaps the fact that the number of vehicles plying on Indian roads had already reached an optimum level and that the Nano would do nothing but aggravate existing traffic problems.Cynics argued that the above was not a major problem for improved technology would subsequently lead to betterment of existing infrastructure and hence with passing time,Indian roads would accommodate more vehicles.
I on my part found the entire debate over whether the Nano was a boon or a bubble to be rather amusing.
At a time when a majority of the Indian population (22% to be precise)does not have the necessary finances to live at the subsistence level and unemployment and disguised unemployement have charactised the Indian labour market, the impact of a new automobile in India is of no particular relevance.Moreover a car subsidized by the landless farmers can never symbolize the Great Indian Dream and I strongly condemn those who play with the sentiments of others for their personal gain.
According to UNICEF reports one thousand nine hundred and nineteen children under 5 years of age died due to lack of proper medicare facilities and shortages of food in the previous year. Reports suggested that a primary reason why India was unsafe for children was the widespread and largely unchecked industrialisation causing release of dangerous levels of contamination into the environment and thereby into homes, educational establishments and even child care centres.India had the third highest child mortality rates in the world,a shade better than its neighbours Pakistan and Bhutan.Moreover surveys indicated that one among every forty eight Indian women died annually while giving birth to her child.Yet what was most paradoxical was perhaps the fact that 30 per cent of the doctors and paramedics practicing in the United Kingdom belonged to the Indian diaspora.Furthermore a large number of Indian doctors in the U.K were facing unemployment, poverty and discrimination and yet none were willing to return to their native land and serve their dying countrymen.Capitalist ideals have seeped into the world’s most noble profession and it is a shame that while we are discussing Hillary and Obama a new born child dies every second for no fault of his/her.
Thus quoting Prof.Soumyen Sikdar “let us continue to follow the dictom of ignoring what makes us uncomfortable and rejoice at the prospect of being a superpower endowed with the largest stock of human misery that the world has every seen.”
As Pakistan mourned the death of one of its tallest political leaders a nineteen year old made headlines for both the right as well as the wrong reasons.At nineteen Mohtarma’s son,a freshman at Oxford was handed over the party reins and as supporters of the Bhutto clan cheered ,the young man looked on resolutely.He had been left with the huge task of rebuilding a nation torn apart by religion,dictatorship and terrorism.The journey from being a facebook blogger to a rallying point for millions of his countrymen was inspiring and yet ironic .A new era had begun …or so it seemed
While an entire nation rejoiced at the prospect of having a young new leader and girls across the border found a new heartthrob few realized that the above was all but a cleverly executed poltical gimmick .A nineteen year old was but a puppet at the hands of his father,an influential politician who had been imprisoned for eleven years on charges of murder and corruption.The cleverly executed Bhutto-Zardari card ensured that while the existing votebank was maintained,newer voters could be attracted by projecting a nineteen year old at the helm of affairs.It was a win-win situation for all.
But such is the peculiarity of dynasty based politics that the actual heirs of the Bhutto name were found shying away from the limelight.Many believed that the children of the Bhutto clan were never on good terms with their aunt,the deceased Mohtarma.The eldest Fatima in particular had been vocal in criticizing her aunt shortly before her death and in her article addressed to her deceased “Wadi Bua”(published in the Hindusthan Times shortly after Benazir’s death)accepted that she had a complicated relationship with her aunt.
In India,the entire incident brought back memories of the famous Gandhi squabble which had led to a split among the scions of India’s most famous political dynasty.What was most incongruous was perhaps the fact that the the split led to the strengthening of the Janata Party which came to power for a brief stint a few years later.The “lesser”Gandhis were made ministers by a party which the Congress had fought for years.Idealogy or no idealogy,it was all about power,it was all about who made headlines and who didn’t.
I participated in a debate on whether the Indian democracy was a pseudo democracy and put forward the argument of whether any of us would have known a Sonia Gandhi,a Rahul Gandhu or even a Bilawal Bhutto had they not had their famous surnames.Even though the outcome of the debate,for obvious reasons did not go in my favour it was evident that what I had said was true.The reason I have said so much and yet so little is perhaps to illustrate the fact that we live in a democracy ruled by names,Big names.Just like the world of cricket where a Tendulkar and a Yuvraj and a Dhoni are indispensable regardless of their performances on the cricket field,the Indian political scenario is one which is ruled by heavyweights who have sky-high reputations and an efficient cadre system which ensures that they win year after year regardless of whether they manage to deliver or not.
This is partly because of the fact that most of us ie the new generation feign ignorance of the existing poltical system and yet at the same time are vocal about government policies,reservations,land acquisitions etc.Very few of my contemporaries actually know who the Vice President/the Speaker of the Lok Sabha is,a fact which was unthinkable thirty years ago.It has been argued that the primary reason why people detest poltics is because it is full of dirt,corruption.Leaders make promises and yet fail to keep them ,they visit their constituencies once a year and that too before the general election and yet gifted as they are in winning over millions their “crocodile” tears are amazingly effective.Leaders come and go,the plight of the poor remains the same.It is they who suffer and suffer the most.
I on my part would beg to differ.Ours being a democracy,we have the authority to choose our own leaders.Assuming that the evils of rigging and booth capturing are dealt with by the Election Commission,democracy although not a fool-proof system would be effective none the less.From a historical viewpoint it maybe argued that the fact that democracy in India is not a pseudo democracy is evident for in the late seventies when the country was reeling under a dictatorial style of functioning,the then Prime Minister,Indira Gandhi lost to a relatively unknown Raj Narayan(although she returned to power two years later with a thumping majority).In Assam, a number of college students led by student leader Profulla Kumar Mohanto stunned the Congress by winning the assembly elections there.In Bengal the talismatic Jyoti Basu,the longest running chief minister in the history of India had to taste defeat, a fact which although unthinkable is true none the less.Thus in the past, India’s people have often had the last laugh so long as elections are concerned.
But then let us forget the past and think about the present.I fail to understand how changes will take place if people do not come out and vote.We are particularly critical about state policies,about politicians and yet when election day comes we would rather sit back and surf the net or watch televison.It has been argued that people has lost their faith in leaders of the predominant parties for there is no reason why one should vote for a Lesser Evil because a lesser Evil is a evil none the less.What we forget is the fact that ours is a political framework where an independent candidate may be elected as a representative to the local/national assembly if there is adequate public support for the former .But no, we wont vote or follow politics rather we would use our voter id’s for getting mobile sims and as an address proof.The above fact although shocking is true none the less.
As I look around me I find people in great pain,people who have lost their lands,people who have been subject to much oppression by a dreaded political power,poor people with no where to go,no place to hide.Their lands have been taken away as a part of a cleverly executed political plan and although the government has promised that employment opportunities would be generated for the former it is evident that industries would require skilled and semi-skilled labour and not a fleet of agricultural workers.I happened to attend a seminar on whether the West Bengal economy was at crossroads where a representative of the state government argued that the Tata car factory would not only provide direct employment but would also generate huge indirect employment.A prominent leftist leader in a recent interview stated that as new industries were to be setup the existing transport facilities would be upgraded.People who had lost their lands could work as rickshaw pullers,as auto drivers as truck cleaners.As I rubbed my eyes in disbelief the senior leader also went on to say that if 30,000 people were given employment and if all these people had at minimum 3 family members then new hair-cutting saloons had to be setup.Thus at a time when the rest of the world was talking of improving and upgrading educational facilities and strengthening existing agricultural resources our leaders were dreaming of a new generation,a generation of rickshaw pullers ,of truck cleaners and barbers.
A primary reason why all this nonsense is taking place is perhaps because of the fact that idiots like us can neither provide a solution nor look for an appropriate alternative.At a time when the entire world has rejected socialism we continue to be awestruck when we hear of Marxism and communism.For a state whose idols include the legendary Rabindranath Tagore and Subhash Chandra Bose born a hundred years ago it is thus not surprising that while the rest of India is moving ahead Bengal is moving backwards “What Bengal thinks today,India thinks tomorrow” has been replaced by the phrase “What Bengal thinks today,the world has already rejected yesterday”.
I reiterate,attending a non-political rally denouncing the events of Nandigram and Singur does NOT in any way bring to an end our social obligations.Running away is not a solution nor is it an effective ploy.We must remember that millions choose to die rather than live under the oppressive Britishers,they sacrificed their careers,their families for their motherland,for an independent India,an India governed by Indians where the interests of all were protected.I often wonder whether all of their sacrifice was wasted for although independent India is governed by Indians yet we have still have instances of inter-caste/communal violences.The tyrant Britishers have been replaced by corrupt Indians and pseudo Communist Bengalis.We have a breed of communal politicians who have come to power by cleverly playing the Hindu/Muslim/Sikh card and a breed of even dangerous “secular”politicians who prefer to change faces with changing times.
Communism often advocates the need of a socialistic frame of functioning for efficient utilization of existing resources.However it is literally impossible to accept a poltical framework where efficiency is not rewarded,where the concept of private property does not exist.Cynics have argued that the above were one of the many reasons why the socialistic frame of government collapsed in the erstwhile Soviet Union.In India we have leaders who speak of “Somajtontro”(Socialism)and how it is necessary yet closer inspection reveals that even after thirty years in power in Bengal the communist government has failed to setup a single government engineering /medical college in the state.Age old institutions be it St.Xavier’s ,Presidency,Jadavpur University,BESU and Calcutta Medical College still continue to attract the best and the brightest minds of the state.Thus half-baked capitalism and half based socialism,complemented by an efficient grassroot cadre system ensures that the government returns to power year after year.Moreover there is lack of accountability among members of the opposition and such is the amount of uncertainty associated with the opposition that when they take a genuinely postitive stance,people do not take them certainly,laughing it off as a much publicized drama.We live in sad times.
Addressing a second issue,a revolutionary new car was launched sometime back amidst much fanfare.Marketed as the world’s cheapest automobile the Nano created waves both in the domestic as well as the international market.Resembling a revamped “autorickshaw” and priced at one lakh rupees (minus taxes)the Nano would target the Indian middle class and was symbolic of the Great Indian Dream its makers argued.What people conveniently forgot was perhaps the fact that the number of vehicles plying on Indian roads had already reached an optimum level and that the Nano would do nothing but aggravate existing traffic problems.Cynics argued that the above was not a major problem for improved technology would subsequently lead to betterment of existing infrastructure and hence with passing time,Indian roads would accommodate more vehicles.
I on my part found the entire debate over whether the Nano was a boon or a bubble to be rather amusing.
At a time when a majority of the Indian population (22% to be precise)does not have the necessary finances to live at the subsistence level and unemployment and disguised unemployement have charactised the Indian labour market, the impact of a new automobile in India is of no particular relevance.Moreover a car subsidized by the landless farmers can never symbolize the Great Indian Dream and I strongly condemn those who play with the sentiments of others for their personal gain.
According to UNICEF reports one thousand nine hundred and nineteen children under 5 years of age died due to lack of proper medicare facilities and shortages of food in the previous year. Reports suggested that a primary reason why India was unsafe for children was the widespread and largely unchecked industrialisation causing release of dangerous levels of contamination into the environment and thereby into homes, educational establishments and even child care centres.India had the third highest child mortality rates in the world,a shade better than its neighbours Pakistan and Bhutan.Moreover surveys indicated that one among every forty eight Indian women died annually while giving birth to her child.Yet what was most paradoxical was perhaps the fact that 30 per cent of the doctors and paramedics practicing in the United Kingdom belonged to the Indian diaspora.Furthermore a large number of Indian doctors in the U.K were facing unemployment, poverty and discrimination and yet none were willing to return to their native land and serve their dying countrymen.Capitalist ideals have seeped into the world’s most noble profession and it is a shame that while we are discussing Hillary and Obama a new born child dies every second for no fault of his/her.
Thus quoting Prof.Soumyen Sikdar “let us continue to follow the dictom of ignoring what makes us uncomfortable and rejoice at the prospect of being a superpower endowed with the largest stock of human misery that the world has every seen.”