Power Lies Within

N.B. The following is a topical essay, the subject of which concerns the Indian youth, the young political leaders and the influence that these young leaders have over young voters with regard to enticing them to cast votes and eventually bring about a change in the world we live in (written a few months back with reference to the latest Lok Sabha elections).

The government of a country plays the most important role in shaping the character of a nation. In a democracy it’s the people who elect their representatives to form the government. For ages India has witnessed the oligopoly of a select few politicians who claim to be the guardians of the largest democracy in the world; and the results have invariably been less than satisfactory. Of course there have been significant reforms and developments in various sectors, but they appear grand only in isolation.

‘Politics’ in India is synonymous to corruption, crime and dishonesty, at least in the minds of the common youth. And to a great extent this perception is justified. What does one expect from the system where people with past and current criminal records are allowed to contest elections, and are even elected! This has created a disregard in the minds of the youth towards their most important right – the right to vote! To vote and elect one’s representatives is the essence of a democracy. Thus the concept of ‘enticing’ young voters must be extricated from our thought process. If one has to be enticed to vote, it is time that the country as a whole reflects upon its existence as a democracy. Whether young or not, urban or rural, it’s the basic responsibility of the citizens of a democracy to VOTE. A person who abstains from voting has no business to question the system or detect flaws in its functioning. Mahatma Gandhi gave us a message many years ago, ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world’, and change we must be. As members of the largest democracy in the world we must safeguard our country by preparing and electing suitable representatives to administer the nation and lead us all onto the path of overall development in an honest manner.

Indian politics has become more of a business than a service for most politicians. The sudden ‘hype’ surrounding young political leaders is not really so sudden if one carefully traces the roots of this drive. The search and awareness of young politicians is a very sensitively executed movement by various forms of media in the country.

Today we can say that India is waking up to the need for a change. After all, ‘the first step towards creating a better life is to develop the ability to envision it’. And most of this awakening is happening among the Indian youth. As regards demography, India is a young country with majority of its population being under 30 years of age. Thus we see a shift in the mass opinion. The forthcoming Assembly elections will have the largest number of first time voters. A realization has dawned upon the youth that change is what we need today. A change in the system, a change in the nation’s outlook and finally a change in leadership. The nation is convinced that any change, will certainly be a change for the better. It is not change for good that one yearns for at this point, it is change for the better.

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Adieu MJ

26th June, 2009 began on a sad note for me. The morning bulletin broke the news of Michael Jackson's death to the world. Unexpected and shocking as it was, this revelation was very sad as well. Having been someone as successful and as popular world over as MJ, such an end is very anti-climatic.

MJ's death surely has his fans in a chasm of depression and sadness. I'm not glorifying his rather controversial life, but he must be respected for the good work he has done, for which the world worshiped him at a point time (I'm sure a lot of people still do). He was an amazingly talented artiste and his music is testimony to that. As a child, I remember allusions being made to MJ's dances. One would lose count of the number of people who imitated his dance moves. His albums and singles have had record-breaking stats, and he was the proud winner of multiple Grammys. 'Shattering' is the word that describes this feeling when one hears of another tragic end of a legend.

Hours after his death, the investigating authorities in the USA seem to have detected foul play in the sudden and mysterious death of the Pop King. Is this what a star deserves? And all this happened just days before his comeback concerts kicked off. This is not the kind of farewell the world would have wanted to give to their favourite pop icon. At this point I recall the scene when MJ visited Mumbai. I was very young then but I remember the frenzy. People went berserk, scores of girls squealed till they collapsed. Such was the magic created by this Pop King.

I pray that MJ's soul rests in peace, as one of the world's most widely beloved entertainers of all times, leaves an indelible mark on pop music & culture... and in our hearts.

Bless your soul MJ, you will always be with us.

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My First Vote

Today is a special day for all the candidates who's constituencies go to the polls in the third phase of the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. It is a memorable day for me as well. I went to cast my first vote today with my mother who quite ironically also cast her first vote today. Mom is an aware and responsible citizen who can talk sense about anything remotely to do with politics, but unfortunately due to some or the other reason she could not make it to the electoral roll earlier.

The entire process was quite simple. I went in with my identification proof, got my finger inked, and cast my secret ballot. It all happened in a minute. But the sense of being a responsible Indian and having done my duty lingers even after. There is a different sense of belonging now, one that is much stronger than what I have ever felt.

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Strange Memories

It was May in the year 1991, when Rajiv Gandhi as Prime Minister, came to Muzaffarpur - a town in Bihar - to deliver a speech to locals as part of the election campaign for the INC. The programme was organised in a large open field in Chakkar Maidan. A special bullet proof glass case, well equipped with loudspeakers and microphones, was arranged for. The roads had been cleaned laboriously, and barks of all trees in the town had been smartly painted in the typical 'geru' and white colour. In short, Muzaffarpur was ready to welcome the Prime Minister.

On the scheduled day, Rajiv Gandhi arrived in a helicopter, dressed in white kurta-pyjama. Quite a crowd had gathered to listen to him. People were seated in front of his podium on the ground. A lot of people were standing. A few others were at the boundaries of the ground. among these few others was a family of 4, consisting of a husband, a wife, a daughter and the wife's younger sister. The daughter was 1 and a half years old. The little girl could not understand anything but she could hear a fair man in white clothes speaking from a glass case. Her mother told her that the case was bullet proof. This was all she remembered of that incident.

A few years later that girl, for some strange reason, thought that she had heard Mr. P.V. Narsimha Rao speak in her town that day. A possible explanation for this belief could be that Mr. Rao was the Prime Minister then, and most politicians dressed in white clothes. It was only when her mother clarified that she realised who it actually was. The girl was to learn after a few years that Rajiv Gandhi had been assassinated just a few days after he delivered that speech in Muzaffarpur.

Being a typical north Indian family, which migrated to Bombay in 1994, politics was a special interest and a topic of regular discussion in that girl's family. But still nothing can explain why and how that girl remembers that particular incident so vividly till date. It's not that it was an episode which she was reminded of regularly, but then such things do happen in life. People do remember strange or particular incidents of their childhood. Such was the case about Rajiv Gandhi's speech in 1991 which that little girl (who is no more little now) remembered and will always remember.

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When At the Movies

People who truly savour the occasion of watching films have certain set ideas about their seats. It is seen that top row seats are the hottest in demand and are the first ones to be sold out. My family and I are movie aficionados and we try and watch as many films as we can, together. Luckily for us, there is a very comfortable theatre at walking distance from our residence, and off late that has become the only theatre we go to. I have been the one who got tickets at a majority of occasions. I used to feel lucky on learning that the top row seats were still not booked and would grab them immediately. But after a few instances in the top row, my preference has changed from 'top row' to 'anything but top row'. The reason is simple. There are always late comers to movies, always. And these late comers, instead of seeking help from the ushers, like to probe into the darkness with the help of seats, and the people seated on them. they will invariably kick the seats (I wonder how), especially the ones in the top row, as that is the common passage to all the seats. Imagine, you are engrossed in the film, the story is opening up, you have settled down with your companions and popcorn and suddenly - just as you are about to hear the opening dialogue, you get a good jerk on your seat from a dear late comer. There's not much you can do about it besides grumbling and cursing the culprit. Such offenders very conveniently forget to apologise, I doubt if they even entertain the thought. In fact some of them return with an encore to give you a harder kick because their seat is on the other side. The late comer has finally found his seat and is now getting into the movie, probably by pestering his neighbour to tell him all that he has missed. And you are completely disoriented and it takes you another 15 minutes to get back into the film.

Its not that I hate late comers to movies; its their misbehaviour that irks me. I have been late only once for a movie, but trust me I did not as much as come close to a seat while foraging for my seat, forget about giving the already seated audience jerks. That's precisely the reason I don't understand how people manage to 'kick' seats. I mean, you are supposed to be walking for heaven's sake! Have some courtesy! Or maybe that's how the average man is today- inconsiderate and discourteous, and I'm only expecting the impossible... yes, I guess I am. Because when you don't have late arrivals, you have these great souls who, in the middle of a movie, will suddenly want to stretch their lower limbs and land a nice push onto your seat. And its not just 'a' push that I'm talking about; its a series of pushes and kicks that goes on till the great soul is satisfied. Such is the disregard in the minds of the masses about others' convenience, such is their selfishness and such is their ill-mannered, ill-bred and uncouth bearing. All this comes out from such small incidences that I fear to dwell upon bigger happenings of social life.

Well the long and short of the story is that i have now begun to seek seats which are a little away from the top row. The guy at the ticket counter gives me strange looks sometimes wondering if I'm a novice into theatres. But let him think what he wants to. I do not believe in spending money to watch a film only to get kicked by late arrivals.

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A Small Ray of Hope

All creatures were created with a view to adorn the only planet in the Universe which could sustain life. We all had our share of the land, air and water; everything was arranged for peaceful co-existence. Why then have we reached an age where Man harbours only and only intolerance towards all other species?

Man was bestowed with superior capabilities by the Creator to uphold and ensure the well-being of all creatures - big or small. But what did Man do? He defied each and every aspect of that well crafted, ideal plan of sustenance. He pillaged the natural resources beyond limits, ravaged the flora and fauna, divided land, water and air, and eventually ended up evolving from an ape into a detestable greedy and selfish creature, not worthy of being called human.

Man only thought of his pleasures, his entertainment and his convenience. Thus he resorted to needless hunting of animals and felling of trees. There are numerous episodes which penetrate my heart like a sword. Episodes of cruelty to animals, fellow humans and indiscriminate wastage of life and resources. Just see where we have reached today. We are at a stage of deterioration and soon this blessed planet (which it was) will succumb to our deeds. We have taken mother nature for granted, polluted the environment and succeeded in depleting the ozone layer. At this point in time, there is only a feeling of despair in my mind; and I desperately wish that we had not become what we have become, and the world would have remained that ideal world in which Adam and Eve had lived. But what stays with me is my small ray of hope, as our continuous degeneration blurs my horizon.

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