Aadmi Aadmi Party , Hobbits and an unexpected journey !

It has been a while I blogged and a greater crime is that I took over 10 years to finally watch the Lord of The Rings Trilogy and recently the 2 Hobbitt sequels. So only folks who had read the books or watched the movies might enjoy this post.

It is an interesting world of Middle Earth which has Orcs, Wizards, Trolls, Elves, Dwarfs who are much more capable, political and even have the ambition to rule Middle Earth, yet to overcome the Evil, its the hobbits who come forth to take the burden, a race of 4 ft tall beings who never want to venture out their comfortable town of Shire.

The Aam Aadmi or the Indian middle class are much like Hobbits, very content and self centered around their own life, eking out a simple living and hardly wanting to step out of the comfort zone and not involve themselves in politics and civil life. They did rather bribe a police man or govt. official than take a stand, forget about standing for elections, even voting was a luxury for this folk.

What changed all this, the rampant corruption and apathy of governments finally led to a breaking point, where Arvind Kejriwal & team ( i admit I was a skeptic) decided to take the plunge into electoral  politics  and actually won power in the very first time a party was formed. off course we can debate till the cows come home whether Arvind and team are any different from BJP and Congress but for that we need to give them time.

Coming back to Middle Earth analogy, although the Hobbits were creatures who punched much above their weight, they also had to bear the cross of "One Ring" which was evil and was always looking for every opportunity to lead him astray.

The post of Chief Minister is such a double edged sword - it offers power to Arvind and Team to make a difference or fall prey to power and perks to become just like politicians before them. I truly believe in the race to get power, the older political parties have become like "Gollum" obsessed with power and not really remember why they joined politics at all.

This Delhi govt led by AAP will be a true test if politics in 21st century can take a turn for good or bad, but kudos to the middle class in Delhi who opted for a change and gave a fledgling party a chance to rule.  The next 6 months before 2014 general elections will determine if this movement is a fire or mere flame based on their performance.

As JRR Tolkien wisely said it is foolish to expect one man can change the nation, may it be Modi, Rahul or Kejriwal it has to be the collective actions of the common folk each and every citizen to make a difference.

Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. I found it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay - Gandalf ( The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey)

Censorship and abdication of the state !

It is off course old news, the ban on Kamal Hassan's movie and the outrage news media has moved on since to the VVIP helicopter scam, as of 24X7 is like a genie which needs new and new challenges and does not really have the time to linger on the past.

The spectacle of a movie cleared by the censor board and even released in other nations and states but is banned in the home state of TN because the CM says she does not have the security to guard each cinema hall.  In a clear abdication of her responsibilities  she goes on to give a mathematical calculation of the police constables available and she cannot protect 550+ theaters. By that logic none of 1 billion Indians excluding VVIPS and industrialists are safe in this country.

 In a country where a facebook status update can get you arrested or girl band can be bullied into submission by a fatwa and threats in social media and a government which does little to curb the fringe elements across religious lines only creates a social where the majority prefers to be silent and watch freedoms been curbed.

A society where law enforcement is limited, a police force which is intimidating and court cases which takes years to be taken to resolution, there is little hope but rather more cynicism and anger on the system. this was  seen in the aftermath of the Delhi gangrape case, instead of engaging the youth the government instead used water cannons and lathi charge on the crowds.

How curious is that, the government finds it easier to terrorize the slient majority than take action on the fringe elements. If a veteran actor like Kamal Hassan can be bullied into re-censoring a movie then what chance does the common man have ?

As it stands, there is little hope left, the middle class is so helpless, they are ready to follow any voice which will take on the system which can represent a radical change, i.e. earlier the support for Jan lokpal and now the fascination for the iron leader from Gujarat, in a way looking for a easy way out of the mess.

Every time we step back with a movie ban, facebook & twitter related arrest or remove paintings from a museum, we are only digging ourselves into a deeper and darker pit.

"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably - Star Trek TNG

The churn but just the beginning ...

The recent uprising of the Indian middle class especially the youth in protests against the Delhi gang rape case and earlier the Janlokpal movement shows an interesting shift in the social consciousness of modern India. Media pundits and sociologists are describing this as a final change in the typical Indian apathy driven mindset. If you are following Indian media and news papers reports, a lay man would form the following opinions:- 

• The Indian government has failed in the Indian state and there is complete breakdown in law and order, Indian women are not safe anywhere
• The Indian middle class has completely awakened and this is Indian equivalent of Arab Springs 
• The misogynistic views made by certain religious and political leaders are been condemned across the nation
• The accused should be given severe punishment like Arab nations or castration 

Although the above statements are true in partial measure, there are shades of grey in all aspects of the points discussed, although the Indian government has failed in protecting the victim in Delhi and many other cases, but unlike the Arab nations which deny many freedom particularly to women.

The Indian govt. definitely missed a great opportunity to connect with the youth and instead resorted to water cannons and lathi charges which only helped in reducing their already limited credibility to further shambles and in the current social media and sensationalist news media had a ready story in hand to exploit. 

Although the middle class has shown a change and shown signs of participation, it is still an urban camera friendly protests which only identifies with the causes close to its psyche and cannot identify with causes like caste discrimination and vast social inequality or even  crimes against women in rural India.

Although I cannot agree with most of Mohan Bhagwat's statements but definitely there is a Bharat and India emerging which share the same geography but heading towards different economic opportunities available to them. The misogynists and old age view held by many draconian minds will not change over night , it will require sustained focus by the people. 

The media has as an invested interest in the social protests and state of unrest, it gives them ready fuel and drama to run a 24X7 news channel and their true interest is only tapping into the unrest of the Indian masses and not in actually solving any real problems.

The churn in the youth has began which is encouraging but it still needs further direction and also reconciliation with the rural India to have an effective pan India movement which will drive true change. The Indian constitution has enough freedom and laws to enable this change but this requires a new kind of leadership needs to emerge from civil society and ordinary walk of life to make this happen. 

India's "Beta-cracy"

Just yesterday I was watching Karan Johar's latest movie Student of the Year starring the Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan the kids of Mahesh Bhatt and David Dhawan respectively. In this movie, there was another character who had a decent role, a chubby bespectacled kid Parsi boy who had pretty strong lines and scenes considering the usual scope of a supporting role like that of the hero's friend.  I felt happy at-least Kjo had a heart to give lines to a non-star kid. 

Turns out that Parsi kid is Kayoze Irani, the son of Boman Irani another star son launch. DAMN. 

It is not just Kjo giving an easy platform to the star kids, there are plenty of examples of Kapoors, Deols and  even Bhagnanis where it just matters what your surname is. Very few outsiders can even hope to break in the clique and even if they do they did need to work twice as hard to maintain their position.

Even looking beyond Bollywood, look in the corporate industry or politics, you will see several examples of seats been kept warm for the scions. Even in media you have several star sons and daughters, Barkha Dutt is the daughter of leading journalist Prabha Dutt. Rajdeep Sardesai is the son of cricketer of Dileep Sardesai. Sagarika Ghosh is the wife of Rajdeep. Prannoy Roy is the brother in law of Prakat Karat.  

There is not one field in India which are not run by select group of well-connected families. I remember reading in an article few years back, the Pakistan legislature is controlled by 200+ families, I suspect the Indian Parliament must also show similar trends.

The reverse question which people will raise is, if begin a star son a disqualification and speak about the services rendered by the previous generation and qualifications they have acquired. Whilst this is true, the fact is this, it is only a reflection of a feudal mindset where the masses give control of their lives to benevolent landowners or Kings.

Thats why even though I do not really endorse all the following people, I really appreciate the rise of Mamata Banerjee, Narendra Modi, Kejriwal, NRN, Arnab Goswami, John Abraham. India definitely needs change in all fields be it politics, business world, civil service, news media and entertainment.  There needs to be a clear break from the "Beta-cracy" which is plaguing our nation.

The question is will this makes a big difference, will the new blood which will replace the old guard make a difference or will it remain the same. 

The same fiery Bal Thackeray and Karunidhi who drove the Congress dynasty to the ground in the 60-70s are battling with a large dynasty of their own. The vicious circle of nepotism rears its ugly head. The un-holy nexus between politics, business and government is what leading the country to the un-heard of levels of corruptions. 

As the Joker says in The Dark Knight - " The city deserves a better class of criminals" 

Gangnam Style, Kolaveri and Innocence

If you have an existence on social networking sites, you could not have missed a portly Korean man prancing around in extraordinary goofy style which is now "Gangnam Style" the most viewed and liked video in the history of Youtube.  

Some time back, another video sung quiet off-key by Southern Actor Dhanush "Kolaveri Di" was  the talk of town, this very ordinary piece of singing reaching a far greater reach than imagined.  Clearly in this era of the highly networked world, an Internet connection and social media channels like Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, ideas both good, bad, ugly and funny can resonate across the world. 

Takes me back to the song Friday by Rebecca Black which was derided by people all over the world, imagine the kind of rejection the poor girl would have faced.  Still the criticism stayed virtual or the trolls who hound celebs, journalists with vulgar and crude language. 


Sadly another video found a much larger audience than it should have, "The innocence of Muslims" a disparaging video made by mischievous elements with extremely poor production values and the voices overdubbed so even the actors were taken for a ride. 

Such an ugly video, found credence and has been circulated by the same social media channels which promote so much of mirth to become a weapon of hate, leading to deaths and damage to people and property. A mob killing an envoy, bomb killing Russians and South Africans in Afghanistan and attacks on Norwegian embassies and protests worldwide.

The Innocence of Muslims is not the only ugly video on the Internet, there are lots of hate videos against Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs. 

The violence has promoted many nations to block social media sites. Censorship will only take the world on a slippery road, and violence over hate speeches and thoughts will only increase the fault-lines in the society. 

Social Media is not the cause of unrest but only an medium for amplification. I hope in not so distance future only Kolaveri ( Murderous rage) is reserved for the likes of Dhanush and people learn to take things in stride and live life "Gangnam Style".

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. In fact have the wisdom to reject hateful thoughts.

Rise

This post on The Dark Knight Rises (TDKR) is long due now, one of the reasons to wait so long was not seem like a crazed fan-boy ( which off course I am ).   TDKR is a movie event I have been awaiting for the last 4 years after the Dark Knight which was a mind blowing movie which is the Gold Standard for a super hero movie. 

TDKR definitely was a good movie, not as enthralling or having memorable dialogues like its predecessor, the problem being no one could figure out what the hell Bane was saying behind his mask.  The best thing about the movie was the ending which still intrigues me even today, weeks after. 

The Batman actually hangs up his boots and leaves Gotham for good. A superhero who has had enough.  The Batman / Bruce Wayne unlike other superheros like Clark Kent / Peter Parker is not from a humble background or gifted with super powers.  The Batman was never about hope, it was always about channelizing his guilt of being an unwilling part in his parent's death because of his fear of bats. 

The Batman must surely go down in comic book history as one of the most clinically depressed, brooding superheroes who derived no peace in saving Gotham or putting criminals behind bars. 

Christopher Nolan through his Batman trilogy does give Bruce Wayne the perfect arc, starts off as an angry jock, finds his purpose in life in Batman Begins, encounters the Joker and the death of Rachel pushes him off the edge in the Dark Knight and finally in the third  installment he rises above his pain, guilt and anger to save Gotham and himself.

Both Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne were great men but how each dealt with his pain made the difference, Bruce used his pain for good whilst Dent went down a destructive path. Eventually even Bruce had to move on. 

Remember no pain remains forever, no obligations or burden needs to be borne for eternity, no-one or nothing is irreplaceable ... not even The Dark Knight. 

Trouble in Eden !

There was once a magical land named Eden where the Demi-gods lived, where dreams came true, it was a place where wishes came true and for little efforts, rewards were huge. The Demi-Gods were kind and admitted the mortals freely and for devotion, mortals were rewarded with gold, plush houses.

The mortals from earth could come visit Eden and live for a few years, earn huge fortunes and go back to their land much wealthier and influential. The Demi-Gods just wanted the mortals to make statues and to glorify them.

As the story of the mortal artisans making the trips to Eden became more and more well known, the mortals realized this was an easy ticket to ride. Several schools to train and deploy artisans began to spring up. Other trades began to be ignored, the sole motive of mortals was securing a gateway to Eden.

Like all good things, the good times at Eden also had to come to an end. By the curse of the sages, Eden was struck by a series of natural calamities like quakes and storms. Suddenly the demi gods no longer had the luxury of entertaining the mortals.  Suddenly the demi-gods wanted the mortals out, they began to see the mortals as parasites feeding on their great society.

The mortals were concerned, and once the gateways to Eden began to close, politics and opportunism began to take over, it was no longer easy for people to reach Eden. The journey to the promised land of Eden has just become a nightmare, with thousands and thousands of mortal artisans waiting for their turn to enter Eden, life just got tougher.

As you might have guess, this story was a thinly veiled reference of the Indian IT services industry and the situation in the Western World. India was fortunate to have an army of English speaking programmers who could take on the Y2K problem. Any one who was lucky enough or smart enough to catch the IT wave became quite successful, however the same cannot be said for the young engineering graduate passing out of college today as circumstances have become much more challenging.