http://blogs.hindustantimes.com/cutting-the-edge/2010/03/21/stop-laughing-laugh-at-mayawati-or-ramdev/
Stop laughing at Mayawati or Ramdev Let’s not laugh at Mayawati’s money garland or Ramdev’s political steps — they are far more serious than many of our other illustrious leaders’ exploits. The joke, as I see it, is on the Indian thought-aping intelligentsia, the Indian digital-haves Twitterati, and the Indian power incumbents. I too see Mayawati’s garland of Rs 1,000 notes a symbolism of crudity that in this day and age has no place. But so does the ostentatious consumption of the rich and famous — the $60 million (Rs 270 crore) wedding of a billionaire that I find repugnant; the multi-crore car statements that are as permanent as invisible ink to my sensibilities; or even the fleet of 100 and counting cars that cart such statements to my politician school friend’s wedding. What makes it worse is that she’s playing with public money. Sitting from the air-conditioned comfort of easy access, it is easy for us to dismiss Mayawati’s garlands as notes from a planet that imploded a few decades ago. But for a large part of India, Mayawati’s and BSP’s brand of politics is a symbol of daring the status quo, carrying centuries of subjugation, a manipulation of history to suit the incumbents of that age. It is, inversely, about dignity, equality. Mayawati, by the way, doesn’t care two notes for what we think. So, as the media, the commentators, the other political parties engage in a vitriol of condemnation, she goes on — brash, loud, unrelenting. She is powered by those who vote for her, not us. Her identity politics will mellow down once her constituents get what they think is a fair share of power and wealth. Until then, it’s going to be what Pratap Bhanu Mehta, in one of the most brilliant analysis of the Women’s Bill I’ve read, terms Quotocracy. I disagree with her. I won’t vote for her. But I will definitely not follow the herd to condemn her, just yet. I am not going to judge her by what she demonstrates. That is mere positioning, an evocative, rebellious political stance. My analysis of Mayawati will be based on her work — and that’s something I’m watching closely. Over to Ramdev. The intelligentsia laughed at him for the sincerity with which he has brought health — in its most basic form, free of treadmills and other gadgets or air-conditioned gymnasiums — to the forefront of Indians, in the Indian way. Using the medium of TV to communicate with the people at large and spreading the message of good health (no colas, for instance, something that both Coke and Pepsi are pledging not to sell in schools), Ramdev has earned a following that the media, the academics or the power elite cannot even begin to fathom. Singed by his sincerity, even Brinda Karat had to step back. In modest drawing rooms of the middle class, Ramdev and his formulae of health are the subjects of discussion over dinner. Look anywhere — in schools, in railway stations, and now even in airports; in hospitals, offices, parks; cities or villages — and everyone knows Ramdev. He is debated, respected, followed. Even loved. That’s more than enough to begin nation building the way he sees it. Many of the ideas he is pushing for through his party Bharat Swabhian Andolan — corruption-free India, welfare of farmers, bringing back the black money slashed in Swiss Banks, prosperity to the 840 million poor of India — is something I identify and agree with. You would too. Any sane person, any patriot would. There remains the question of execution. But like Sonia Gandhi, he does not seek power for himself, but is on the lookout for 543 leaders who will fight elections and deliver his vision. “We need 543 good individuals in Parliament,” he told Vandita Mishra of The Indian Express. “But I already have 10,000 office bearers in my organisation who have no question mark against their character.” His ideas of governing India are mixed and I agree with some, disagree with others (reduction of junk food, for instance) — not unlike my views on goals of other parties. Depending upon his final manifesto and the team he chooses, I might actually vote for him. ------------------------------------ ---- INFORMATION OVERLOAD? Get all ZESTCaste mails sent out in a span of 24 hours in a single mail. Subscribe to the daily digest version by sending a blank mail to [email protected], OR, if you have a Yahoo! 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