Prof M L Raina
“It grieves any heart to know
What man has made of man”
-William Wordsworth-
Now, after a long lapse of time, the curtain has risen again on the political Theatre of the absurd, presenting the interesting scenes of the usual memorable melodrama, with exciting features of tomfoolery and deceit, providing both amazement and amusement. Now the eazer spectators watch live the skilled players playing their scripted roles with aplomb and cocksureness.
Now, the actors, displaying their art of histrionics, are trying to create empathy in the minds of the onlookers, in respect of their sham idealistic jargon.
Now, as this political jugglery moves on, the experienced actors on the stage, will use the device of hypnotism of make believe, and cast a magic spell on the audience to win their benumbed hearts.
Now, with their well rehearsed dialogue delivery, they will hold the people before them spell-bound and dazed. Scene after scene, on the absurd stage, will be presented in proper sequence to delight the teeming audience, especially those seated in the pit of the theatre, reserved for the commoners. Soon there will, by and by, start the process of unfolding the motiff of the drama namely-self before service.
Now, all the political stalwarts in this country-wide theatre will try their peculiar tricks of make- believe by use of their honeyed words and phrases, spiced with humour, witticism and satire. Now, they will arm themselves to the teeth and jump head long into the fray. Now they will, with all their might, elbow out the crowd of contestants and scramble their way to the ever-tempting corridors of power. They will move heaven and earth after ascending to these corridors, to seek pelf with the power in their hands, however demeaning the means they have adopted for this may be.
In this chronically sickening and disgusting electoral scenario of hullabollo, there will follow the same spirited speeches, signifying nothing, the same old and hollow promises of bringing down the moon-the same prostration before the gullible voters, the same monetary and other tantalising baits to catch votes, the same washing of each others dirty linen in public, the same slanderous attacks, the same use of the craftily created vote banks, the same free use of invectives, the same show of the hired muscle power.
The existing mode of politics has progressively degenerated and the polity is in a shambles. The citizens of India are witnessing helplessly moral turpitude, uncontrolled corruption of both money and mind, murders and kidnappings, molestation of women, criminalisation of politics, complete collapse of law and order machinery to name only a few.
With political ethics having gone down to abysmal depths the lure of wealth-producing power has taken precedence over the national interests and thus the general welfare has become a casuality. Our nation has lost its moorings, drifting along like a ruderless ship with no prospect of its anchorage in sight. Ruefully the national character is at the lowest ebb. For this sorry scheme of things, it is our leaders, rather misleaders, who are to blame. They have no attributes or guiding principles that one would like to emulate. Discipline is imperative for nation building and national character. In their absence people will be guided by their whims and evil forces, hidden in the caverns of the human mind. The leaders have failed us. They are mostly engaged in self-oriented activities. Their wealth mania goes down all the administrative channels and the result is for all to see.
For the first time possibly, in the usual electoral battle of the Lok Sabha elections, a new person has descended on the scene, and jumped into the electoral brawl. This much talked about crusader against corruption namely Kejriwal, with no political background but of course with a clean image, has suddenly caught the imagination of the people and has an unimaginably huge following with his resolute mission to sweep the country clean of the cancer of corruption. All the political parties in one voice, have decried his antics and denounced him as a foolhardy maniac, without knowing even iota of the complexities of the art of politics, having only a nuisance value. They may be right. But the big and puzzling question is as to why a large number of people of good repute, have become his fans overnight. The answer is simple: he has no baggage of moral recklessness, self-interests, political trickery, blames of corruption and so on, on his back. He appears as a beacon light to his followers in the dark seas of crippling corruption. The citizens of this unfortunate country are getting suffocated in the prevailing atmosphere of hopelessness and desperation. Their position is like the proverbial drowning man catching at a straw. That is why they have pinned their hopes on him.
The point is not who will lead the country but what kind of India do we really want to live in.
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