Democracy : Mocked

For a really long time, I've been avoidimg news channels... the news channel in India have gone so bogus, that "Amitabh Bachchan suffering from cold" is a breaking news in one channel, while "a stray cat stuck on a roof" is on another, the media channels today are so desperate for the TRP's that the real news gets lost somewhere while everything else is a front pager....

Anyways, the last two days have been interesting... I had to follow the news for the great Indian Democracy was being played...

Why do I say... being played...

The story line across all the news channels, the news sites are consistent for once, they are all busy beaming images of the currency notes being put on the tables in the middle of probably one of the most important sessions of the Lok Sabha.

While I am writing this, the song starts to play at the back of my mind, "saare jahaan se achcha hindu sita hamara...." I'm sitting here in a foreign land, every bit of respect to my motherland... I stand up to the flag being hoisted even if in a movie... in a Cinema full of people with other nationalities... I took every bit of pride in doing so... every time someone asks me of India... with my head held high... I recite to them, a small episode on "unity in diversity", how we have more than 5000+ languages, a country with more than 14000+ dialects, a place where there is cultural difference, every 100kms and still we stand strong as one nation, but right now, these images are disturbing, these images are shameful, it's a black day for democracy...

However, one thing that is still not disturbing is the fact that it happens...

When I see these images, somehow, I am not shocked, because, finally, the facade has been lifted... we always knew the truth. We knew how the entire system of support works... there is a price tag to everything. The film industry has been bold enough to deface this several times, there are thousands and thousands of searing news articles, editorials and now there are plenty of blog posts on similar topics as well. We have news shows, we held discussions about it, but on 22nd July 2008, we see it LIVE.

May be this is the reason why I wasn't shocked. I only feel bemused and sad and disgusted.

To follow up further, all news anchors, the supposed young guns are reading us sentimental, sanctimonious speeches.

Do you believe in them? Do you want to want to believe in them?Do you think anything is going to change? No.

Is Indian politics suddenly going to start being about ideology rather than about money and power? No.

Is this going to change the fate of the nation...?

What will happen is there will be outbursts, definite outbursts,(don't you remember the nation wide agitation against the rule of reservations)... unlike that one, this outburst would only be on television, in news papers, fliers, conversations over the coffee, for magazines, this is a definite dope for at least a month. We would call upon the media, condemning the politicians, condemning the people, criticizing the system, there would be so many leaders who would be interviewed... everyone would try and safeguard their a**, they would all play pass the buck... but no ones going to take responsibility for their own action...


What really saddens me is the fact that everyone acknowledges these politicians are worthless scumbags and the fact that everyone is corrupt... we'd still vote and select amongst the same bunch next time, and the next time... seems like we are married to them... no matter what I'd be with you... till death does us apart...

We will continue to justify ourselves that no one can change anything, nothing can help, that India will remain the same and it's the country is f*cked up beyond repair.

We will continue to watch our movies, an escape from real life, we will continue to read books full of magic realism, we will still be preaching everyone around of how morally superior our culture is as compared to other cultures, and nearing 15th August we will text SMS's to everyone, a million and a half emails exchanged which proclaim that our country is the best in the world. We'd still position ourselves as the best... and when asked... you'd only get to hear, if you are so f*ckin concerned... why don't you do something about it....

And this continues...

Who am I kidding, for I am one amongst you....
I think we need a real life RDB, Satta, Shool, Nayak, YUVA...