A party that swept the polls with a vast majority just half a year back now faces deposition from its very own stronghold of votes. Parties today seem to be making a habit of buckling under pressure from regional elements. Be it the BJP which gave in to the demand of the Reddy brothers, albeit not wholeheartedly, or the ruling Congress which has lost its sheen after declaring that a separate Telangana state would be formed, money, power and influence are ruling over rationalism, secularism and unity of the nation as a whole. If the nation is secular, inclusive and does not tolerate regional/caste-based politics, the Shiv Sena should have been banned long ago and the MNS should have been nipped at the bud by a strong ban after the outrageous attack on innocent Railway Employment Applicants.
India is not as strong as she should be. A soft power, it sure is. Quoting Mr. Shashi Tharoor's wonderful speech at TED'09, India as a soft power can attract other nations with its values, ethics and technologically strong youth power. But it is too soft for its own well being. The vibrations of Mr.Chidambaram's microphone (after his declaration of the intention of forming a separate Telengana region) would have hardly died down before the Gorkhas started demanding a separate Gorkhaland. If this is satisfied too, then our Marathi Manoos will start fasting-unto-death. Then maybe Mr. Karunanidhi will fast (with three air-coolers focussed on him, lying in a comfortable bed, in a shaded spot) approximately between breakfast and lunch times one fine day, asking for a Tamil State where only Tamil is taught to all the commoners' children(while the children from rich and powerful families are sent abroad to study at Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard or Yale).
And here comes the worst part of this separation fiasco. The kids will then have a lot more states with their capitals to be remembered, their climatic variations and agricultural patterns to be studied in detail, in Geography! I pity my one-year old nephew who is happily dismantling things and uttering nonsensical words without any clue as to how these images he sees in the TV are going to make him carry a heavier Geography book in future.
India is not as strong as she should be. A soft power, it sure is. Quoting Mr. Shashi Tharoor's wonderful speech at TED'09, India as a soft power can attract other nations with its values, ethics and technologically strong youth power. But it is too soft for its own well being. The vibrations of Mr.Chidambaram's microphone (after his declaration of the intention of forming a separate Telengana region) would have hardly died down before the Gorkhas started demanding a separate Gorkhaland. If this is satisfied too, then our Marathi Manoos will start fasting-unto-death. Then maybe Mr. Karunanidhi will fast (with three air-coolers focussed on him, lying in a comfortable bed, in a shaded spot) approximately between breakfast and lunch times one fine day, asking for a Tamil State where only Tamil is taught to all the commoners' children(while the children from rich and powerful families are sent abroad to study at Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard or Yale).
And here comes the worst part of this separation fiasco. The kids will then have a lot more states with their capitals to be remembered, their climatic variations and agricultural patterns to be studied in detail, in Geography! I pity my one-year old nephew who is happily dismantling things and uttering nonsensical words without any clue as to how these images he sees in the TV are going to make him carry a heavier Geography book in future.
1 comment:
Great piece of writing!
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