Chasing A Mirage
“Hello” Lulu, my parrot said as he circled over my head and landed on the Mango tree. “I travelled to gauge the mood of the nation.”
“Mood of the nation? Are you referring to the elections this year?” I asked. “We Indians go berserk when elections are announced.”
“You said it. The only similar frenzy you see in the stadium where IPL match is played. Election has the same effect on Bharatiya Manus which whisky has on monkeys.”
“That’s in bad taste, Lulu. I do not like such remarks. Jaane do. What did you see?”
“Forget it. Tell me – Rahul Gandhi has published a manifesto; BJP has published a Sankalp Patra. Why don’t you publish your manifesto?”
“Oh, come on Lulu. Who will be interested in my manifesto? Moreover, I am not contesting any election.”
“So what? You represent the common man. Publish your manifesto. It will appeal to many people. But there is an alternative. Why not publish your charter of demands?”
“And that sounds like I am a Union Leader. Not a bad idea though. It is time to come together to force the political leaders to deliver on promise.”
“That’s interesting.”
“My first demand will be uninterrupted power supply.”
“Oh, Okay.”
“And my second demand will be clean air.”
“Interesting, I see your point.”
“And the third demand will be water on tap to all citizens throughout the year.”
“Did you see the Movie ‘The Bucket List’? A patient makes a list of things he would like to happen before he kicks the bucket.”
“What’s the relevance?”
“Your demands sound as if they are your bucket list.”
“Yes, Lulu. I would like to see these things happen before I kick the bucket”
“But it will remain only a wish list.”
“Why Lulu?”
“Because Modi may not give water to all communities, and Rahul Gandhi’s team will swallow money. The reality is that voters become irrelevant when leaders are elected. You will be chasing a mirage.” Lulu flew away.
Vivek S Patwardhan
”What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.”
Yesterday, a firs time voter asked Prakash Raj, why he should vote for him, if he does not have what a first time voter looks for – the winnability factor. After all, Prakash is more known for his acting, than for his politics.
Prakash Raj responded saying that he is not in the electoral process to win against opponents but to stir the system a bit for the next 15 years. It is the electorate that wins or loses. If the MP does not bother to report a progress card in your locality, because he is wedded to somebody’s manifesto far from you, the electorate has already lost. That is why even a two time MP who cannot report a progress card for his voters in his constituency, against a winnable manifesto is a sitting duck in the Parliament. Voters better awake.
Refrains of that in the common man’s manifesto.
That said, education, and exploration of system realities are critical for democracy to evolve. In the size that is India, that’s a mirage. Voters do not wan to entertain complexity, even if India is itself complex. They prefer oversimplification, at their own peril. Top soil has lost its moisture, and we have allowed our farmers to take their own lives.