2011- The Year of the Common Man

This article was also published in Udantya - an online platform that subscribes to artistic expression.

http://udantya.wordpress.com/cameo/

2011 was a year of major political upheaval. The Arab Spring reaffirmed that a nation should be run by the people and for the people. While the Arab Spring was violent in character, India showed the global community that a revolution can be orchestrated by virtue of peaceful and democratic tools. As 2011 draws to a close and we welcome 2012, it seems apt to recap a year that marked a significant change in the Indian political milieu and also to see what lies ahead for a nation embroiled in various political and social predicaments. For many years, Indian politics has been synonymous with corruption. The common man had come to accept corruption as way of life and voted in hope that some day, his/her elected politician would validate the vote. The United Progressive Alliance (UPA)was voted to power in 2004. With two world-renowned economists and an erudite Harvard Graduate at the helm of Indian politics, one would have imagined that constructive change in Indian politics would be on the anvil. On the other hand, different corruption charges vying for supremacy plagued our system. Over the past seven years, frustration and helplessness of the silent majority threatened to erupt but could not find a congenial vent. Six decades after independence, after spending trillions on education, health and food, and yet leaving two thirds of our people hungry, illiterate, unskilled and bereft of basic medical care, the government continued to enjoy immunity from a unified confrontation. The year 2011 changed everything. Out of nowhere, it was a 74 year old Gandhian, Anna Hazare, who channelized the anger of the Indian gentry and hoi polloi to lead an unprecedented, peaceful protest against corruption. The austere messiah shook the pillars of the government’s monumental arrogance and galvanized an entire nation to stand up and be counted. The age old adage ‘A democracy is of the people, by the people and for the people’ echoed repeatedly at the Ramlila Maidan (Delhi), Azad Maidan (Mumbai) and countless other maidans across the country. Such was the impact of the protest that even the Indian diaspora felt obliged to chip in and demand for an accountable and responsible government. While it would be immature and foolish to assume that the Lokpal Bill would be the panacea/right option for all our problems, the government failed to gauge the pulse of the nation and performed the reprehensible act of trying to tarnish the image of Team Anna. While you would expect a sane government to engage in dialogue to solve pertinent issues, it was absolutely preposterous to see the government indulging in puerile one upmanship. Of course, the voice of the common man could not be ignored and common sense prevailed when the government realized that it had no other option but to debate the bill in parliament. As I write this article today, the Lokpal Bill is being debated in the parliament. I re-iterate that this bill may not be the right option. Its various shortcomings are a different point of discussion altogether. But at least the government has woken up from its slumber and is contemplating to reweave (read change) India’s social fabric. At the risk of sounding pseudo-intellectual, let me confess that some of the problems facing multi-cultural, multi-lingual, multi-religious and multi-faceted India are too intricate to be solved by a simple bill or agitation. Also, not all our politicians are corrupt and are in fact facing the brunt of some inexplicable laws and policies that were endorsed, proposed and implemented by some of our parochial and power-hungry politicians. Be it the issue of Naxalism (refer to glossary), home bred terrorism (one cannot always point fingers at our neighbors), reservation or apathy to the North-East’s economic and social plight, we are stuck in a quagmire which is becoming murkier by the day. In my opinion, the concept of coalition politics has been the Achilles Heel of our democracy. While you may or may not endorse their bold actions or policies, would the shrewd, almost dictatorial, Indira Gandhi or even the more composed, articulate Rajiv Gandhi have been able to implement what they envisaged? Today, with the likes of Karunanidhi/Jayalalitha, Mamata Didi, Mayawati, Lalu Prasad Yadav (absolutely horrendous to watch him clamor for reservation in the Lokpal structure when deciding the content of the bill should be a priority) wanting a share in every pie and calling the shots from their palatial dens, it is not difficult to empathize with world-renowned economists, Harvard Graduates who are forced to pander to the whims and fancies of these minority parties. Ultimately, as trite as it may sound, the denizens of our nation suffer. India is an idea whose time has come. With a demographic dividend higher than that of most other nations, the biggest disservice we can do to our youth and working class is to bury them under the rubble of corruption and petty politics. Today, I feel optimistic about constructive change when I see Indians in India and countless Indians across the globe (just deciding to stay in your country does not make you a responsible, conscientious citizen) striving to battle corruption and empower and educate their brethren by various innovative and effective methods. Leading from the front, these conscientious citizens symbolize the Gandhian maxim ‘Be the change you want to see in the world’. More power to them!

ZNMD review

Many people opine that art, including cinema, should imitate life and reflect the social and cultural status of its audience. I beg to differ. The purpose of cinema is to not only reflect our past and present but also to make us explore the untrodden path, appreciate other cultures and feel overawed by its vision. There is a reason why we love super-hero movies or movies that transport us to the exotic culture of other nations.

After painting a layered portrait of the Bollywood Film industry in her debut venture (Luck By Chance), Zoya Akhtar takes us on a road trip to Spain which turns out to be a metaphor for an expedition of self discovery wherein three friends iron out their differences, obtain answers to some of life's disturbing,tricky questions and learn to deal with life on their own terms. So even though the picturesque Spain might appear too far-fetched for a holiday to the average India viewer, ZNMD is as much a pamphlet to explore the Spanish culture as it is an ode to friendship and a lesson to the average Joe who is all but consumed by monetary gratification and societal norms.

Kabir, played by Abhay Deol,is all set to tie the knot with his fiancee Natasha (played by Kalki Koechlin)and wants to embark on a three week road trip to Spain with this two best school buddies, Imran (Played by Farhan Akhtar)and Arjun (played by Hrithik Roshan). After a lot of deliberations, the three undertake this journey where each one of them has to perform an adventure sport of someone else's choice. So, while Arjun is hydrophobic and is helped by diving instructor Laila (played by Katrina Kaif) to get over his phobia, Imran suffers from acrophobia and Kabir squirms at the thought of being chased by bulls, the trip pact forces each one of them to confront their fears headlong and thereby conquer them. While Zoya resorts to adrenaline pumping adventure sports such as Deep-sea diving, Skydiving,and Running with the bulls, to test the mettle of her principal leads, these sports act as metaphors for freedom and extrication from the cobwebs of fear and indecision. So, while you might not get a chance to indulge in these expensive, luxurious activities, the idea you take home is that one should live life by the moment and experience the small,often ignored pleasures of life.

There are so many aspects to like about the movie. I hardly remember a movie where each and every lead has been showered with such a beautifully sketched character. Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti's screenplay is so seamless that you are transported into the center of the action and don the hat of each character lead - be it the money minded Arjun who prioritizes work over any relationship or Imran who is in search of his biological father or the progressive Kabir who wants an independent wife not relegated to the confines of household chores. So, while the second half appears a tad too long, I must confess that we have become used to fast-paced, mad capers which give us no time to think about the million loop-holes that are hidden in the script and hence do not appreciate the subtleties of a strong screenplay. The truth of the fact is that ZNMD gives the viewer food for thought and makes you analyze the proceedings.

The movie is bolstered by some razor sharp and slice-of life dialogues by Farhan Akhtar and by some beautiful,evocative poetry by the multi-faceted Javed Akhtar. Some of the scenes are so expertly enacted that they are etched in your memory long after you have left the cinema hall. Take that scene where Arjun and Imran break into a fight or that scene where Imran confronts his biological father or even that magical scene where Hrithik Roshan finally conquers his fear of drowning- the list goes on an on- and you are treated to a heady cocktail of commercial and thought provoking cinema . Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music is good but not a patch on the trio's work in say a DCH or Kal Ho Na Ho. However, a special mention must be made of the visually grand Senorita.

Of the cast, Kalki Koechlin is funny, more of a caricature,as the possessive fiancee (watch her in the scene where she drives a car - seems like an allusion to a few women drivers you might know :)). Despite the stilted dilaogue delivery that we have all come to accept, Katrina Kaif exudes warmth and grace as the free-spirited deep-sea diving instructor, Laila. Naseerudhin Shah is expectantly brilliant in a fleeting cameo. Watch how beautifully he underplays his part. He can certainly teach today's actors a lesson or two in nuanced acting.

It is to the credit of the three leads that none of them resorts to histrionics to hog the limelight. The trio shares an electric camaraderie and catapults the movie to a higher level. Abhay Deol is first rate as the well-mannered, conscientious Kabir who is doubtful whether he should marry Natasha. In an author backed role, Farhan Akhtar is gifted with the film's best, funniest lines and he tickles your funny bone with consummate ease. However, it is Hrithik Roshan's character that defines the true essence of the movie. He brings a nuanced, emotional depth to his character and delivers a performance that is heartwarming and heartfelt in equal measure.

In 2001, a movie named 'Dil Chahta Hain' celebrated boyhood, inspired a generation and became a sleeper hit. Ten years down the line,amidst humongous and unfair, expectations, the same production house has mustered courage to celebrate manhood. At the end of the movie, I was witness to a thunderous applause at the theater in my city. I already see friends and colleagues awestruck by the movie, wanting to go dobara(again) and talking about bachelor trips and road trips. Well, I completely understand the sentiment!!!!

Secularism, Sovereignty and Democracy ???

The three most pressing political issues in the past few months have been the Ayodhya verdict, the Kashmir conflict and the Maoist insurgency (I am going to give the CWG a miss).The preamble of our Constitution states that India is a democratic, sovereign and secular state. After considerable thought, I have been forced to evaluate this strong statement and have finally found some time to share my analysis (of this statement) on a public platform.

Starting with the Ayodhya conflict, let me unequivocally state that the Babri Masjid demolition was the most heinous and disgraceful crime committed in Independent India. Even if I was made to believe that Babur had indeed destroyed an existing Ram temple and built a masjid at the same place, there is simply no justification for fundamentalists to replicate the 'barbar' ic act of destroying a religious place. Ultimately, what is the difference between Babur and the Babri Masjid perpetrators?. The damage it has caused to society is irreparable. The ensuing Mumbai riots and the Gujarat carnage have destroyed our social fabric and planted seeds of distrust and hatred in the minds of the common man. The Saffron party has been directly involved with creating a rift between religious communities and believing that they are one of the main parties in ' secular' India is a sham.
Following the Ayodhya verdict, the TOI headlines said that the Hindus had received 2 portions of land and the Muslims had received one portion of the land. While I do concur with Mulayam Singh Yadav and my lawyer friend from Madison that the verdict chose faith and belief over law and evidence, it is inexplicable to witness a secular, democratic and sovereign nation's media projecting the issue as a religious battle.
I was recently appalled by an article which stated that a young intelligent boy was denied admission to a top Mumbai college because of his religion. Destroying the spirit of the youth is probably the biggest disservice done to a developing country and its posterity.
It is hypocritical on the part of the state ( government, media, educational institutions) to wear a mask of secularism and practice religious intolerance.

Moving on, the Armed forced ( Special forces) act in the Kashmir valley is the most outdated and uncivilized state sponsored idea. There is a clear case of violation of human rights and the act is an infringement on the sovereignty of our nation. I am sick and tired of our politicians calling for a dialogue between us and our neighbors. The purpose of a dialogue is to propose and implement actions. On the contrary, all we see is Kashmiri people losing their lives and politicians condemning militants. It has reached a sorry stage where a Kashmir crisis has become normal news and does not evoke any sympathy from the other quarters of our country. A sovereign nation would give topmost priority to providing comfort to its people rather than employ barbaric and ineffectual procedures to allay the insecurities and fears of its citizens.

And lastly, the Maoist insurgency is the biggest threat to internal security. I agree that modernization and industrialization is important to boost the economy and elevate the nation to new heights. But, should this be done at the cost of displacing villagers and tribals from their land and being indifferent to their needs ?. My ex-roommate always brought up this issue and I never quite appreciated his grave concerns. 'India shining' can be a true and believable concept only if all its citizens are prospering. A democratic state would pride on each and every citizen exercising his/ her rights. In the current turmoil, tribals have been forced to resort to violence to protect their lands from being usurped, villages from being burnt and wives/sisters from being raped by the very same gubernatorial officials who are supposed to shield them from adversity.

I understand that I am a layman and there's more to politics/ governance than what meets the eye. But, in my personal opinion,if the current state of affairs are not duly addressed, it might be time to revisit our preamble.

Mumbai Darshan in NYC.

It has been two years since I landed in the US. I must confess that the two years I spent pursuing my masters at the University of Wisconsin-Madison were arguably the best years of my life. Madison has given me some extra-ordinary moments and friends that I will always cherish. As a matter of fact , while I am working in the DC area, my heart still longs for Madison and I am hopeful that I can visit the city at the end of the year.

I have never ever felt home-sick when I was in Madison and while I would brag about the city to my friends, family and acquaintances, one thing they always told me was that I should visit New York city, particularly since I was ( still am) a Mumbai-ite. Yes, the two cities are clones of each other and I will discuss about it a little later in my post.

Most of my trips work best when they are not planned perfectly. I actually relish unpredictability and a certain king of edginess when I am traveling to a new place.
Keeping up with the trend, I decided to visit NYC to see the US open without having any concrete accomodation plans.Work was extremely hectic on Friday and it was no surprise that I slept peacefully in the bus from DC to NY. At 12.30 am on Saturday, while I was still fast asleep, my eyes were exposed to bright flashing lights followed by ecstatic crowds and I knew that I was in NYC - the city that never sleeps. As I stepped out of the bus and walked down the street along with my buddies, I was transported into a different kind of world which I had left a couple of years back ( Mumbai). Initially, this world seemed very alien to me but after a few minutes and for the rest of my trip, everything seemed extremely familiar.

I boarded a train to NJ at 2.30 a.m and to my bewilderment, I could not find a seat in the train. The very next day ,I decided to walk in and around the Manhattan area. Little did I know that I would end up walking down the memory lanes of Mumbai in NYC. Here are a few incidents that gave me the feeling of being at home.

I was confident that I had transformed from an undisciplined pedestrian to a careful law-abiding one after coming to the US. In NYC,while I patiently waited for the pedestrian sign to turn on, I observed that everyone was in a hurry and preferred to pay no heed to the signs .Even car and cab drivers did not think twice before honking and were not hesitant to step on the gas when pedestrians were crossing the road. While the pedestrian sign was on, I was yelled at by a car driver for not moving quickly enough. I looked at the sign once again to reassure myself that I was right, much to my chagrin,. I was all set to yell back at him but instead chose to laugh over the driver's audacious irreverent gestures .In cities like NYC and Mumbai, time is money and if you cannot keep up with the pace of the city, then you better pull up your socks or relocate to a calmer place suited to your needs.

Next,just a few blocks down the road, I saw the famous ' I love NYC t-shirts' being sold at extremely cheap prices. And not surprisingly, the store was operated by an Indian. My first impression of him was that he was an astute businessman and my assessment was vindicated. He started showing me t-shirts of different colors and tried to convince me that gaudy colors such as bright yellow and green would suit me. We started bargaining over the price of the t-shirt as his quoted price did not match the price displayed on the poster outside his store. He started giving me preposterous reasons for the discrepancy and had an answer for every question I posed. All of a sudden, I realized that my bargaining skills had gone up for a toss. I finally decided to leave without purchasing the t-shirts. In response to my unceremonious exit, the shopkeeper resorted to emotional blackmail. It reminded me of fashion street in Mumbai. He told me that he was fasting ( Ramzan) and it was extremely discourteous on my part to leave those t-shirts lying around (he was the one who removed all of them and scattered them on the table). In a wave of sympathy, I budged and gave in to his demands while realizing that I had been fooled ( popat ban gaya mera). So, my point is that if you are not street-smart and choose to be naive/ overtly sympathetic in cities like Mumbai and NYC, be certain that you are going to be taken for a ride.

Next on my day's schedule was to have lunch at Sarvana Bhavan (the popular South Indian chain of restaurants). I had been craving for some south Indian food and they did full justice in satiating my appetite. That aside, I happened to meet this Pakistani family in the restaurant. They spoke chaste Urdu ( which thankfully I understand) and were understandably not very knowledgeable about Indian delicacies. I decided to break the ice and they happened to ask me of my origin. When I asked them the same question , they took a few seconds and finally uttered the word ' Pakistan'. I could sense that they were wanting to gauge my reaction. Once the ice was completely broken at their end, we continued to chat as if we were living in the 1800's. On my way out, I happened to interact with a Swedish and Moroccan couple too. I was so amazed by the ethnic diversity in NYC. While Mumbai may not have an internationally diverse populace, it is home to people of every Indian region,language, religion, caste,and status. Interacting with a diverse pool of people makes one socially adept and also a good conversationalist.

As I continued walking, the hot-dog stalls reminded me of the vadapav/samosa/tea stalls in Mumbai. There was a long line outside a shop selling Frankies ( Indian rolls). Incessant traffic and umpteen number of cabs on the street seemed normal and familiar. It is such a pleasant aberration to see a car be rendered useless and public transportation being the order of the day.

Next on my to-do-list was to visit Wall street. You may supplicate to differ, but according to me walking down either Wall street or Dalal street makes you think of stocks and question your business acumen. A glimpse of the raging bull leads to an adrenaline rush and your mind becomes like one of an enthusiastic investor.

And then ,just to give the requisite filmi masala angle to this story, I happened to meet and exchange pleasantries with Mira Mair, the acclaimed Indian diaspora director.I truly had some Mumbai darshan in NYC.

A city like NYC or Mumbai has that rare ability to inject enthusiasm and confidence into you. This thought might sound a little abstract or far-fetched but the truth of the matter is that it can only be experienced. Confidence, enthusiasm, desire to succeed,social skills, living life to the fullest, optimism are very infectious concepts - meaning that they get inculcated or internalized within you only if you are amongst like minded people.No doubt that life is ruthlessly super-competitive and there is no room for complacency. But hey, then success is for those who are willing to burn the mid-night oil rather than for those who wish to run away from the grim realities of life.


Only if I could write this article while I was in NYC, I would be able to share with you some more striking resemblances between my favorite two cities.

But yes, I do hope that I can visit NYC more frequently, experience the feeling of being at home and recharge my batteries if the need ever arises.

P.S Also, as I write this article, Mumbai is all set to welcome its favorite deity and graciously host Lord Ganesha for 11 days. I miss being a part of the festival which is celebrated with utmost pomp and gaiety.