Who’s afraid of word-games?
Well, presently, many Indian politicians and other individuals do!
‘Can we have our own Obama’ is the buzz question doing rounds in the last few months not in India alone but elsewhere in the world, too! But, in the Indian environs, it seems to be quite a fanciful and paradoxical verbalization. In this regard, the frivolous manner of ejaculating the name Mayawati after she had candidly declared her ambitions of becoming PM indicates the scorn of some reputed TV anchors, politicians and many others in the country. But, what really does ‘doing an Obama’ connote in India?
By now, everybody knows that Obama is an African origin guy born as Muslim in the U.S., but is now a Catholic and whose father was a Muslim born in Kenya but later turned an atheist. Obama has a few religious and atheistic indoctrinations imparted unto him and has grown up in a host of cultural set ups including that of Indonesia, a country which proclaims its official religion as Islam. He also has half brothers who are Muslims living in Kenya, not as brothers of powerful people in India would live but as rural people of Kenya do! Academically, the man’s (Obama’s) genome and psychology could exemplify in a singular manner who’s who of multi cultural multi racial humans that we all are, whether obviously or imperceptibly, whether Indians or Americans; and, whether we like it or not!
However, can India have its own Obama?
The situations in US and India are worth a comparison, quite but not very. In both countries global migrations have been dominating the demographic contours, but whereas America’s own cultural and ethnic diversity is about 500 years old, India’s stretches back to 10000 years. Another important difference is that US ethnic diversity has remained observably identifiable to even one ignorant of anthropology or sociology. Each emigrating wave to US has yet kept its identity distinct from the rest of the opportunity seekers arriving on its lands. But struggle for achievement of their American dream makes these diversities fuse into a singular no-nonsense community with no-cultural-hang-ups in their approach toward it. The subconscious instincts may remain intact into where they belong to, the subconscious, but the force of the rapids like American work culture throws these appendages to the winds. People who cling to their native idiosyncrasies find their own shores back, in due time.
On the other hand, considering even a rigid caste system and not so unbending classes, the evolving Indian society over its 10000 year turbulent history has turned ethnically into a wholesome society; though not so culturally.
This essay intends not to get lost in individualities of aspirants for the power but analyze and compare mindsets of the voting communities in the two countries. Who did Indians in the US support in the recent elections, Obama or the one that lost the elections? They supported the one who they thought would be looking after their interests. It did not matter to the cultural high and mighty that their candidate happened to be of African origins, a black, with principles of a few religions imbibed into him including one from Islam. In India, Sonia, a woman, a Catholic turned Hindu, an Italian married and naturalized as Indian citizen, a duly elected parliamentarian is dreaded to the extent that late Mr. Pramod Mahajan even declared in 2004 that not her, not Priyanka, but not even Priyanka’s children be allowed to become PM.
The focus is not on Mayawati or Sonia Gandhi, but on the inertia of the Indian thinking mind. The comments heaped on Ms. Gandhi by her detractors do not reflect on her leadership qualities, but hark upon her birth-place, gender, and dynasty. These are irrationalities unfit for a nation believing they can send a man on moon. In a hundred years of Congress, only Sonia could discipline mavericks in her party. To my mind, her real contribution to party, its voters and the Indian polity has been a practical, and yet, a positive approach in dealing with national issues. There is no emotional hype, personal enmity, revengeful approach, quixotic claims and a sickening obsession with the past.
Mayawati, a Dalit woman on the other hand has shown political astuteness, boldness and a vision of inclusivity in coaxing higher castes into her favored vote-bank. Her vision has depth of bird’s eye view that is incomprehensible to most of her countrymen. The result, Mayavati won UP elections thumbs down against all political odds including a resurging Congress. Under the circumstances, deriding Mayawati’s ambitions apart, a public sneer and its acceptance of that interprets as sub-conscious reaction of the representative classes. One meets Indians applauding US voters for electing Barack Obama as their President, but, where home elections are concerned look down and say furtively, this is a different case altogether.
The Indian scene has one more parameter, I believe! The incomparable duo of Sonia and Maya share a common and age old Indian handicap. The gender bias against women is a classic discriminatory approach medieval societies employed to control their flock. In India we have gone a bit too far; we have even women doubting another woman’s capabilities.
It is sheer coincidence that the ending of the name Obama starts names of the two Indian women whose approach is scaring their opponents. Now, would it be O-ba- Ma-yawati or O-ba-Ma-ino? The word game with Obama may not end here. On a smaller scale, but would be epochal if realized, O-ba-Ma-mata in West Bengal poses a threat to other medieval ideologues, communists of India, who seem to be a bit confused in the present times, to say the least. Another interesting semantics, ba in Obama means ma, mother in many, especially western Indian languages. So, O ma ma and Ma ma ta meaningfully rhyme together.
Would the Indian society, for the society it has to be, then, reengineer its psychology and bring in the change?
Kalidas Sawkar
9420975758, k.sawkar@rediffmail.com
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Thru the tears in two eyes
Thru the tears in two eyes (collection of thoughts: 26-29 Nov 2008, Mumbai attacks)
Dear Moshe, and… well, Kasab!
Dear Moshe, you are two years old. The eve of your every future birthday will remind you that that was the day when you lost your parents with you hardly on your feet. You were more like a fledgling animal tottering on fours trying to make sense of the senseless world around. Why the hell did you lose them?
Kasab, you are in your twenties, and in a way, you too, have lost your parents for all practical purposes. You have lost your country, too, for all practical purposes, again; just think of what they would do to you if you insist on going back to Pakistan. You do have your life with you, as well, but what a cursed life it appears to be; all because you thought a short cut is the best way to life’s aspirations.
A look at the lives of Moshe and you, puts in my mind a phrase from the play Hamlet, ‘Look here upon this picture and on this, a counterfeit presentment of two..’ persons involved in the same Mumbai terror attack. You two are the opposite sides of the same spectrum that is terror, a skirmish of religious antagonism. Moshe has at least his grandfather, an old one, but still of his own flesh and blood, and a whole nation, his motherland, where fraternity is not just a lip service, who would help him grow big. He has something more, a very special relationship with India, whose heart is as big as its land, water and space above it, irrespective of the multitudes of religions it sports, including Islam. Kasab, on the other hand, you are the true loser, you say you followed Islam, but followed terrorism under its guise. You have lost everything for which your mother birthed you. As a mother is to a family and the child, religion should be to its society. The events in Mumbai should prove to you the difference between your kind of religion and your mother. It is doubtful, if your father is alive or not, the fate of your siblings, and if alive, the quality of life they would lead. The father in a family stands for the government, the provider, so his charges have proper livelihood. It has all been done away with, after you rejected a single piece of advice your mother bestowed upon your head when you wanted her blessings; but, you accepted the formula of hatred, that too, of another religion. It is quite ironical that you, too, have another kind of special relationship with India, one opposite to that Moshe has. Not only have the people of other religions but Indians following your own faith have denounced your kind of Jihad. I have mentioned above about the heart of India. This is, because the daughter of a brave and dutiful man whom you killed said you should not be killed in retaliation. Killing you would kill only one terrorist, but to change your ideology so that ideology of terrorism is changed and this would result in no more Kasabs and even Moshes. No more mothers losing their children and children losing their parents, families getting devastated and vacuums implanted in the families; all due to the warped ways religions are preached and get people to follow them. A religion which spews hatred is not a religion. This was the message given by Islamic people of India when you were being interrogated. The Bakr-Eid this year was a sad affair for them all. This could be the experience of your family as well. See, what your Jihad has resulted into. Just as a proverbial father would send his erring son out of the house rather than taking care of the aspirations of his progeny, the Government of your country is taking continuingly wrong steps refusing to own you up! It does not even want to give a decent burial to your partners who are dead and were led similarly along the wrong path by you own people. That is the religion and that is the government for perpetrators of terrorism. If you have not paid for your crimes, you are assured of not Jannat but Jahannum. Even against the will of this large hearted country, you are assured of suffering right here on mother Earth, in Pakistan, too.
And, Moshe, when you grow big, return to Mumbai, stay at Taj Hotel…as a great scientist just as Einstein was or a great artist, a composer, a philosopher! When you sigh, while reminiscing over the expanse of the Arabian Sea it would be a fine response to aspirations your parents had for you.
With blessings to both
Kalidas Sawkar
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kalidas Sawkar
93420975758
k.sawkar@rediffmail.com, kalidas.sawkar@gmail.com
11, Singbal Bldg.
Tonca-Caranzalem, Goa
Dear Moshe, and… well, Kasab!
Dear Moshe, you are two years old. The eve of your every future birthday will remind you that that was the day when you lost your parents with you hardly on your feet. You were more like a fledgling animal tottering on fours trying to make sense of the senseless world around. Why the hell did you lose them?
Kasab, you are in your twenties, and in a way, you too, have lost your parents for all practical purposes. You have lost your country, too, for all practical purposes, again; just think of what they would do to you if you insist on going back to Pakistan. You do have your life with you, as well, but what a cursed life it appears to be; all because you thought a short cut is the best way to life’s aspirations.
A look at the lives of Moshe and you, puts in my mind a phrase from the play Hamlet, ‘Look here upon this picture and on this, a counterfeit presentment of two..’ persons involved in the same Mumbai terror attack. You two are the opposite sides of the same spectrum that is terror, a skirmish of religious antagonism. Moshe has at least his grandfather, an old one, but still of his own flesh and blood, and a whole nation, his motherland, where fraternity is not just a lip service, who would help him grow big. He has something more, a very special relationship with India, whose heart is as big as its land, water and space above it, irrespective of the multitudes of religions it sports, including Islam. Kasab, on the other hand, you are the true loser, you say you followed Islam, but followed terrorism under its guise. You have lost everything for which your mother birthed you. As a mother is to a family and the child, religion should be to its society. The events in Mumbai should prove to you the difference between your kind of religion and your mother. It is doubtful, if your father is alive or not, the fate of your siblings, and if alive, the quality of life they would lead. The father in a family stands for the government, the provider, so his charges have proper livelihood. It has all been done away with, after you rejected a single piece of advice your mother bestowed upon your head when you wanted her blessings; but, you accepted the formula of hatred, that too, of another religion. It is quite ironical that you, too, have another kind of special relationship with India, one opposite to that Moshe has. Not only have the people of other religions but Indians following your own faith have denounced your kind of Jihad. I have mentioned above about the heart of India. This is, because the daughter of a brave and dutiful man whom you killed said you should not be killed in retaliation. Killing you would kill only one terrorist, but to change your ideology so that ideology of terrorism is changed and this would result in no more Kasabs and even Moshes. No more mothers losing their children and children losing their parents, families getting devastated and vacuums implanted in the families; all due to the warped ways religions are preached and get people to follow them. A religion which spews hatred is not a religion. This was the message given by Islamic people of India when you were being interrogated. The Bakr-Eid this year was a sad affair for them all. This could be the experience of your family as well. See, what your Jihad has resulted into. Just as a proverbial father would send his erring son out of the house rather than taking care of the aspirations of his progeny, the Government of your country is taking continuingly wrong steps refusing to own you up! It does not even want to give a decent burial to your partners who are dead and were led similarly along the wrong path by you own people. That is the religion and that is the government for perpetrators of terrorism. If you have not paid for your crimes, you are assured of not Jannat but Jahannum. Even against the will of this large hearted country, you are assured of suffering right here on mother Earth, in Pakistan, too.
And, Moshe, when you grow big, return to Mumbai, stay at Taj Hotel…as a great scientist just as Einstein was or a great artist, a composer, a philosopher! When you sigh, while reminiscing over the expanse of the Arabian Sea it would be a fine response to aspirations your parents had for you.
With blessings to both
Kalidas Sawkar
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kalidas Sawkar
93420975758
k.sawkar@rediffmail.com, kalidas.sawkar@gmail.com
11, Singbal Bldg.
Tonca-Caranzalem, Goa
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