An Unlikely Icon in these Familiar Times
Peter Ki *
For some, the very mention of his name evokes sheer revulsion. He is a self-appointed, self-righteous, vigilante, masquerading as a saintly crusader reviving the memories of the father of the nation for cheap publicity.
Given the all-too familiar times in which we live, this kind of a reception is not totally unexpected.
At a time when almost nothing moves without one having to grease the palms of the powers-that-be, and where politicians and social workers are no better than ordinary citizens, a holier-than-thou old man claiming to put the nation's interest above all else is too good to be true. He must surely have a hidden agenda. Thus, the old man had better stick to doing what he did best: tend to his village far down south.
Others hail him as the man of the moment who came on stage at a time when public mood was unrelenting and unforgiving towards a government which had made scams a national pastime.
Believing that he actually meant what he publicly proclaimed, thousands responded to his call.
A government that had hoped to see support fizzle out in the city's hot summer was surprised.
However, from the moment that the government invited the team to be part of a ten-member committee to the endgame when Parliament adopted a "sense of the House" by the thumping of their desks, it was business was usual.
Lead them up "the garden path", listen to them, talk to them, try to assuage their feelings (and those of the people) and if you can't beat them or join them, confuse them (and the nation).
The media, to their credit, was supportive and sought to put his cause in the spotlight. Some civil society organizations and individuals were not so kind though. They looked for chinks in the armour, and they did indeed find some (and realized he was human after all).
Still others branded him as attention-seeking; right-wing supported; crony-led; naïve; anti-democratic; anti-dalit; autocratic; and corrupted from head to toe. In all fairness, these accusations against the old man have their contexts, explanations, rationales and justifications.
For me, he is an unlikely icon in these familiar times.
A lone old man, in a nation teeming with millions of young people, had the guts to stand up to India's formidable Grand Old Party.
More significantly, he had the gumption to put "hope" in the hearts of many, even if briefly:
the hope that change would come;
the hope that effort to cleanse the nation's Augean stables would begin in right earnest;
the hope that politicians, public servants, and the general public would acknowledge all's not right with the system.
For one brief moment, with this old man on top of things, ready and willing to make the one supreme sacrifice, the words "WE THE PEOPLE", enshrined in the constitution, appeared to ring true.
And that has made all the difference.
* Peter Ki contributes to e-pao.net regularly . The sender of this article can be contacted at pkmaram(at)gmail(dot)com
This article was webcasted on September 12 2011 .
* Comments posted by users in this discussion thread and other parts of this site are opinions of the individuals posting them (whose user ID is displayed alongside) and not the views of e-pao.net. We strongly recommend that users exercise responsibility, sensitivity and caution over language while writing your opinions which will be seen and read by other users. Please read a complete Guideline on using comments on this website.