Shakespeare is an unhappy man. His spirit is itching to get back to mother Earth . He died too early . He was born in the wrong era. Great minds are often jealous but their jealousy gets a little diluted when a man of incomparable genius lives in their vicinity. This in fact is the true test of any man's greatness. If he accepts the other man's brilliance too easily he is not great. If he refuses to do so he is a fool. If however he concedes what is due to another man after careful deliberation and after prudent reluctance not to mention opposition..he is truly great.
Bashir Babbar is one such man. A man who faced innumerable odds in life , but overcame them to create masterpieces.Works which would force the greatest literary minds of today and would have persuaded the greatest literary minds of the yesteryears and centuries to reevaluate their own worth in the field.
A master of storytelling.A philosopher ,a visionary , a poet .In short a genius. His writings smell of adventure .His works have taken human imagination to new levels.Never devoid of realism and finesse he takes us to a world we never knew existed.
Bashir Babbar's genius has come to light because of one man's equally herculean achievement , that of creating a marvellous motion picture out of a shoe string budget and ordinary set & locations- Mr. Kanti Shah. To many he is a ghost. A man whose photograph has not yet been available on the net, in spite of his legend.
If you google Kanti Shah ,there will be a million hits but one of them would lead you to his photograph or even a portrait. Some artists they say relish the sweet silence of anonymity. There are few vicious men who have tried to hoodwink the world into believing that this anonymity is a result of infamy and the consequent repercussions . But let me assure you, a man of the stature of Mr. Shah couldn't care less for social norms, sanity and retribution. He is the human embodiment of superhuman spirit and unrelenting character. A man who would have given Gandhiji a run for his money had he been alive and active during the freedom struggle. But he has done something more than that. He has undertaken and to some extent been able to liberate the millions of enslaved Indians from the chains of mediocre Cinema and art by giving them deliciously garnished helpings of the most exquisite piece of cinema which they would have ever seen or would ever hope to see, save for the future movies coming from the man himself and his creative team. Oh! Wilde, Shakespeare and the whole gang would have paid with their lives to get a person such as Kanti Shah to direct their plays. But time and tide wait for none. It had to be with Bashir Babbar the genius ( quite an understatement for him) that Kanti Shah would create magic. Sublime , pure and unmatchable movies .
The term method actor does not have any exact meaning . But any man who wishes to decipher the term's practical significance should view Babbar's scripts and Kanti's movies. These movies couldn't have been made had method acting as an art not been developed by the actors who worked in them. All of them are director's actors. None of them vain of his or her abilities. Modest to a fault. These ,respected reader, are the finest specimens of performing artists who relinquished (quite willingly)
their pride,prudence,propriety and intelligence for a cause much greater than their own great selves: A Kanti Shah movie written by Bashir Babbar.
Ulysses faced huge opposition.Joyce was ostracised. Wilde ended his life in destitution because of the moral upheaval he caused. Kanti Shah and Babbar shall however not meet with such tragic fates. Because now the audience , the readers and the entire set of art connoisseurs are a reformed lot. Liberal ideas, secularism,homosexuality are all norms now. No more burning texts for blasphemy. The masterstroke however is that any chance of opposition has been sniffed out by a brilliant use of the language by Babbar who has used the popular sentiments as well as unpopular sentiments to his advantage and created a treatise which would silence it's most vociferous critics by it's subtle and effective meaning and form.
All great works of art and literature have had to face stern odds before they could claim their rightful place in this world. I feel one movie made by Kanti Shah can claim it's rightful place in the world just because of the intensity and ingenuity exhibited by it's creators . Yes it is Gunda.
Imagine shooting a movie on 4 locations. Having to drastically re-vamp them to give credibility to the background and scenes. Imagine a cast of legendary actors, who have to be tamed and controlled to avoid emotions running out of control. These were only a few of the difficulties which Shah and Babbar had to face while making Gunda.
The movie itself is a masterpiece. King Lear, Hard Times, Crime and Punishment...and other such works can take a backseat, for here comes a piece of art which is practically flawless. The creators of this movie aren't deluded individuals who take fictitious ideals for inspiration. They are men who's ideas and inspirations are rooted in the harsh realities of life. Their poetry isn't a perfect reflect non-existent beauty, but is a realistic interpretation of practical distortions.No floral dialogues and over the top romantic plots. No metaphysical treatment of carnal amusements. Gunda is a movie for the most mature and enlightened connoisseurs of cinema.
A movie which leaves nothing to chance. It is a carefully and minutely detailed movie . Every expression in every scene on the face of every actor (no matter how small his role may have been) is the result of diligent rehearsal and planning. Each dialogue is a thought in itself. A though deep like the ocean .
Like all great works this movie deals with the dilemmas of everyday life. The characters in this script are ordinary men faced with ordinary troubles of an ordinary life. We have a porter rather Coolie, working on the airport where no plane ever lands. We have the pitiable gangsters who can't get over their fabulous names and hence to celebrate them kill and molest any lecherous female who comes their way. God knows how heavy their burden must have been for them to give that heart wrenching introduction in the beginning of the movie. I've seen the weak hearted crying their hearts out when Juliet kills herself , but no grief is comparable to that of those individuals who can't hold back their tears when Bulla bereaves his dead sister--Munni O meri Munni......to tujhe Lambu Atta ne lamba kar diya? Maachis ki tili ko khamba kar diya?
Why should we delve so deep when even the names of the characters suggest that this is no ordinary movie. Kafka immortalised the use of alphabets for names by introducing K in The Trial for us. Babbar gives us : Bulla, Chutiya,Lambu Atta,Ibu Hatela, Raju Chikna, Kala Shetty, Bachu Bhaggona..NO i can't say any more....it is a emotional exercise for me.
The delicate fashion in which heinous crimes against the human body have been dealt with is truly suggestive of Mr. Shah's genius. Even the most vulgar dialogues are surrounded by an air of piety and holiness. I mean, dealing with murder,rape,molestation , double meaning jokes without ever stooping down to actual vulgarity is a commendable feat.
Of late I've seen movies where the female actors have been forced to expose. Here is a movie where no women exposes but for a very high and noble cause. There is not the slightest sign of cheap and revolting exposure here. Chutiya, a man looking to commit crimes against female chastity plays his role so delicately that one forgets the gravity of the offence he is about to commit on screen. Ibu Hatela's dialogues have been so written that even the most sacred excerpts from our Holy Books would feel a little short on virtue . I am sure one day his lines from the movie would comprise the morning prayer in all schools: Mera Naam hai Ibu hatela....khayega kela?
A work of art is to a large extent dependent upon it's Hero . Our man in this case is an actor whose name and reputation need no introduction. The conviction with which he plays his role is splendid. Although not given the most deep and thought provoking dialogues in the movie he manages to put life into the lines given to him. I mean look at this : "Ab tu Ibu Hatela nahi Ibu katela kahlayega" the simplicity of this expression is also followed by a beauty of thought which Mithun aka Shankar infuses into the dialogue.
The movie however carries on in the Shakespearean tradition of delivering the most valuable messages through the antagonists of the work.
The best example of this are the opening lines from Chutiya. "Mera naam hai chutiya ......khadi karta hoon main khatiya.....Bulli kahan hai teri ungli.....Bulla bhai.......pakdo pakdo kahan hai chuttiya bolo bolo kahan hai bulla"
Lambu Atta and Chuttiya both are the philosophical mouthpieces of Babbar's stoic view of life and death . This is represented in the Death Scene of Lambu Atta. The scene shows how bravely and almost happily do the men of character meet their fate . In this case Lambu Atta bids farewell to the world while singing the nostalgia trigerring number " Gore Gore gal gal gore gore....." .
I saw many girls taking out their handkerchiefs to wipe off the tears when he died, this despite his being the man who rapes Bulla's innocent sister who had but one vice..of wearing outrageously short skirts in the presence of a volatile man like Lambu Atta.
Not many eyes could remain dry when Shankar's father is strangled by Inspector Kale. He does so by picking the man up with his right hand by the throat, this when the father was thrice his weight and twice his height in the movie. What character and grit.
In terms of social observation the movie is just immaculate. The angst of a Coolie working on the airport, the frustrations of the henchmen who have been asked to wear red colored uniforms by the villain. The dejected female lover of Shankar and her trials and tribulations in terms of trying to appease her estranged lover and raising a little baby who she didn't give birth to. The effeminate Chuttiya and his struggle with his limitations. The egoistical Bulla and his demise due to pride. The hapless leopard who represents the sad plight of all those wild animals who have been kept as pets by honourable people across the world (believe it or not my neighbour set free his pet rhinoceros and snow leopard after watching the movie) , the faithful monkey and his heroics at the end of the movie.
In terms of art direction too the movie is quite a work of art (pun intended) . The hanging beds in a brothel, the male lavatory sign in Bulla's residence. The graveyard behind Ibu Hatela's house whose existence failed to dawn upon him until it was his turn to die. The Dockyard and Airport where the dialogues and monologues by the characters make for biblical revelations about life and sins.
Taking another cue from Shakespeare , Babbar and Shah point out the presence of spirits and souls in the scene where a 100 taxis are driven in by less than 5 drivers. Or may be the scene where a train of policemen with guns in their holsters fail to stop a Goon from stabbing a minister to death (not that he did not deserve to die).
It will take ages for me to write this to my satisfaction but one age is all I have. It is true friends that immortal epics like this will never get a commentary worth even a 100th of their own literary value.
February 23, 2010
February 15, 2010
The Lunatic's Call
I am not a cynic
don't need any reason
for making up things
too tough to see
it's like a nightmare
waiting to happen
and you get all wise
in the story.
I want to be this
I want to be that
I want to have my hands full
all the time
When I am idle it's not that I am
only the looks are so there' always
something on the mind.
Waiting for the lunatic's call
he said he'll call me
then we would go out
and have fun.......
eat cold dishes in a hot tray
chew juices and spit in the ashtray
run when they say you should just walk
blabber when they shout "don't talk"
I am waiting for the lunatic's call!
don't need any reason
for making up things
too tough to see
it's like a nightmare
waiting to happen
and you get all wise
in the story.
I want to be this
I want to be that
I want to have my hands full
all the time
When I am idle it's not that I am
only the looks are so there' always
something on the mind.
Waiting for the lunatic's call
he said he'll call me
then we would go out
and have fun.......
eat cold dishes in a hot tray
chew juices and spit in the ashtray
run when they say you should just walk
blabber when they shout "don't talk"
I am waiting for the lunatic's call!
February 7, 2010
Urbanisation is a disease. We have numerous land laws in force but none of them a followed in spirit. Most of the times people hire lawyers to bye pass the technicalities and find loop holes in these welfare legislations.
Another disease pestering us is the "Other Should" syndrome. Under this every citizen expects his compatriot to be an ideal hard working honest and meek servant of the state while he himself seeks leisure and less responsibility.
For eg..... You'll hear people talking about how doctors should;d go the villages and serve the people there..but when it comes to their children they can't digest the fact that their wards be transferred outside the state capital.
Scheduled Tribe category folks don't want to return to their villages. No person wants to to go out of delhi, mumbai even if he gets a job.
I mean..Poverty is in the end a very subjective term. In the eyes of the industrialist even we the middle class is poor. While in the eyes of the middle class the destitute and homeless are the deprived faction.
Civilization gave birth to the definition of poverty. No one was poor in a barbaric society . The concept of property led to the emergence of the concept of wealth.
Unless we return to animal like simplicity we can't hope to fully eradicate poverty. Today we have people who are materially poor. Tomorrow we'll have those who are intellectually poor the day after those who are socially poor......an d so on....poverty thrives whenever comparative parameters dominate the ethos of a society.
Another disease pestering us is the "Other Should" syndrome. Under this every citizen expects his compatriot to be an ideal hard working honest and meek servant of the state while he himself seeks leisure and less responsibility.
For eg..... You'll hear people talking about how doctors should;d go the villages and serve the people there..but when it comes to their children they can't digest the fact that their wards be transferred outside the state capital.
Scheduled Tribe category folks don't want to return to their villages. No person wants to to go out of delhi, mumbai even if he gets a job.
I mean..Poverty is in the end a very subjective term. In the eyes of the industrialist even we the middle class is poor. While in the eyes of the middle class the destitute and homeless are the deprived faction.
Civilization gave birth to the definition of poverty. No one was poor in a barbaric society . The concept of property led to the emergence of the concept of wealth.
Unless we return to animal like simplicity we can't hope to fully eradicate poverty. Today we have people who are materially poor. Tomorrow we'll have those who are intellectually poor the day after those who are socially poor......an d so on....poverty thrives whenever comparative parameters dominate the ethos of a society.
November 4, 2009
Causes and Reasons
If ever there was a day
when the morning never rose
with a smile wrapped in the warm quilt
I couldn't have made it here.
We made up a tale for them
they never had it all
and made up a tale themselves
and had a cup of reasons and causes.
Why should we paint the door
and why not the floor
after all they both are a part of our lives
and before we paint the wall
shouldn't we paint the floor
as if it were a part of our life.
when the morning never rose
with a smile wrapped in the warm quilt
I couldn't have made it here.
We made up a tale for them
they never had it all
and made up a tale themselves
and had a cup of reasons and causes.
Why should we paint the door
and why not the floor
after all they both are a part of our lives
and before we paint the wall
shouldn't we paint the floor
as if it were a part of our life.
October 22, 2009
The Lower Bazaar
When the streets they shine under borrowed light and the people brush against each other very few souls can claim to be immune from the general excitement which lingers in the narrow alleys of The Lower Bazaar.
I don't venture out there quite often but when I do I can't hold myself back from marvelling at the insane cacophony produced by the crowd which in spite of itself doesn't actually hurt your ears . The same cannot be said about the noise which those machines generate , even when they are the sole occupants of premises where they are placed .
Evenings are cool at this time of the year and hence one can see people all dressed up in their heaviest attires which to be sure may eventually turn out to be superfluous items given the fact that the human body itself emanates a good deal of heat . We can then see young children pestering their hapless parents to allow them to remove those heavy woollen jackets which were placed upon their slender shoulders by the concerned mothers before leaving for the Lower Bazaar.
One often gets confused in the Bazaar . So many bodies and so many faces . Some look familiar while the others actually are . In small towns all faces are familiar. Everybody is an acquaintance . It's really nice to see smiles waiting to break out on their faces just as they come near you. My hands are always cold , thus it's a nice feeling to shake hands with warm ones .
The Bazaar is located on the slope of the hill and as you go higher you come closer to the Ridge. It's a kind of social elevation too. The narrow alleys soon give way to broad roads , but what remains the same is the conspicuous presence of human population .
The wind up here is a lot cooler and now those jackets and coats reacquire their lost dignity and from being otiose items hindering our movement become our second skin. I feel a little sorry for the mendicants who have no choice but to wrap themselves up with those sorry looking rags which till quite recently were used by the more privileged classes to protect inanimate objects from the chilling cold.
When the time comes to return back home I feel like breathing in the cold mountain air and taking in the sights and sounds of the market and the Bazaar. My stride is leisurely but I can sense that it is also brisk , even as the the warm breath from my mouth rises above in the cold air and disappears without a trace.
I don't venture out there quite often but when I do I can't hold myself back from marvelling at the insane cacophony produced by the crowd which in spite of itself doesn't actually hurt your ears . The same cannot be said about the noise which those machines generate , even when they are the sole occupants of premises where they are placed .
Evenings are cool at this time of the year and hence one can see people all dressed up in their heaviest attires which to be sure may eventually turn out to be superfluous items given the fact that the human body itself emanates a good deal of heat . We can then see young children pestering their hapless parents to allow them to remove those heavy woollen jackets which were placed upon their slender shoulders by the concerned mothers before leaving for the Lower Bazaar.
One often gets confused in the Bazaar . So many bodies and so many faces . Some look familiar while the others actually are . In small towns all faces are familiar. Everybody is an acquaintance . It's really nice to see smiles waiting to break out on their faces just as they come near you. My hands are always cold , thus it's a nice feeling to shake hands with warm ones .
The Bazaar is located on the slope of the hill and as you go higher you come closer to the Ridge. It's a kind of social elevation too. The narrow alleys soon give way to broad roads , but what remains the same is the conspicuous presence of human population .
The wind up here is a lot cooler and now those jackets and coats reacquire their lost dignity and from being otiose items hindering our movement become our second skin. I feel a little sorry for the mendicants who have no choice but to wrap themselves up with those sorry looking rags which till quite recently were used by the more privileged classes to protect inanimate objects from the chilling cold.
When the time comes to return back home I feel like breathing in the cold mountain air and taking in the sights and sounds of the market and the Bazaar. My stride is leisurely but I can sense that it is also brisk , even as the the warm breath from my mouth rises above in the cold air and disappears without a trace.
October 15, 2009
Diwali shopping and the Perils involved
This small article is meant for those who are keen on protecting themselves from unprovoked attacks from fellow shoppers and their kids.
When a crowd gathers in a shop which is almost half the size of an Industrialist's drawing room, what follows is a belligerent spectacle where the consumers who look quite innocuous , suddenly turn into ferocious creatures competing with each other to gain the upper hand in the on going tussle to grab whatever comes their way while they swiftly and to some extent indecently scamper past the fully loaded shelves of the glittering store.
Dexterity and adroitness are really tested in such establishments when a man's body shape determines how easily he can maneuver past his peers to reach the gift hamper placed on the last visible shelf ( which to be sure was placed there for allowing people to display acts of gallantry).
Another interesting feature of these stores is the presence of an outrageously large number of salesmen who instead of helping out the consumers act as impediments when it comes to browsing through the shop and discovering the prices of various goods.
It is in such stores and on such occasions that male-female bonding is seen to reach it's highest point as young men devoid of any intimate female presence in their lives try to deliberately place themselves near attractive wenches so that the latter may have the opportunity to brush against their bodies and send down some delectable shivers. It is in such stores that certain acts which would have been called uncouth behaviour in the non-festive season are suddenly branded as the signs of efficiency and alacrity ( and include snatching the chocolate box before the old lady can lay her hands on it, breaking the billing queue by sneaking in while others are fighting for space, shouting the lungs out to hasten the departure of the person waiting to get his gifts wrapped, pushing and sometimes pulling others and then uttering an accented sorry etc.).
Anyone who is new to this country would mistake such stores to be charitable institutions distributing free goods and all those who have gathered there as well dressed beggars. Such is the anxiety and desperation to barge into the stores and buy as many things as possible.
The store which a month ago would have been a picture of lazy elegance now gets transformed into a wall hanging depicting The American Civil War (sans Vivien Leigh) . The metal detecting machine which used to resonate with the beep occasionally before the festive season now wears an exhausted expression and some say has stopped giving any sound at all owing to the presence of more metal than in the coffers of the Oil Barons from middle east.
If patience is a virtue and bargaining our need, you just have to look around yourself to confirm the fact. In spite of the mad rush and apparent impatience , people actually are the human personification of patience. Notwithstanding the fact that their child is being pushed around by men 3 times his height or that their clothes are undergoing barbaric torture at the hands of the unruly mob of consumers, they still have the patience to bargain and ask for discounts . Even while hundreds of people are waiting to get but a glimpse of the displayed merchandise which currently is being blocked by their shapely figure, they merrily spend more time than is necessary in finally making a decision as to what to buy and what to just behold, admire and then place back on the shelf (an action is instigated by the price tag ) .
Another danger which lurks around in the precincts of such stores is that of pick pockets and other such damnable characters who often face disappointment due to the excessive expenditures already incurred by their potential victims at the behest of their wives.
In such commotion and conundrum we can always spot a couple of fellows who have decided upon dispensing with the last part of their business commitments before leaving the store and hence are scene shouting at the top of their voices into their mobile handsets and also staring at other loudmouthed individuals as if to remind these others of their impertinence and ill mannerisms.
Consumerism has had had one very important effect upon the psyche of the people. Unlike the ancient times of chronic impoverishment when every purchase elicited a rather apologetic and almost repentant reaction from the consumer , nowadays the happiness which marks the faces of the victorious lot is enviable. How happy and cheerful their faces look, their sense of achievement may only be paralleled by Archimedes' uncensored elation at having discovered the first principles of buoyancy.
The entire street and nowadays malls ( for those who frequent those establishments) where such stores are located looks a lot like Noah's ark where a variety of each species has been warmly accommodated.
Festivals truly remind us of who we actually are, and this I say to honour all those who have become experienced campaigners when it comes to shopping during this season and under such demanding circumstances.
When a crowd gathers in a shop which is almost half the size of an Industrialist's drawing room, what follows is a belligerent spectacle where the consumers who look quite innocuous , suddenly turn into ferocious creatures competing with each other to gain the upper hand in the on going tussle to grab whatever comes their way while they swiftly and to some extent indecently scamper past the fully loaded shelves of the glittering store.
Dexterity and adroitness are really tested in such establishments when a man's body shape determines how easily he can maneuver past his peers to reach the gift hamper placed on the last visible shelf ( which to be sure was placed there for allowing people to display acts of gallantry).
Another interesting feature of these stores is the presence of an outrageously large number of salesmen who instead of helping out the consumers act as impediments when it comes to browsing through the shop and discovering the prices of various goods.
It is in such stores and on such occasions that male-female bonding is seen to reach it's highest point as young men devoid of any intimate female presence in their lives try to deliberately place themselves near attractive wenches so that the latter may have the opportunity to brush against their bodies and send down some delectable shivers. It is in such stores that certain acts which would have been called uncouth behaviour in the non-festive season are suddenly branded as the signs of efficiency and alacrity ( and include snatching the chocolate box before the old lady can lay her hands on it, breaking the billing queue by sneaking in while others are fighting for space, shouting the lungs out to hasten the departure of the person waiting to get his gifts wrapped, pushing and sometimes pulling others and then uttering an accented sorry etc.).
Anyone who is new to this country would mistake such stores to be charitable institutions distributing free goods and all those who have gathered there as well dressed beggars. Such is the anxiety and desperation to barge into the stores and buy as many things as possible.
The store which a month ago would have been a picture of lazy elegance now gets transformed into a wall hanging depicting The American Civil War (sans Vivien Leigh) . The metal detecting machine which used to resonate with the beep occasionally before the festive season now wears an exhausted expression and some say has stopped giving any sound at all owing to the presence of more metal than in the coffers of the Oil Barons from middle east.
If patience is a virtue and bargaining our need, you just have to look around yourself to confirm the fact. In spite of the mad rush and apparent impatience , people actually are the human personification of patience. Notwithstanding the fact that their child is being pushed around by men 3 times his height or that their clothes are undergoing barbaric torture at the hands of the unruly mob of consumers, they still have the patience to bargain and ask for discounts . Even while hundreds of people are waiting to get but a glimpse of the displayed merchandise which currently is being blocked by their shapely figure, they merrily spend more time than is necessary in finally making a decision as to what to buy and what to just behold, admire and then place back on the shelf (an action is instigated by the price tag ) .
Another danger which lurks around in the precincts of such stores is that of pick pockets and other such damnable characters who often face disappointment due to the excessive expenditures already incurred by their potential victims at the behest of their wives.
In such commotion and conundrum we can always spot a couple of fellows who have decided upon dispensing with the last part of their business commitments before leaving the store and hence are scene shouting at the top of their voices into their mobile handsets and also staring at other loudmouthed individuals as if to remind these others of their impertinence and ill mannerisms.
Consumerism has had had one very important effect upon the psyche of the people. Unlike the ancient times of chronic impoverishment when every purchase elicited a rather apologetic and almost repentant reaction from the consumer , nowadays the happiness which marks the faces of the victorious lot is enviable. How happy and cheerful their faces look, their sense of achievement may only be paralleled by Archimedes' uncensored elation at having discovered the first principles of buoyancy.
The entire street and nowadays malls ( for those who frequent those establishments) where such stores are located looks a lot like Noah's ark where a variety of each species has been warmly accommodated.
Festivals truly remind us of who we actually are, and this I say to honour all those who have become experienced campaigners when it comes to shopping during this season and under such demanding circumstances.
October 13, 2009
On a Political issue.- please pardon the grammatical errors.
Yesterday I was watching N.D.T.V. 24/7 ( I am sorry I don't have any means to insert the multiplication symbol) . Barkha Dutt was hosting a talk show who's name I deliberately choose to ignore. The hot topic of discussion was whether Mumbai should be called Mumbai or Bombay .......
Yes this show was for real . Being hosted by Barkha Dutt it would originally have been telecast at prime time (although I managed to watch a repeat telecast at 1 in the afternoon).
Now in a city where the mafia is thriving, the local transport system is in tatters, where freak accidents are gaining alarming proportions, the drainage system is pathetic, where Terrorists attacks are an impending danger and have claimed atleast 10,000 lives in the last 20 years ( in the form of attacks and riots) , this issue was the last thing which any conscientious citizen would have expected to see on television.
I sincerely believe that the question discussed in the show is quite important for all the news channels and some political parties . For the news channels it is important because they would have to then change their news reports accordingly , substituting Mumbai for Bombay or vice versa.
As far as the political parties are concerned their obsession with Mumbai shall end with it's importance as the financial capital of the country. I believe the Thackrey clan wouldn't have given a damn for the Mumbai issue had it been just another ordinary Indian town with ordinary citizens and not some rich industrialists or filmstars.
There is one more point I want to make. Maharashtrian identity and culture is not reflected in Mumbai. Mumbai has been , from the time of it's inception a cosmopolitan city...the city's heritage buildings bear testimony to that fact...what from Prince of Wales Museum to The Victoria Terminus.
I have no idea how these petty parties have been able to declare Mumbai as the representative of Maharshtrian identity. There is nothing remotely Maharashtrian about Mumbai. Having stayed for 5 yrs in Pune I can assert this quite confidently. If at all you want to relate any city with Maharashtrian culture I would point to Pune.
How can we call a city intrinsically Maharashtrian when it has never been culturally dominated by the Maharashtrians. The real agenda behind this senseless movement , which tries to cheat us into believing that Maharashtra is Mumbai, is that the power hungry politicians want to control the rich municipality and administrative regime of Mumba,i to fill their own coffers.
I would also like to say something about the Thackrey clan. They to be fair are not a unique family and have no unique agenda. Each state where the local population (historically speaking) is in the danger of being overrun by migrants , has many such self proclaimed protectors. And this has been true from times immemorial. In Maharashtra, this problem has been reduced to Mumbai. The Shiv Sena or the MNS have placed themselves in major urban centres of the state and indulge in hooliganism in the name of what not. Anyone who has heard them speak specially two leaders from these parties , would easily recognize them as petty local goons and lowlives who are thriving because the public in this country is dumber than they are. In fact this holds good for almost the entire breed of politicians.
As far as the congress is concerned I feel it is time that they stopped being hypocrites and came forward with a solid and digestible stand. The NCP is a good for nothing party which ,even for the sake of it ,has no ideology and hence has tacitly admitted that it's only ideology is to promote power grabbing policies.
I am writing this article not as a distant observer governed by bias, but because I have had the privilege of staying in Pune for 5 long years as a student. And hence I had every opportunity to investigate each and every minute feature of this issue.
Apart from the fact that each state and people have their own culture and social temperament (with the exception of the Punjabis who are largehearted and hence accept everyone for what they are) the local residents were as far removed from the MNS or the Shiv Sena as the "Outsiders".
Even if we admit that outstation students were targeted by these goons, it does not mean that the local Puneite was garlanded by them.
What this means is that such parties rake up non existent issues and blow them out of proportions ;to make the matters worse the people in general are waiting to be defrauded by these lowlives.
I would thus appeal to the common man (If there is anyone who can be called so) to be well informed on such issues and take intellectually motivated stands and not follow pricks and thugs under the illusion that they will fight for your rights. No one out there cares for you. To force them to do so, you'll have to thrash them politically as well as physically . Those who claim to be your benefactors are in fact trying to demean your status to further dominate you and control your behaviour. After all, once this ludicrous issue ends, what would inspire you to vote for them?
Please wake up.....this isn't about Maharashtra..it's about Mumbai...! Why not pressurise the state governments to decentralize the economy so that migration is curbed. That ways Mumabi would no longer need MNS and Shiv Sena . Their existence is purely dependent upon Mumbai's unique status of being the financial capital. If this is the attitude then Delhi, the country's political capital should be claimed in equal shares by the Punjabis and The Haryanvis!
Like South Africa we should now have more than one capital . That ways petty provincial politics shall recede to the background and it would also pave way for the eventual overhauling of our useless economic system..by transforming it into a decentralised economy where each region has cities as employment friendly as Mumbai.
Yes this show was for real . Being hosted by Barkha Dutt it would originally have been telecast at prime time (although I managed to watch a repeat telecast at 1 in the afternoon).
Now in a city where the mafia is thriving, the local transport system is in tatters, where freak accidents are gaining alarming proportions, the drainage system is pathetic, where Terrorists attacks are an impending danger and have claimed atleast 10,000 lives in the last 20 years ( in the form of attacks and riots) , this issue was the last thing which any conscientious citizen would have expected to see on television.
I sincerely believe that the question discussed in the show is quite important for all the news channels and some political parties . For the news channels it is important because they would have to then change their news reports accordingly , substituting Mumbai for Bombay or vice versa.
As far as the political parties are concerned their obsession with Mumbai shall end with it's importance as the financial capital of the country. I believe the Thackrey clan wouldn't have given a damn for the Mumbai issue had it been just another ordinary Indian town with ordinary citizens and not some rich industrialists or filmstars.
There is one more point I want to make. Maharashtrian identity and culture is not reflected in Mumbai. Mumbai has been , from the time of it's inception a cosmopolitan city...the city's heritage buildings bear testimony to that fact...what from Prince of Wales Museum to The Victoria Terminus.
I have no idea how these petty parties have been able to declare Mumbai as the representative of Maharshtrian identity. There is nothing remotely Maharashtrian about Mumbai. Having stayed for 5 yrs in Pune I can assert this quite confidently. If at all you want to relate any city with Maharashtrian culture I would point to Pune.
How can we call a city intrinsically Maharashtrian when it has never been culturally dominated by the Maharashtrians. The real agenda behind this senseless movement , which tries to cheat us into believing that Maharashtra is Mumbai, is that the power hungry politicians want to control the rich municipality and administrative regime of Mumba,i to fill their own coffers.
I would also like to say something about the Thackrey clan. They to be fair are not a unique family and have no unique agenda. Each state where the local population (historically speaking) is in the danger of being overrun by migrants , has many such self proclaimed protectors. And this has been true from times immemorial. In Maharashtra, this problem has been reduced to Mumbai. The Shiv Sena or the MNS have placed themselves in major urban centres of the state and indulge in hooliganism in the name of what not. Anyone who has heard them speak specially two leaders from these parties , would easily recognize them as petty local goons and lowlives who are thriving because the public in this country is dumber than they are. In fact this holds good for almost the entire breed of politicians.
As far as the congress is concerned I feel it is time that they stopped being hypocrites and came forward with a solid and digestible stand. The NCP is a good for nothing party which ,even for the sake of it ,has no ideology and hence has tacitly admitted that it's only ideology is to promote power grabbing policies.
I am writing this article not as a distant observer governed by bias, but because I have had the privilege of staying in Pune for 5 long years as a student. And hence I had every opportunity to investigate each and every minute feature of this issue.
Apart from the fact that each state and people have their own culture and social temperament (with the exception of the Punjabis who are largehearted and hence accept everyone for what they are) the local residents were as far removed from the MNS or the Shiv Sena as the "Outsiders".
Even if we admit that outstation students were targeted by these goons, it does not mean that the local Puneite was garlanded by them.
What this means is that such parties rake up non existent issues and blow them out of proportions ;to make the matters worse the people in general are waiting to be defrauded by these lowlives.
I would thus appeal to the common man (If there is anyone who can be called so) to be well informed on such issues and take intellectually motivated stands and not follow pricks and thugs under the illusion that they will fight for your rights. No one out there cares for you. To force them to do so, you'll have to thrash them politically as well as physically . Those who claim to be your benefactors are in fact trying to demean your status to further dominate you and control your behaviour. After all, once this ludicrous issue ends, what would inspire you to vote for them?
Please wake up.....this isn't about Maharashtra..it's about Mumbai...! Why not pressurise the state governments to decentralize the economy so that migration is curbed. That ways Mumabi would no longer need MNS and Shiv Sena . Their existence is purely dependent upon Mumbai's unique status of being the financial capital. If this is the attitude then Delhi, the country's political capital should be claimed in equal shares by the Punjabis and The Haryanvis!
Like South Africa we should now have more than one capital . That ways petty provincial politics shall recede to the background and it would also pave way for the eventual overhauling of our useless economic system..by transforming it into a decentralised economy where each region has cities as employment friendly as Mumbai.
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