IS EVERYBODY MAD?

When our children were small they enjoyed regaling visitors to our home with this little story: There were four friends named SOMEBODY, NOBODY, MAD and EVERYBODY. One day Somebody killed Nobody, so Mad went to the Police and said “Somebody killed Nobody”! The infuriated policeman shouted, “Are you mad?”, to which the complainant replied, “Yes, I’m Mad”. A BUSYBODY crime reporter at the police station got a juicy headline for the next day’s paper, “Somebody killed Nobody – What Madness”. While this drama played out Everybody got sidelined. This story, which I have slightly embellished now, always drew wild guffaws.

But now I find that this story is no laughing matter. I somehow find a message in everything I see, hear or experience; even if it is just a joke or a movie scene. So I find this children’s joke pregnant with meaning for us rational adults.  Let us examine the proponents in this little drama.

NOBODY: He was killed. Who was he? He was the aam aadmi (before a political party appropriated the term), the garib janta, the awaam, the nameless suffering, and toiling masses of India. Who killed him, or rather who is exploiting him? Who is the Somebody that killed Nobody?

SOMEBODY: Somebody is a person with a distinct identity that differentiates him from anybody or everybody else. Somebody comprises all those who pursue identity politics, or vested interests. Unfortunately, our country has been flooded with identity politics, based on caste, creed, or ethnicity. Today a majority of the States of the Indian Union are ruled, or greatly influenced, by Somebody. Among them we may count the BJP, SP, BSP, NC, BJD, RJD, JDU, TMC, DMK, AIDMK, TDP, TRS, AGP, Akali Dal, Shiv Sena, MNS, Gorkha and Bodo fronts, and several smaller parties in the North East. To this list we may also add the class-based Left Front. Among those with vested interests we may count the industrialists, media barons and the Naxalites; and fundamentalists like the RSS and the Indian Mujahideen. Small wonder then that Nobody has been murdered, if not physically, then atleast figuratively. It is this balkanization of thought that leads to the fragmentation of society. Who is complaining? Mad is. Who is Mad?

MAD: I am Mad, figuratively, and sometimes literally. I do not necessarily mean myself when say “I”. Here the “I” stands for those Indians who are true patriots, who love their country, devoid of personal or vested interests. Such persons do not wish to associate with identity politics. They want inclusion, not exclusion. Of late Rahul Baba has been talking about “inclusive growth”. We will come to him later. At this point I will re-assert that Somebody is indeed the killer of Nobody. Now what should Mad do? Is it enough to complain to the Police? It is always easier to complain, crib and criticize. It is not always easy to undertake constructive action for nation building. So what should Mad do? We will come back to that, but first let us identify the Police.

POLICE: This may seem obvious, but it is not just the cops. Here the term includes all the law makers (Legislature), law enforcers (Executive) and law interpreters (Judiciary). The Legislature has often been paralyzed, the Executive is largely corrupt and insensitive to the suffering masses, and the Judiciary is so bogged down with the pendency of cases that indeed justice delayed becomes justice denied. Yet, Mad people should never give up hope.  There are good people everywhere, even in the three wings of Govt. We need to identify and encourage them. Just as one bad apple can spoil all the fruit in the basket, so can one intravenous injection bring healing to an entire body. Busybody may not always take note of the good things, because they don’t make news.

BUSYBODY: Yes, Busybody is the media, busy about other peoples’ business; chasing ambulances, juicy sound bites and TRPs. One may also add the social media to the list of busybodies. I have many friends in the print media, and also enjoy reading what others write; particularly the edit page of the Hindustan Times, to which I subscribe. But the so-called debates on TV turn me off, because they seem to be manipulated by the anchors, who conveniently cut off what they don’t want aired. I am also not on FB or Twitter because most of the content is frivolous, for which I don’t have the time. In all this where is Everybody?

EVERYBODY: Etymologically the word means “all”. Who is the all-embracing Everybody in the political life of the nation? Has he been sidelined or reduced to a mute spectator? Who can lay claim to representing all and sundry? There are two claimants, the grand old party (the Congress), and the new kid on the block (AAP). AAP has infact cleverly hijacked the Congress’ punch line “Congress ka haath, aam aadmi ke saath”. With sadness and disappointment I must say that the current leadership of the Congress is digging its own grave. It has many achievements to its credit, but it has not been able to get its message across to the people. From the time Pranabh Mukherjee was kicked upstairs into Rashtrapati Bhawan two years ago, the Congress has floundered. It has hobbled from one political crisis or logjam to another. The silence of the triumvirate – Manmohan, Sonia and Rahul Baba, has been deafening. They have lost the plot and their grip on the nation’s psyche. If this trend continues then Everybody will be increasingly sidelined, and Somebody will surely continue to murder Nobody.

What of Arvind Kejriwal (AK assault rifle) and his AAP? He raised great hopes, which, like the fresh morning dew, cannot withstand the emergence of the sun – the harsh media glare, and people’s scary expectations. Enough has been written about AAP, so I do not have much more to add. There are just a couple of things that a Mad person like me would like to say to AK.

Wearing a Gandhi topi does not a Gandhian make. Gandhiji was not driven by an obsessive hatred for the British (the other). He led by personal example, soul power and a love for all (even his opponents). He was truly everybody’s man. Gandhiji was strong, but humble, a quality not seen in AK. Gandhiji suspended the popular swaraj agitation after the violence at Chauri Chaura. A true leader must have the sagacity and magnanimity to know where to draw the line. Even Nelson Mandela, who suffered years of solitary confinement, talked of reconciliation, not confrontation. In 1977 the Janata Party had a far greater mandate than what AAP has today, but they squandered it in a witch-hunting campaign against Indira Gandhi. AK needs to learn the lessons of history, if at all he really aspires to don the mantle of Everybody. Otherwise, in due course, he too will fade into history. He needs to remember the adage “Pride comes before the fall”.

WHAT NEXT? We Mad people need to remember that eternal vigilance is the price of freedom. With great sadness I say today that no party in India has Everybody’s interest in mind, and therefore not competent to lead the country. Should I then press the NOTA button during the forthcoming parliamentary elections? Heaven forbid. This time around I think that the Mad people should rise above party loyalty, caste, creed, class and community to elect good persons, who have a proven track record of honesty, diligence and community service. Vote for them, even if they end up losing. No vote is ever wasted. It is always a source of encouragement, even to the loser.

It is also not enough to just go and get inked on voting day. Every Mad person who loves his country must actively engage in civic, social and political affairs, and espouse just causes.  The Mad people (paagal aadmi) must also amplify their efforts and beliefs through a supportive media.

JANUARY 2014