So, the people at the Centre are dinosaurs in the real sense of the word. Ancient, yet terrifying in the power they wield. Baba Ramdev, a man I singularly detest, was unceremoniously kicked out of a peaceful(huh, I say blackmail) protest in New Delhi. Of course, the way the government acted had its flaws; even Baba Ramdev is allowed to say as he wishes, this being a democracy. Why 5000 jawans had to be at that venue in the middle of the night shooting tear gas and gun shells with equal prowess at innocents is beyond my comprehension.
But, TOI says something interesting in its timeline of events this morning.
11.15 p.m.: Centre's emissary reaches Ramdev with letter assuring a law to declare black money a national asset. Messenger keeps his mobile on so the government can listen in to Ramdev and his aides. The conversation convinces them Ramdev will not wind up his protest.
My question is: Why didn't he just wind up his entire fast and associated shenanigans at 11.15 then? Isn't that what he wanted? In my mind, if any innocents were injured, this crazy Baba is as much to blame as the brutes leashed by the government. It only goes to prove Baba's political agenda.
Frankly, all these references to the Jallianwallah Bagh and Emergency only make me laugh.
Interesting Tidbit: His balance sheet from last year states assets of Rs. 1162 crores.
Just saying.
The fantastic Lawrence Lessing famously said "A time is marked not so much by ideas that are argued about as by ideas that are taken for granted. The character of an era hangs upon what needs no defense. Power runs with ideas that only the crazy would draw into doubt. The "taken for granted" is the test of sanity; "what everyone knows" is the line between us and them.
This means that sometimes a society gets stuck. Sometimes these unquestioned ideas interfere, as the cost of questioning becomes too great. In these times, the hardest task for social or political activists is to find a way to get people to wonder again about what we all believe is true. The challenge is to sow doubt."
And it's so true, isn't it?
We're stuck with ideas of being a glamorous democracy, when the reality is a case of disillusionment.
As for the legal drinking age now being 25, the only guy I feel for is 24-year old Kingfisher scion Sid Mallya. :D
4 comments:
this is how half baked info.. sometimes alters perception..
the location where this all happened was booked for a yoga session of a kind.. so even if his wishes were granted by the government and he is supposed to shut shop and go home..what he does there is his decision as he can even teach yoga there next day....
also it has to noted that he cant just shut shop..
it is not as if protesters had gathered there like we do at aazad maidaan..
for some people this was their home or should I say roof..till their time with baba and his yoga..as they had traveled from far places..
sometimes we dislike someone so much it clouds our judgment for any good they do..and I truly believe to dislike someone we need to know more about that "someone" than a fan would do..then only can we justify disliking someone
p.s. I am no fan of ramdev baba or any baba for that matter...
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2071609.ece
The "Anti-Corruption" agenda is very well elucidated here.
Now the government's action fails on many grounds,the basic one,the grounds for Ramdev's punishment Sec 144 of the IPC which can only be invoked in case there is 'an unlawful assembly with deadly weapons' or if there is 'reasonable apprehension of danger'now the whole tamasha was televised at no point was there a reference to inciting violence of any sort, unless of course sleeping people led to the 'apprehension of violence'.
Now the Delhi police claims they recieved 'intelligence inputs' about a possible terrorist attack...again this is baffling. one cannot lathicharge a group of sleeping/fasting individuals on the basis of some IP, that be the case, 26/11 wouldn't have happened.
I somehow tend to think there is a sinister motive of the government to derail the lokpal drafting meetings by all of this...it's a far-fetched proposition,but look at the immediate effect of the ramdev saga,the lokpal sitting was cancelled....and besides others.
Well again, we can vote,drive,....marry for god's sake....but hard liquor just doesn't seem to be our thing.
I think the best comment about India's democracy this year came from Hosni Mubarak's son, Gamal Mubarak, who said of his hopes for democracy in Egypt that "if a country like India can accomplish it, I am certain we can as well."
Talk about back-handed compliments! And as for Sid Mallya, boo-freaking-hoo! :D
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