For a New Dynasty

The wait is finally over. For millions of Indians waiting for the entrance of another son-of-politician into politics, its party time. The new dynasty in the making will be in the name of none other than the hero of the urban folk- Shri. Laloo Prasad Yadav. The very statesman-like conduct of Laloo in the Parliament had already won the hearts of educated Indians spread all across the country.

Now, its expected that his son, Tejaswi, continue the suave and sophisticated style of politics carried on by the father. Many wish that scholastically, he matches with his much erudite mother, Smti. Rabri Devi CM (ex).The only contender to Tejaswi Yadav in this brand of politics could be one Akhilesh Yadav from UP. All progressive Indians are hoping that Akhilesh would successfully built an India of our dreams- an India, like how his father envisioned, without computers or English.

On September 24, a few weeks before the upcoming state assembly elections, Laloo formally introduced his 21 year old son to the nation. Apparently, Tejaswi was not the first-choice successor, perhaps due to a possible carrier in cricket following his stint for Jharkhand and Delhi Daredevils. Tejaswi’s elder brother, Tej Pratap, was the heir apparent until he realized that his destiny lies elsewhere- that of being an aviator cum spiritual guru.

In the media covered launch event of sonny Yadav, daddy Yadav said, "I think his political background will make him shine". No one had really imagined that that in a democratic country like India, the political background of a family mattered in any manner. It was indeed an ingenious revelation to all. Now that daddy Yadav enlightened us about the possibility of political background having some effect over the success or failure of a rookie in politics, it occurs to us that this phenomenon, is not restricted to Bihar or UP.

In most states, the dominant and emerging leaders of the ruling or opposition party, for some unkown reason come from political families. Be it Tamil Nadu or Kashmir, Orrisa or Haryana, Andhra or Rajasthan, Maharashtra or Karnataka. Even in the list of Yahoo’s top 10 young politicians of India, it is quite inexplicable that all the ten, with such unknown surnames like Gandhi, Abdullah, Pilot, Scindia, Sangma and Deora, had/have parents in active politics.

Of course all the "Young Turks" who made their mark in politics, did it by their individual efforts alone. We believe it when they say that their family name made it more difficult for them. The fact that all prominent leaders below 40 in India’s national and state politics come from political dynasties is of course, a mere coincidence.

The Buccaneer of Bombay

The contraband empire of the infamous icon, Haji Mastan is back in focus with the recently released Bollywood movie Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai. The main protagonist of the movie so closely resembles the smuggler of the 70’s that there was a court ordered disclaimer which declared that the character of the movie (Sultan Mirza) is not based upon Haji Mastan Mirza.


In the movie, Sultan (played by Ajay Devgn) like Mastan always wears white designer clothes, drives a white Mercedes, smokes imported cigarettes and with the trademark mustache, bears uncanny resemblance to Mastan. The life of Sultan also has many similarities with that of Mastan. Sultan arrives from Madras to Bombay as a kid, learns the tricks of smuggling young, sets up a contraband network, romances and finances films of a bollywood actress, becomes one of the most powerful men in Bombay and towards the end decides to stop illegal business and enters politics.


Due to the larger than life persona the don evoked, Mastan has occupied a unique space in popular imagination, thanks to Bollywood movies like Deewaar and Mukkadar Ka Sikandar which were also partially based on his life. But Mastan was more than a flamboyant-yet-benevolent Don who romanced Bollywood heroines. Mastan was a person with powerful contacts in the political, business and film world. Whether it be Sanjay Gandhi or Karim Lala or Bollywood heavyweights like Dilip Kumar and Dharmendra, Mastan had connections with the who’s who of that celebrated era.


With the crackdown on smugglers during the emergency period, he was arrested and spent a year and a half in prison. However, after meeting Jayapraksh Narayan, Mastan decided to quit his smuggling activities, went on a pilgrimage to Haj and undertook major efforts in helping the poor of his locality financially. He even flouted his own political party- the Dalit Muslim Suraksha Mahasang, with Dalit leader Jogendra Kawade. So much intriguing and multifarious was his life that Bollywood could have had a good film on his actual life.


The story of Mastan brings into picture some larger aspects about Indian society. Mastan’s life showcased the importance of having the right connections, man’s fascination with Bollywood divas and the ultimate quest for power. Mastan made his fortunes by smuggling transistor radios and watches- both were a rage in India at that time but its import was highly taxed. So in that way, Mastan’s prominence could be attributed to state policies in a protected economy. Perhaps, Mastan’s efforts to help the downtrodden also portrays the inherent goodness in man.


Moreover, Mastan’s popularity among the people represents, to a certain extent, the disconnect of mainstream politicians with people and people’s reliance on alternative centres of power. In this way Mastan evokes sentiments resembling those received by the Anti-heroes of Godfather and Sarkar. As an outlaw receiving public support, there can be analogies drawn to Robin Hood and many angry young man roles of Amitabh Bacchan. In real life too, from Maoists to Veerappan to Bal Thackeray, local support for state enemies are not strange in India.


Most importantly, the story of Mastan showcases people’s vulnerability in trusting such leaders. Why do we admire men who do not follow the rightful means to power? Is it because the men who occupy the legitimate seats of power are unworthy? Or are we just people who will support anybody who gives us what we want- regardless of how it is done? Perhaps Mastan’s life and the popular support represents, simultaneously, the selfishness and altruism present in all men.

How Caste is Cast Away

The debate regarding caste-based discrimination and reservation has dominated the political life our nation for long. Though everyone seems to agree that caste discrimination is undesirable, there has been a lot of opposition to the idea of caste-based reservation. This opposition became more vocal among the urban upper/middle class after Mandal Commission extended reservation to the OBC along with SC and ST.

Caste blindness is in vogue among the educated elite of modern India. The “My Caste is Indian” tag seems to be the in thing. It is the progressive step which every patriotic Indian who wishes the nation to be a more developed country is expected to take. Though caste blindness, as an idea, seems to be very noble, its implications could be negative.

Caste blindness leads us to say- all Indians are equal, should be treated equally. Why reservations? Why special treatment?- Constitution guarantees equality- caste based reservations violate equality. All this is said by the new educated Indian who does not realize that his views are contrary to that of the Constitution of India, in letter and in spirit.

The idea of equality, at least according to Indian Constitutional thought, means that equals must be treated equally and unequals, unequally. Our is nation that has practiced and propagated inequality, with religious sanction, for centuries. Lets not forget that India is the only state with a full-fledged caste system. We have shamelessly practiced a system where the social status is unchangeable and is purely determined by birth.

It is ironic, that the people from the upper-caste/class now allege that the government is practicing caste based reservation against them. But who are the people who have been denied positions due to their caste for centuries? Who are the people who have suffered due to the lack of opportunity, due to the absence of access to the resources? The question is never answered.

However hard we try to deny it, the fact remains that caste discrimination has always existed and continues to exist and almost always, it is the lower castes who constitute the lower classes. Pointing out a few exceptions where there is no convergence of caste and class will not make caste irrelevant.

It is due to these exceptions, the "creamy layer" principle exists- to make sure that the socially and economically advanced people among the lower castes are excluded from the quota. The caste based census by collecting the caste data from these groups can give solid evidence to the fact that we simply try to ignore- that caste and class converge.

If we takes a casual look at the surnames of all the "successful" people- deans, CEOs, doctors, lawyers, it would reveal how skewed our social system is. It has been the same upper-class/class section of the society that has continued to hold and control the social system. In fact a lot of what we are today are because we were born where we were.

With a self christened title of middle class Indians, the upper-class/caste Indians display their aversion to caste and all other identities that “divide India”. In this process, the existence of caste based discrimination is also denied. Though it looks ironic, its natural that the very people who have created and benefited out of this caste system oppose any caste based actions. After all the status-quo will always be better for the oppressor.

But caste based discrimination is now seen at an individualistic level which leads one to think that his/her "meritorious" rights have been denied. Caste is hence seen merely as a tool the politician adopts to exploit this patriotic middle class Indian. How much more myopic can one get. The caste of a person is hence considerd only when one is denied a seat in a government institution.

No one bothers to of what caste the domestic workers, the manual scavengers, the street sweepers or the beggars belong to. Caste is only observed when it affects a person at an individual level. Otherwise we are blind. How convenient. Unless one gets out of this urban, upper-caste, upper-class mindset, we will never be able to fathom the historic truths and social realities of India.

The Rupee Symbol- What it means?

The Indian Rupee symbol is out (as in its in). It’s perhaps the sign of a new era of the great Indian growth story. Maybe it isn’t. Or maybe it’s a sign of all the struggles, successes and contradictions that make this nation. Maybe its just a brazen attempt to get world publicity.

From a design angle it seems to be a winner. It looks fine and is easy to use. Perhaps it could have been more beautiful, but how difficult would it have been to inscribe the symbol in our daily use if it were so. Hence it wouldn't be wrong to say that it has found the right balance between looks and practicality. A sure shot winner of 'beauty with brains' pageant.

The symbol is more than just a combination of lucidity and charm. It is a combination of the Devangri script ra and the Roman R. Sign of the confluence of traditionalism and modernity, culture and urbanity, nationalism and internationalism. In other words, a sign of what independent India has come to mean, especially in the post-liberalisation era. Or so we believe.

Also we have the tricolour mounted on the top, flying high in the form of the two lines. The white portion in the middle (white?) is supposed to stand for the white of the flag with the bulge of the R/ra in its middle symbolizing the Ashoka Chakra. We have to imagine that the two lines are in the hue of saffron and orange, just to keep the Hindus and Muslims happy. An arithmetician would see the flag as the equals to sign, while the egalitarian living in him would see it as a sign of equality.

Beyond an analysis of the symbol, India joining the elite superpower club of Americans, Europeans, Japanese and Britons as the uninvited 5th member might symbolize something more. The uninvited brown entrant wants to end the exclusive party of the whites (and a yellow). The Rupee has entered the elite club and wants everyone, those in the club and outside it, to recognize her within one-and-a-half years, or else….

The adoption of a Rupee symbol seems not to be merely for the practical purpose of affixing a symbolic designation. In a more political and philosophical vein, it symbolizes the aspiration of a developing nation to challenge the existing world hegemony. It can stand to represent India’s desire to be recognized and a desire to alter the balance of power. Or at least, an attempt to make India’s soft power not limited to the mostly excruciating Bollywood movies.

But can the Rupee symbol emerge to be the sign of the awaiting superpowerdom that the nation believes itself to posses? Or have we got our aspirations wrong? Does the desire to be an economic magnate run contrary to the foundations of this nation? India’s freedom movement represented more than her desire to be an independent nation-state. It was an effort to break away from the burdens of the past, from the clutches of imperialism and for realization of her many dreams.

Freedom hence was a means to an end, the end being raising of the people to a level which gives every Indian the opportunity to develop himself to his fullest capacity. The rise of India should then mean the rise of Indians, if this does not happen, it is no rise at all. While “India” has developed at a fast rate in the recent past, can we say that “Indians” have developed in the same manner? The answer is sadly in the negative. Hence there must be every effort to translate India’s advancement to be the advancement Indians. And if at all the Rupee Symbol symbolizes anything, it must symbolize the reemergence of a nation whose people posses the capacity to lead a life in all its fullness.