National Anthem – A symbol of National (Dis)integration?

Date: 27/12/08

Last evening I had gone for a movie at a multiplex in Mumbai. I’m not concerned about how the movie turned out to be, but one thing that caught my attention, and which turned out to be extremely distressing, was the National Anthem that was played before the start of the movie.

National Anthem is a symbol of national integration. Typically, our national anthem video features musicians, singers and artists, each one of whom is representing different region of our nation, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Gujrat to Assam. In the past we have seen such videos featuring the likes of Lata Mangeskar, A. R. Rehman, many classical maestros and the artists from the hindi film industry, all coming from diverse regional backgrounds.

However, this time it was a bit different. It was the same song, but the cast was different. This particular video featured only Maharashtrian artists from Marathi film, TV and theatre industry. I have nothing against the Maharashtrian community, but to play national anthem that is being represented by only one state is something that is unnerving. It is not truly a national anthem.

We sing, “Punjab, Sindhu, Gujrat, Maratha, Dravid, Utkala, Banga ...”

But all I could see in this video was, “Maratha, Maratha, Maratha, Maratha, Maratha, Maratha, Maratha …”

Then why not call it “Maharashtrian anthem”, instead of “national anthem”? It is clearly evident that even our national anthem and our cinema halls are not spared by the dirty politics. If you truly respect your nation, then next time this video is played, don’t stand.

Bhavin Desai

Who started that fight?

Date: 24/12/08

They came, they fought, they killed and they died. Sometimes it is the Hindus v/s the Muslims, sometimes it is the North Indians v/s the Maharashtrians, sometimes it is the Gujjars v/s the Meenas, but all these times it has always been Men v/s Men.

Riots; when one man becomes thirsty for the blood of another man. They do so for a reason; and at times the reasons are many - religion, pride, employment, etc. But all these are merely a superfluous cause; just an excuse to kill. While many riots are instigated by the selfish motives of the public leaders, the actual fuel to this fire comes from within.

It is the fight for survival. An estimated 6.7 billion people live on this tiny planet. It is tiny because we are very fast running out of our resources. Resources that in the form of food, shelter, breathing space, employment, earning opportunities, etc. We work hard for all these, but with ever increasing competition and increasing claimants on these resources, our frustration also increases. It is this frustration that makes us do things that majority of us would term as “irrational”.

With an exponential increase in birth rate and decrease in mortality, human population has breached its saturation level decades ago. Today with every single child that is born, the pressure on our resources augments manifolds. When everyone wants the same thing and the thing available is so little, people are bound to fight.

When resources are scarce and concentrated at one place, the situation worsens. As is the case with the metro like Mumbai; a tiny island housing a population of more than 20 million, providing food, shelter, water, employment, money and fame to all classes of people. How long will it sustain the pressure? Every time there is a riot, the city silently hints, “I have had enough, now go away”. But at the end of every fight, we yell at it saying, “Shut up and let there be a room for some more”.

This is just a beginning. With more babies being born, in future we will witness many more carnages; and who knows, someday even we would be a part of that fight – either killing or killed.

Bhavin Desai

Why don’t we have a Right ‘Not’ to Vote?

Date: 22/12/08

Jaago India Jaago – Election ke din, agar aap vote nahi de rahe hai, to so rahe hai.

Or is it the other way around?

Every time the election is around the corner, a big question crosses our mind – Whom shall we vote? Most of us either end up by compromising and voting in the favour of the best amongst the worst or by not voting at all. Those who vote are considered to be good and responsible citizens, while those who don’t vote are “sleeping”.

The voter turnout in India is close to 60%. Had these people refrained from exercising their right to vote, there would have been no MP, MLA or MLC. In other words, a nation without a patron. But thanks to our so called ‘responsible’ citizens, we are forced to be patronized by a bunch of highly manipulative, inefficient and corrupt men who do a little for the benefit of public and take away twice as much from them.

When the elections come, we have a choice. Not the choice of electing the best amongst the worst, but the choice – to vote or not to vote. If we stop voting, then what is the worst that can happen? There won’t be a single politician leading us. So isn’t that good for us?

A rational person should not vote for someone who does not deserve merely because he has no other option. There are people who are capable of doing the job. But the problem with them is that their voices are suppressed by the noise of our major political parties. Our political system is designed in such a way that any individual who is not a part of any major political party will not survive. These individuals do not survive because they lack in self - promotional skills, which the other parties have mastered.

We need to open our eyes and identify the right person before we vote. But if we still can’t find a right person then we should always say no to the elections. If we are satisfied by the quality of leadership that we have today, then it would be better if we all fell asleep instead of waking up.

Bhavin Desai

A.R. Anatulay – Is one man more important than entire nation?

Date: 21/12/08

Over the past one week a debate has been going on all over the media, all over the nation; “Has A.R.Anatulay really embarrassed the nation?”

Well, now there is a bigger question; - Haven’t we embarrassed our nation enough by giving so much importance to a statement (followed by a series of statements) made by a senile politician?

Democracy – of the people, by the people & for the people. If it is so, then why can’t Anatulay make a statement without instigating a controversy? Being a part of a political party should not mean that a party member has to always nod his/her head in favor of what some of the party heads think wise. If that’s the case then the whole purpose of India being a democracy is beaten.

Every statement, whether political or non-political will be tested by the public’s support in the democracy. If the ‘people’ say its wise, then it would be accepted unconditionally and if the people term it otherwise then no one can force the acceptance of that statement to any class of the society.

It is time to focus on bigger issue, - How do we tackle terrorism? What Anatulay has said has no significance to any living (or dead) soul in this nation. It is high time we drop this issue and divert out attention towards the activities of Pakistan.

Bhavin Desai

Ajmal Amir Kasab - A face of terror or merely a Mask?

Date: 21/12/08

The day they all were killed by our brave commandos and one of them got captured, the city celebrated. But was it a victory over terrorism?

Instead of breathing a sigh of relief, we should be worried. We have to be worried because there a millions of Kasab all over the world, who are ready to die anywhere, anytime.

Ajmal Amir Kasab was never a terrorist, at least, in the real sense. He was merely a pawn. People like Kasab are readily available all over the world, in every nation, in every city and in every corner of the street. They are there where there is hostility. They are ready to sell their souls to get themselves and their loved ones out of the misery. In the process they get ready even to sacrifice their lives. These are not the people whom you should hate. But these are the people for whom you should feel sorry.

The real horror lies in the people who purchase these souls. People who are capable of making an army of Kasabs. People who could brainwash them and make them do things that not a sane person would ever dream of doing. These are the masterminds behind the scenes. They sit back, enjoy and when time comes they go underground while our leaders are lost in the midst of the diplomatic games with the leaders of Pakistan, USA and United Nations.

War against terrorism can never end by the execution of Ajmal Amir Kasab. It will end, only if we cut the throat of the man who made Ajamal Amir Kasab.

Bhavin Desai