The winter is onset but the climate is really heating up. New billboards hoisted in all the corners and junctions are poised to capture the attention of the passers by with some photographs symbolically displaying lotus flowers, hands, cycles, lions, including elephants . I always wanted to know how the electoral symbols are alloted to the political parties. These symbols are generally not very artistic and designer stuff. Very simple things like tools, transportation vehicles, animals which can be easily be identified even by an illeterate villager are chosen with caution. Writing on walls was very much in practice few decades ago. It was my pleasure to read all the election writings on the walls on my way to school. I vividly remember the names even to day. Some miscreant naughtily added "Bho" before "JanaSangh". But we never get to see their photographs, as they cannot be painted on walls. Now with the latest technology flex boards made their way with digital prints and photos. All small time commercial artists arefading out of sight with no job work on hand . Every alternative day we see banners with imprinted photographs of some unknown committee members , wishing us happy festivals. No festival is left uncheered including shivrathri, Karthika Pournami which are rarely considered as festival, but practiced as holy days.Banners are embossed with Countless photos supposingly belonging to some Ganesh Nimajjan Committee, or one Navarathri Festival committee, all these religious minded people with long term ambition of making a fine transition into political leaders.They believe in recall effect. Some party worker who looks like a life convict, makes a sudden appearence in a big cut out wishing his leader a thumping sucess in his road show, or on his birth day, or atleast on his Delhi visit.
People are mobilized in lories, bussess, bullock carts,trains, lured with a biryani packet, and another liqid packet in the night. A promised buck will reach them in paltry sums at the end of the day after passing through so many middle men with hefty cuts. It is high time for "Dhanda" for many who wish there could have been elections every year. Party's strength and muscle power is generally adjudged by the numbers they gather for every meeting, disregard to the public inconvenience, and hardships for the participants. India is full of people, few fracures, few suffocations, few stampades, few deaths make no difference.
Some body speaks about the development that has taken place during his regime, some big projects, some houses, some hospitals, some ambulances , some small favours, some rice schemes. It so pathetic that they pose as givers and people as takers. The value of ruppes 2 which has many times depreciated during the past twenty five years, placing it's current value to approximate zero, still perceived as a scheme to be persued, making it tentamount to free distribution. We have to hang our heads in shame that even after 60 years of independence we still fall back to the basic free food distribution methodology like we do in in rescue camps on a tentative basis. Health care which has to be at the top prority in any government planning, is utterly neglected and thereby necissisated special schems. No body talks about education. The longer the people remain uninformed the longer will be their survival. Location of any project is never need based. It is always with some regional consideration. If "A" region gets 2, some" B" region should get 3. Corporate hospitals are in fierce compitition to be listed by the government to pocket a huge chunk of business. No body ever questions why the government hospitals are in such deplorable conditions and not considered worthy enough by the government it self for good treatment. Why they could not be improved during decades of their rule? We do not question them. Development looks more concentrated in small place like "Pulicherla" not because it is centrally located, but because it happens to be the home town for some big wig, bagging every possible good thing under the sun, attracting triple ITs, Central Universities, some IITs , including newclear power plant !!(Thanks you nuclear deal , you gave me an opportunity to place my hamlet on the world map) ) Why not some airport and a beach?. Success of a good warrior is not limited to defeating the enemy but also lies in exterminating the opposition. Any old case can be revived and persued, any alligation could be levied, any type of death blow can be perpetrated in persuit of political vendetta.
Some other player after tirelessly crusading for five years with petty issues, ultimately couldn't manage any big issue to challenge the existing rule, questions them on non specific universal issues like intigrity, corruption at every possible occassion , seems to have come in terms with reality, and goes one step ahead in promising free power, free loans, free rice, every thing free. I doubt whether any body's life in any country could be so free of encumbarences. Once acclaimed as a visionary, now seems to have lost his confidence and in all welcomes to glamour quotient in his party. I wonder whose money they are spending on charity any way?
Some actor turned politician who attracts huge crouds, leaving some to doubt whether it is the curiosity or alligiance which pulls so many crowds to him. Intially called as Mr. Dilly_Dally , surrounded by many amateurs, coterie,, and some loosers in their previous political adventures, appearently lacks in clear agenda and experience. The very vague filmy assumption of social maladies , lack of sure sightedness to hit the bull's eye, and his proclaimed opposition to Machiavellian leadership in general, his eagerness to appease every section of the society, need to be seen how will get translated into votes. While trying hard to get into the shoes of a politician he holds back lashing at any body, which sounds too gentlemanly. If people could make many celluloid heroes as their real time heroes bestowing votes in the past why can't he be the one ? Even Bush who ruled America for eight years did not know that many countries do exist on this globe. Some times it is the charisma that makes some leaders, some times it is their popularity, and seldom it is their sincerity.
Some come up with regional cards, whose political career is uncertain, and insignificant in bigger state , at least can aspire to become something in a small state and continue with their onslaught, and kick the bottle at every occassion.
Some come with saffrons struggling hard to make a dent in south, started initially with infusing survival intent in majority, later blown out of proportion with religious outrage, and opportunism, with national interest clearly in the closet, talks about terrorism taking every single opportunity with clear cut ambition of encashing it than fighting it, promises any thing even to the minimum of district sized separate states. What do they loose even if India is split into hundred pieces? They can have hundred chief chief minister ships , and hundred into sixty, six thousand cabinet ministeries.
Then come our comrades, with deciplined cadres, unbending thumbs with their anti Americanism, believe in leading 'peoples struggles' with notional fear of exploitation, rarely succeeding in ruling, with their own ruled states making no difference to people's lives, seemingly softening their stands on few issues believing in sharing some seats even with arch rivals, showing how ideology can be traded.
And many more small parties in fray, some north Indian parties who want to make their presence in South India to gain national stature, with many faces unknown to this new found land , wondering how rest of India is surviving without knowing a bit of Hindi.
Certainly these elections are going to be interesting, with many more theories to be rewritten, with many more equations to be derived at, with many more leaders emerging. But one thing is certain, people's lives are going to change very little. This fact is known pragmatically even to the farthest rural illeterate Indian.
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