Aurangzeb :the Film

Aurangzeb: The Film  

We come across a good film these days by chance, thanks to their churning out at a speed faster than rolls of fabrics  in textile mills. Though the word ‘good’ by itself  has hundreds of connotations,   the film that I saw and   I am calling  good is for the choice of its title. Film “Aurangzeb”  when put on the screen at home, the   thought that crossed at first  was  that  one more  historical magnum  opus in the sequence of Jodha –Akbar is on cards . But it turned out to be  different.

 I had to admire the ingenuity of its producers for  the metaphorical use of the name of the  Mughal Emperor  as  its title , basing the theme  on a ‘quote’  by him  when he   usurped the throne through  an open bloody revolt against his Emperor father,   annihilating Dara Shikho , the legitimate claimant as successor , and  his other two  brothers.

 “Badshahat bhaichara nahi  dekhti ” (Kingdom does bother about brotherhood)  are  the words quoted in the film as central to the theme while the message is packaged in the punch line-“Apno ki keemat Sapnon se ziada hoti hai” (Value of kinship  is much higher than the value of  dreams)  ’-  with which the film begins  and with which it ends .

 Not that  the film is any better than others  in terms of cinematographic  qualities, such a film certainly goes  beyond the realm of entertainment just for sheer choice of its  theme and title. The script writer , director and other creative artistes have taken pains to project  how  ‘greed’, verging on the rapacity of plunderers, corrupts a person to an extent that he does not hesitate to shoot his own son who, inadvertently though, without any inkling of his father’s complicity in the series of  murders for retaining his pelf and power, tries to take his DCP father in confidence.

Let there be a  property and you can see  brothers of yesterday turning into an alien of  today and  tomorrow, if not exactly the foes. Peeling off the crust of  finer emotions  of  love and respect , with not a smite on their conscience, they move  away, far away, from those for whom they were ready to shed blood on a single call. When it comes to material wealth and property , it takes no time for many of the good Samritans to become  Aurangzebs living on the false notion that Aurangzeb carried the throne to the next world.

The redeeming part, however , is that there also exist characters (as  played in the film  by Anupam Kher) who die heroically  having lived  with the conviction that “Apno ki keemat Sapnon se ziada hoti hai”.  May their clan expand for the survival of the civilization or else  this world will stand reduced to a jungle of selfish and self centred brutes.                    

FREQUENTLY ASKED TWO QUESTIONS

With  General Elections  round the corner ,  there are two questions which are being  frequently asked and these  are :  (1) Who will form the next Government ?  (2) Who will be the Prime Minister in the next Government?  Frankly, in essence it is one question. But since, contrary to the spirit  of  parliamentary system,  the thrust is  on ‘build up’  of   prime ministerial candidate by BJP without declaring it,  which is provocation enough for the ruling party to be drawn  to  the plank and join the race , I have  framed it in two for the sake of convenience in  seeking  the  right answers.     

With  spates of happenings in the recent past, one scandal after the other, the  Coalgate, the  Railgate ,  the spotgate, growing insecurity of women , rapes and murders  etc etc, the ruling party  at the centre  is naturally in dock for non- governance, besides being   pushed to the wall on the issue of  corruption. By virtue of being on the saddle ,it  is  not merely being charged  for its  failure to control  fast growing monster of corruption  and  punish or atleast seem to punish the guilty , but  is being perceived as party to it.  With its sagging image , its chances of coming back to power are woefully bleak.

However, the victory of the Congress in Karnataka only endorses the view that the image of a party has nothing to do when it comes to planning the strategy and managing elections.  Public memory has always been short and there is no guarantee that it will not be short now. However, much will depend on the alternatives available with the electorate. If the choice is between Congress and BJP alone, with their coalition partners, as in the past, well, then  it is immaterial where they cast their votes.  For them, it will be no better than robbing Peter to pay Paul, or vice versa.  This may  be the answer to  the first question, but only partially. Let us look at the alternative to Congress.

There is none except  BJP, with its cobbled up coalition, which can come up as an   alternative to the Congress. But, NDA led by BJP,  does not seem to  stand  on a convincing footing either. About its relations with coalition partners, Bihar is the living example of strains within NDA. The relationship can collapse any time  depending upon  the pitch that is  picked up in building up Narendra Modi as prime ministerial candidate.

 And Narendra  Modi, who started with a bang in a bid to be  projected  as BJP’s undeclared prime ministerial candidate is, emerging steadily  as a ‘rallying point’ for the party. He is seeking  support from within the party and from all other corners, obliquely and with subtlety ,  to be established as a leader of  guts and competence who can  take the party to the magic numbers in the next Lok Sabha. The clan of people having faith in his candidature is increasing leaps and bound and the impression that   he  can  pull the country out of the morass of  poverty and lack of governance is gathering mass gradually.  But, the other side  presents the picture of fissures and divisions within the  party. There are not many takers of his candidature even in his own party and the fissures concealed behind the pretensions of unity at present are likely to widen the moment party declares him as the official candidate.

 Unfortunately, there is none of the stature of Atal Behari Vajpayee  who could head the BJP Government with unadulterated image of a thoroughly  secular leader which helped him to complete his full term  by first cobbling a viable  coalition and then keeping it sustained despite party’s  known  clamour of Hindutava. The senior most leader, L. K. Advani could perhaps match his status but his image as a hard liner is against him so much so that he is watching the emergence of NAMO from the side lines whereas, in terms of seniority and experience, he should have been at the helm.  But who knows that he turns the tide at the right moment with the massive silent support that he has within the party because of his experience and other leadership attributes cutting across the bogey of his advancing age as an handicap .

 NAMO’s image is also  far from being that of a liberal and , much worse, with doubtful secular credentials. It is a strange situation where party is looking to him to push it to power which is possible only if he is  acceptable by all the sections of Indian society . And this in no case is possible in his case. It is thus a grave risk for the party to rely on him for its success at the polls. That is emerging as star campagner for his party cannot be denied.

 However, despite all my efforts I could not bring myself on his side for the different reason.  I am convinced  beyond any doubt that  howsoever competent NAMO , or for that reason , any other national leader may be to take charge  as prime minister , there is a very dim chance of the country to be governed with any semblance of competence under the present parliamentary system of governance. What we are passing through is  basically ‘system failure’. I may sound prophet of doom , but I make bold to say that none, not even the God incarnate, can provide  a sound governance in India  as the head of the Executive under the system of governance that we have adopted  under the Constitution. Why ? The reasons are not difficult to find.

If you watch him/her work as the prime minister ,you will find that  eighty percent of his/her  time is spent on putting the living fish within the basket, leaving him only twenty percent time to be devoted on  matters of governance. Even that twenty percent of time is eroded by issues which, though very important for the survival of the country in the comity of nations, are seldom seen with an impact on the  teeming millions of the country . It should not  surprise anybody then  if the image of the prime minister takes a beating, for while he is called upon to govern with comprehensive  vision  by his deep involvement, he/she  does not have the time enough to do it really. I am therefore not impressed by the argument that NAMO will set things right, unless there is proof enough to show that he really has located  where the stem lies. No such proof  has so far been visible .  For me, therefore, it is not material who the prime minister in the next Government will be. For, he /she  will be as good as not being there in the present system                           

 As for  Rahul Gandhi, he  is normally dismissed as an immature politician who owes his present status in the party by virtue of being a Gandhi scion.  Yes, it is too early to expect him to come up as prime ministerial candidate of the Congress party . But what I admire him for is the fact that  he is  being catapulted  though into the fray by constant  pulls and pushes  in his own party , he seems to have no misgivings about himself and knows it well that he is  too young and inexperienced  to hold the highest  executive  post. He has been spurning any such suggestions and insinuations   within his own party, as and when they crop up. He knows that he can wait till the party has gained enough strength to stand at its own without the crutches of the coalition. I see a lot of potential in him , if he can keep the lust of power at bay and keeps working with a sense of purpose that he has been showing so far.

But more than anything else, I hold him  high for his  wisdom which dictates him to talk  of the ‘system failure’ without mincing words and  which indirectly means  that he is aware that  the parliamentary system is playing havoc with the country, begetting nothing but lawlessness and corruption, besides being a handicap to fast decision making and efficient functioning of the executive.

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No Difference in Congress , NDA Regimes : Pawar—(The Times of India -28^th Feb 2013)

Yes: The Two have Drifted Closer

When NCP Chief and Union Agriculture Minister , Sharat Pawar said at a book launch function on 27^th Feb 2013 that he did not find much difference in the policies of the Congress governments and the Vajpayee –led NDA regime , he   may have done so to keep his options open   with his eye on the forthcoming  general   elections,  but he  has pointed to a most interesting aspect of present day political scenario  .We may call it  “ merging of political identities” or say         “ Confusion of ideologies”.

Congress and BJP, the two major national parties were poles apart, like two shores of a vast ocean and, understandably ‘twin shall never meet’. But , ironically ,there has in the past decades definitely the drifts, not apart , but closer to each other, blurring the traditional hard lines of divisions based on their respective polices and manifestoes. . The veteran leaders of leftist leanings like George Fernandes  and  Nitish Kumar  became the  part of the NDA coalition. This could not have been possible without NDA manifesto becoming   the  basis of the formation of NDA  as distinguished from BJP’s  manifesto involving BJP’s core issues which had to be put on the back burner forced by the political expediency. Far from their version of Hindutva , they talk of secularism in tones similar to congress. On the other hand, apart from   Meneka Gandhi  and Varun Gandhi , the  hard core congressmen like P.A. Sagma joined NDA . And now Sharat Pawar seems to justify in advance his stand to be the part of NDA depending upon what the circumstances will be post elections 2014.

It was a life time chance for BJP to form the Government in 2004 and it goes squarely to the credit of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpai who   presented a liberal face for keeping NDA constituents of various hues within its   fold  in accordance with the agreed manifesto which was the only way to ensure  full term of the Government.  The conclusion is not difficult to be drawn . The distance between congress and BJP  narrowed down sufficiently as both north and south poles  moved from their original  positions and drifted closer to each other by diluting contents of their respective ideologies, specially the tenets which have been the cornerstones of their basic political philosophies. The out cry like secularism  by congress and Ram Mandir by BJP  are no longer clamoured   except  to re-establish their lost identities by sporadically pouring  out their commitments to their basic philosophy just to keep the cadre and leadership on the same wave length.

However, though apparently the merging gaps between the two national parties may sound  odd , the country will stand to gain in the long run provided both the parties gain enough strength to stand at their own  instead of being on the crutches provided by  the regional parties. The trend which has led two major national parties to forge coalitions by wooing smaller and regional forces does not portend well for the future of democracy. It is a well established fact that for a effective and efficient functioning of democracy, be it parliamentary or presidential, there has to be at least two major political parties, each with clear manifesto, indicating clear cut directions on the one hand  and on the other hand political base from top to bottom so that they could stand at their own without any outside support. . The electorate, far from being confused, will then have clear vision based more on performance and policies than on ideology to choose one or the other as an expression of their political will.  The absence of this kind of scenario is a sure move towards either monopolistic governance by a single party on the dint of its crude majority, without any effective checks being exercised by a strong opposition or brings the government on the crutches of coalition politics. In either case, it is the future of democracy in the country that get into jeopardy .    

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 Hoping  for the  Hopeless

The spontaneous upsurge of the angry and anguished  people following  brutalities  perpetuated on the hapless girl  and her  male friend in the  moving bus on  December 16 has  brought into focus rising rate of  crimes against women and   inadequacy of the Government apparatus to curb and  control the commission of such ghastly crimes in the Capital of India  which should have been the role model for the entire country . Though this case has become the watershed moment  in the history of crime and punishment  in so far as it has served to be a catalyst for over hauling crime control mechanism in Delhi  with “major changes being put in place’, it is rightly observed  by Delhi Commissioner of Police of Delhi , Neeraj Kumar in his press conference on 18^th of January 2013 that “ …..This case has the power , strength  and propulsion  to bring about major changes  in the way offences against women  are dealt with by police , prosecution , courts  and even medical teams.” 

There should not be  any disagreement on it  and also on  his comment in the foreword to the annual report where he has stated , “…….It is not uncommon for citizens to target us in such situations  as we are the visible arm of the government . But somewhere the anger was directed not only on us ,but, perhaps, against the criminal justice system  as a whole and the inability of common people to correct it quickly.”

But , when he talked about the changed   attitude of the ‘police and other agencies towards crime against women’ it sounded a little too tall a claim. It is not only difficult to change the attitude of whosoever , much less of the power wielding force like police , it is almost impossible to achieve this wonderful feat in such a short span. And this  is the only thing most desirable in the present context.  

Nevertheless, it is heartening to see that serious efforts are being  made towards changing the attitude of the police and other law enforcing agencies along with hundreds of other speaking measures  to control crime against women. Why women alone? Every  one of the law abiding citizens of this country is entitled to safety of ones life and  property and to live in peace without  threats of any kind. But that seems utopia in the present phase of our national life since  the only hope to achieve success on this score lies in the ‘Attitude’ of the police personnel who need to fight it out with the rare display of capabilities like intelligence, untiring zeal and , above all the conviction which is possessed  more as an exception than as a rule.

It is indeed true that there is a complete chain to follow in case of commission of a crime which broadly includes bringing the culprits to book through investigations with admissible evidence, preparation of loophole free case for prosecution and then prosecution in the court . 

It is thus  the police which is there on the scene  from the stage of commission of an offence / crime  till the final judgment by the court of jurisdiction  It is there at the place of the commission of a crime and then finally at the  flours of the courtrooms to take the case to its logical end. And that is  why the investigating police personnel  assume an unique position in the administration of justice . If they are serious as against being casual as a matter of routine,  and upright as against given to petty temptations , every body around him , from witnesses to medical teams and to the courts, will automatically fall in line. 

 But this is hoping against the hope ,for, in the general  realm of falling standards of ethics and character, it is too much to expect that a chunk will remain untouched by the impact of expanding tentacles of corruption and lethargy in the country. When the whole cake is rotting there cannot be a part of it which can remain unaffected by contamination. After all policemen are not from outside the country.They are as much an Indian as we are, sharing  all that is good and bad in us. And so, let us first stop ourselves from falling low as a nation and all else, including police ,  will automatically  fall in line .