Perils of Symbolism

After a colleague said he was determined to “do something” about the Mumbai terror attacks by writing a blog, I was determined not to write on the subject lest it be construed as an equally preposterous motive. My overwhelming emotion was Guilt. Guilt at having chosen not to contribute actively to the country’s well-being. Guilt at not having had the courage to join the armed forces and abstain from seeking a cushy existence. However, the reaction of most “responsible” Mumbaikars and the clichéd call for politicians’ heads prompts another cynical blog post. As day-2 of the unbelievably tragic chain of events unfolded, the media, after having contributed thru some exceptionally courageous reporting, gave in to the pressures of sustaining shifty eyeballs and roped in famous faces to deliver their platitudes.

Sample some of the gems: Sanjana Kapoor, who runs an inherited theatre and has no publicly known expertise on internal security or public administration was seen exhorting “Delhi not to vote if Shivraj Patil was not removed”. Who or what is “Delhi” ?? Certainly a bunch of theatre persons making a call for an undemocratic act of omission cannot possibly be seen as representing “Delhi’s” decision. What annoys me is not that the person in question made such a ludicrous suggestion. (I would do likewise if asked about my views on marine conservation) Why the media should allow them a forum to do so beats me.

Shobha De, the queen of acerbic sound bites warned politicians against meddling with “her” Mumbai. The city has had enough of them it seems. Another young gent stood with a candle in his hand to threaten politicians and terrorists alike about messing with Mumbai. So who will guard Mumbai? The Page-3 circuit?? Or do we expect terrorists to be scared of candles? Then we have Suhel Seth who makes it his business to appear on TV as an expert on just about everything. For someone who is widely described as a “fixer” at best, I am perplexed why TV channels fall over each other to have this unpleasant, abrasive and pompous soul on screen (I can understand Sanjana Kapoor having cosmetic value if little else).

To cut to the chase, I guess we are all justifiably enraged, sad and deeply anguished at the goings-on in our country. Each one of us could have been caught in the unfortunate sequence of events. Most of us have lost friends, relatives or people we knew of. What I am lashing out at is our standard reaction to blame it all on the politicians. It is as much our country as it is Vilasrao Deshmukh’s. How many of us dream of a career in the armed forces/police services for our children (I am told Shobha De has 5 of them!), nephews or nieces? Did we even try going down that road ourselves?

Before we blame the “system” for being discouraging, lets remember that it is the same system that threw up the heroes who we are saluting today. They were there because they dared to believe that individuals can make a difference regardless of the inherent deficiency in a system. I am not just referring to the ATS/NSG heroes. Even more heroic were the Taj and Oberoi staffers who could have scurried for cover, run to their living rooms and blamed the political system for the woes that befell their property. Contrast that with our typical response to blasts in a locality. Most of us stay put at home and encourage friends and relatives to do likewise. How many of us rush to help the wounded? Instead of queuing up at TV studios, why could the Cine Actors not rush to hospitals to donate blood if such was their concern for the city?

Make no mistake. I am not defending the terrible state of affairs that our governance has reached. It is a system that we have created and the more passive our participation, the worse it will get. Let us introspect to direct part of the anger at ourselves instead of venting it at inept and indifferent politicians. They probably have a different view of their duty from what an utopian society would have demanded of them. To change the system, we have to be part of it (and not thru symbolism by voting). Till then I refuse to blame or complain. By not even attempting to participate in the country’s governance, I am as guilty as someone who has done so incompetently.

I cannot help but conclude with my comments on some of the comical political responses to the event:

- Replacing Shivraj Patil with P Chidambaram is a case of diverting a fireman from one burning house to another. The economy is now poised to face an even starker threat and we could do with the business-like approach of PC as opposed to the professorial approach that our Prime Minister is known to have (pressures on his schedule apart). Perhaps, it is a telling reflection on the bench strength in the UPA.
- Using Ram Gopal Verma’s presence as a trigger to oust Vilasrao Deshmukh reminds me of the farcical moment when Rajiv Gandhi brought down the Chandrashekhar Government ostensibly because of Haryana Police constables posted outside his house.
- Narendra Bhai got it wrong for once. Increasingly regarded as someone who emphasized action over symbolism, he disappointed this time. Ironically, I have received text messages from those who previously regarded him as a pariah, hailing him as a potential saviour of the nation. Perhaps he was winning over a different constituency this time .

Lastly, where on earth is Arundhati Roy?? I am certain she will land up in Mumbai soon protesting human rights violations against the slain terrorists. Unless she already has. I have not watched TV for the last 3 days.