Democracy fails! From Meerut to Malaysia!

Two incidents that took place recently set me wondering. One was the sorry state of affairs in Meerut where couples were yanked out of their seats from parks, and ignominiously thrashed in public view ostensibly to crackdown on obscene behaviour in public, and the other was an incident in Malaysia on New Year’s eve, when about 400 rock music fans were arrested by the tough Malaysian police on the grounds that they were practicing ‘devil worship’. In a world where democracy is a key word and is widely believed to be the answer to harmony among and within nations, this kind of behaviour, especially from a strong democracy like India, is something to be worried of.

When questioned by mainstream media about its actions, the government responds akin to a parent who firmly pulls away a candy bar from the child because she feels it is not good for his health. The reasoning that sharing private moments in public or listening to rock music is a bad influence on the youth of today and that such acts have to be forcefully curbed, are undermining the very essence of democracy – that people are free to choose what they want to do, as long as it does not affect those around them.

Assuming that the youth are getting spoilt because of rock music, or that prostitution prevails on the streets of a city in the garb of ‘love couples’, is insane. These are classic cases where the elected representatives of a country throw the baby out with the bathwater. What happened in Malaysia is anyone’s guess, but if one goes by what attendees of the concert told the BBC, the cops were not even willing to listen to the audience about the nature of the show. They blindly cracked down on the fans, assuming heavily that satanic views were being embedded in the brains of the public, when in fact the show was all about pure Rock music. This shows that more often than not, the authorities act not out of any reasoning, but because of the cause to create flutter among the public, remind the people of who is in charge, and in cases, even to gain media coverage, as possibly done during “Operation Majnu” when the cops were called to witness the purging of the streets of Meerut.

It is indeed a surprise that the people entrusted with ensuring a proper state of affairs in a city’s public life don’t realise that coercing the public through detestable means would only create more pigheaded youth wearing a ‘who-are-you-tell-me-what-I am-to-do’ attitude and who would either flout rules publicly daring the government to take action against them, or practice what they want clandestinely, such secrecy often being the genesis for immoral habits leading to disastrous results affecting the entire society. One does not require a degree in psychology; even the basics of diplomacy make it clear that it is better to make people understand the consequences of their actions rather than to rudely confiscate their rights to act. The latter way of trying to achieve ones ambitions enrages the public and the media leading them to oppose whatever the government does on similar lines. This leads to an undesirable situation where any action by the government, even if justified and necessary, would be viewed with microscopic vision by the media. This is not what the government of a nation would want. So either way, the people in charge of making such decisions stand to lose, if they resort to unpopular tactics like those employed in both these countries.

It is high time that governments set their egos aside and understand that the youth are mature enough to know what is right and what is not. More importantly, even if there are areas where the youth flounders, forcibly trying to change them is not the way to do it. It will create adverse consequences, and add to the existing problems.

The loneliness of being Indira

INDIRA – An eponymous movie that I have relished watching time and again over the years – the sounds and scenes of which would remain etched in my memory for long. With a powerful cast and the best people in the film industry carving out this relevant-to-our-times, but sadly unsuccessful movie, I cannot help but appreciate the gumption of such film makers who go with their instincts, resolve to show the world the gory happenings in India mindless of how successful the movie would be in the box office.

This is the story of Indira, the village girl who is educated in the city and who comes back only to find her village (which consists of ‘lower-caste’ people) and the neighbouring village (consisting of ‘upper-caste’ people), embroiled in internecine quarrels. She is not surprised to find out from her father, Sethupathy-the village headman- that the provenance of this animosity went back to decades. Though she already has a match in Arvindsamy, who was her natural groom, her father, in an instinctive decision, promises to give Indira away to the son of Kotamarayar (headman of the neighbouring village’s) – a womanizer (Luckily his womanizing habits become known to all and the engagement does not happen) With a powerful cast breathing life into all these characters, right from the genial person that Indira’s father is, to the incendiary Kotamarayar– a character who is central to the theme and who instills and aggravates caste differences in his people.

Kotamarayar

The turning point in the film happens when Sethupathy is killed and when Indira, unable to look away from the innocent lives that are at stake, decides to wade through the air surcharged with the murderous breath of people of both sides. One reality that the director points out here is that, it is not only the upper caste people that create trouble, but even the other castes don’t take things lightly. They too, albeit forced to to establish their might in their own land, take up to killing or maiming-as deemed appropriate-people of the upper castes found encroaching on their property.

It came as a surprise to me that the movie flopped at the box office. This, sadly so, reveals the taste of the people in the country. Agreed that the audience goes to the movies to escape the realities of life and cocoon themselves in a web of fantasy for the two hours they spend in the theatre, but movies like Indira are not made often, and once in a while when someone has the guts to film such a strong, telling tale, it has to be supported. Else it can only be perceived that we are a nation of people who wish to turn our faces away from the harsh difficulties of our brethren. What is even more incredulous is that despite the lighting, camerawork, screenplay, and the music being above average, the film did not gain much mileage.

Indira, with full support from Thiyagu, her fiancé, embarks on a journey that defies age old customes - like allowing kids in her village to bathe in a river set aside for the upper castes alone - and in doing so, estranges Kotamarayar. Things start simmering when Indira wins an election.

Suhasini - The Director

This enrages Kotamarayar who promptly ambushes her with thugs. Undeterred, Indira floats and wins a tender thereby obtaining fishing rights in a portion of the river that runs through both the villages. The scene that is thence depicted – that of the neighbouring villagers not allowing the lower castes to proceed into the river, arguing jejunely that the waters are theirs, the refusal of Indira and her lot to obey, and the subsequent carnage that the higher castes unleash on the poor lower castes, clearly depicts

the deep roots that this business of caste has taken in the minds of people and also shows the homicidal extent to which humans would go to to uphold the pride of position of their castes. This is precisely on what politicians like one Mr. Laloo Yadav bank on, to stay in power – keep ‘caste talk’ going forever, restrict the progress of the peoples and paint a good self-portrait – that of a saviour.

The final scene is when the banks of a river in the high caste village give due to torrential rains. Thiyagu crosses over to the other village, desperately explains the seriousness of the situation to the villagers, and implores them to take shelter in his village till the flood water recedes. But Kotamarayar is adamant that the situation is under control and that under no circumstance will

anyone from his village want shelter in a place infested with the low castes and, most shockingly, that all of them would die rather than do that. Till t

hen I had thought that all Kotamarayar wanted was to wield power over his peoples and keep them under his thumb and also that, when the

Sethupathy
time came, he would shun this caste talk and run away. But this was not to be. His was a character who strongly believed in what he thought, said, and did. Kotamarayar really thought that his lot of people were superior to the people in the

neighbouring village, that the very touch of the low castes would really desanctify the waters of their river, and that every means, no matter how shameless and inhuman, he used to maintain this status quo between the two castes was completely justified.

As the village walls break down, the people have no option but to follow Thiyagu to his village. As this happens, a deluge of water breaks a wall and submerges Kotamarayar, and hopefully, as the director seems to say, his caste politics.

Indira is a movie of woman power. Indira is a movie depicting how caste politics is for real. Indira is a movie to be seen and supported. There should be no second thoughts on this. If you still do have any, don’t sit back and carp… Watch it! Now!

Santosh Sivan - Brilliant camera work and lighting!