Our country is very much a nation that loves a spectacle or two. This yen for gala events courses through our very blood stream. The big fat Indian wedding is a much quoted and world renowned example of this quirk of ours. In our blog today, let us look at two such events that took place in the last couple of days. Let us use these two events to understand ourselves more, and better.
The first one is the grand welcome accorded to the Indian cricket team. What a spectacle indeed! Such huge crowds, all drunk with the zingy taste of the much missed success. Nothing mattered, neither the near misses so far, nor the much debated catch near the boundary, nor the booing of some of these very players a few weeks ago during the IPL season. Talk indeed of the fickle public memory! All is well that ends well!!
What does this gala event tell us about ourselves? To begin with, thus we get to know that cricket is a 'fevicol ka jod' for the whole of India. The thorny identity politics does not rear its poisonous head when it comes to this game that seems to turn the spectators also in to gentlemen. Why? Well, there was this huge rally, full of over drive as far as fandom goes, and yet there was not a single mishap. Tells a lot about the subtle sense of discipline inherent to us, city-slickers.
Unfortunately, the other event we are going to talk about, the Hathras incident, seems to question this very notion of discipline. The stampede there killed at least hundred of innocent, unfortunate victims. Who is responsible for the tragedy? The organisers? The state machinery? In my opinion, it is the devotees.
The devotees! How do they create a deity out of a nobody? Why are they so desparate? May be, that kind of blind faith comes from economic hardships. Such, such are the zillion difficulties they must face, including the constant draining of self respect, that they fall at the feet of anybody who seems to promise the much needed succour.
Even in the Wari procession, except for the dindi's directly connected with the well-known organisers, the others are a motley crowd without any sense of discipline or self-respect. Sad is the sight when someone, out of pretensions of religious fervour and largesse, chooses to distribute some eats. Really ugly scenes ensue.
Well, what is the moral of the story? Difficult to decipher, right? Rural distress is my submission!
Pratima@ Tough to ascertain the crowd mentality as it is full to brim of many an uncertainty!
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