I have never ever liked the name, Rahul, dominant in the natty nineties' Bollywood bonanzas. Nor was I much taken by that "over acting ki dukan" who mostly impersonated his namesake on the screen, however much most all drooled over him.
My irrational prejudice against the very name cemented in to a certainty when RaGa, as he is fondly nicknamed, walked in to a press conference, and tore to pieces an ordinance the Prime Minister of his own party had legally and formally passed with his cabinet.
Not only did I respect Dr. Man Mohan Singh a lot, but, moreover, I also disliked the princely arrogance of Rahul. People started dismissing him after the doomed interview with Arnab Goswami. For me, it was, however, that terrible press conference which humiliated a prime minister while on a foreign tour in his alma mater, a senior citizen, a scholar who had been heaped with all the blame of others' wrong-doings.
Rahul's later antics -- such as winking, hugging, blowing kisses in the Parliament where he dressed, talked most inappropriately, raised irrelevant issues, wasted days over books which had only the cover without the pages inside, and so on -- were not exactly endearing, however much his brand of "andh bhakt'' tried to market him. Nor did it augur well that all the good people from his party, excepting Dr. Tharoor, left the grand old party!
If that is the saga of the political leader who disappointed a committed, conscientious citizen, the Madhu Kishwar version shows the tragedy of the intellectual in the public space.
I was in my early twenties, and a struggling author. My poem "Lopamudra" was published in "Manushi", though I did not have nary a connection in Delhi. It was liked a lot, too. Yes, I was happy that "Manushi" of Madhu Kishwar found my poem worth a print.
Much later, I met Madhu Kishwar herself in a seminar. Despite her fame and name, she came across as a warm person whose feminism appeared a brand of theory tempered with the indigenous realities.
Hence the unhappy feel now. Lucky, I am not on Twitter, et al. Yet Youtuber after Youtuber would discuss her tirade against the présent prime minister. What surprises me is the timing.
Why is she opening up a Pandora's box, which demeans her own self as a "padjiwi"; someone who wanted some political leverage not granted to her, and hence is descending down to character assassination!?! It hurts to see her so (p)resented.
If she all along knew all those ugly realities, why did she keep quiet all these years? Why did/does she not go to court with solid proof? Why the 'hoot n scoot' policy which hardly suits an intellectual? Or is she indeed playing a pawn cum king maker in the internal politics of the one-up-man-ship in the BJP, as say most Youtubers, which is ultimately demeaning to an intellectual.
Much worse, why is a feminist weaponising a woman's femininity? Why present a woman as a sexual toy? Is not it the typical capitalist attitude to women's work? Why must a woman's achievement always be bed-ridden!!?!!
I, too, had niggling doubts about the "education minister" whom Madhuji apparently attacks indirectly. Even the men ministers whom she preceded raised many eyebrows when they were appointed, right?
Yet, in a very straightforward, rather naive, way, I, however, thought that the party wanted a heavyweight (given her Amethi performance) who would unquestioningly toe their line. As it is, most unfortunately, education is not exactly on the top priorities of governments.
Yet I have no qualms in openly admitting that academics has changed hugely post 2014. Surely, the NEP needs fine tuning. Without doubt though, it IS a sea change. Similarly, only post 2014, can a J. Sai Deepak, a Vikram Sampat, a Meenakshi Jain, a Dr Ranganathan, and many many others of their ilk assert their much deserved space in the academic arena. Hence the unhappy feel about the ugly spat!
Much worse, it shakes the common man's much damaged faith in politics, which is the worst to happen in a democracy. I have other worries though. With a third world war hanging over our heads like the Damocles' sword, if such gossip leads to either the coalition tensions, can we afford yet another election, and its uncertain aftermaths?
Yet another niggling doubt! Is this yet another trap by the 'deep state' types? Given the current tough times, some Gen on the roads is hardly the need of the hour! Hope the BJP upfront addresses the issue. Much, too much, is at stake!
Pratima@ A career politician may have his own compulsions. Should an intellectual "miss"-re-present realities? That is the question!
Quote of the day: Says Janis Joplin, "being an intellectual creates lots of questions, with very few answers."
Word of the day: Intellectual Intellectual refers to the ability to think, understand, and reason at a high level, focusing on complex ideas, study, and logic rather than emotions by a person devoted to mental, academic, or creative pursuits.
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