Political Diary
New
Delhi, 15 September 2012
Deletion Sans
Debate
OOCH, OUR MPs ARE
TOUCHY!
By Poonam I Kaushish
Ouch, the truth hurts! This dear readers was the sum total
of the cruel joke perpetrated on us by our netagan.
Who believe humour is unpatriotic. Not for them that cartoons have enlivened
political discourse for centuries. And made us laugh in the midst of rampant
corruption, venal self-opinionated portentous leaders and increasingly
feudalistic burdensome democracy. Simply, because, laughter, is the best
medicine!
Alas, this joy de
verve came crashing down when an unknown Kanpur cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was jailed
for sedition as his anti-corruption cartoons lampooned our august institutions
and Constitution. One, replacing the three lions in the national emblem with
wolves and the line Bhrastamev Jayate
(Corruption always triumphs) instead of Satyamev
Jayate (Truth always triumphs.) Two, showing Parliament as a toilet bowl full
of sleaze. Three, terrorist Ajmal Kasab urinating on the Constitution.
Predictably, all political hell
broke loose. Leaders fell over each other dubbing Trivedi’s caricatures as an
act of “treason and offensive.
Our Constitution, flag and emblem are beyond critique”, they asserted. This
grandstanding is not only deplorable, downright dangerous but shows a worrying lack of tolerance turning
comedy into a tragedy.
True one can accuse Trivedi of bad taste, crude caricatures
but in no way does it warrant being slapped in jail for sedition. Arguably,
what is it that hasn’t been said before? Don’t his drawings reflect what
everyone is thinking? Mirroring our polity’s actions? But seditious? Never.
According to Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code: Sedition
is an attempt to bring into hatred or contempt the lawful Government. Arguably,
none of Trivedi’s cartoons calls for overthrowing the Government or merit him
being labeled anti-national. He is only an angry aam aadmi livid with our system and fighting against corruption via
his trade.
Raising a moot point: Are we becoming an intolerant society?
Bordering on a narcissist phobia? Wherein icons are placed on pedestals beyond
censure? And the Constitution and emblem justification to stifle critique? No
matter, that these are symbolic of every Indian’s freedom credentials!
Clearly, to take offence at cartoons is to be intolerant of
criticism, a move towards authoritarianism. Whereby, netas view themselves as holy cows who can not be criticized
leave alone laughed at. Using security, nation and flag as a façade to throttle
freedom of dissent
But Trivedi is not the first or last to be rebuffed by a
touchy moribund Administration. Legendary cartoonist Shankar was posthumously upbraided
and his illustration yanked off from NCERT books following a hue and cry by our
Right Honourables led by BSP’s supremo Mayawati. All showcasing their
‘angst’ like badges of honour, notwithstanding, these have been part of school syllabi since 2006
Specially
one showing Nehru with a whip and Ambedkar sitting on a snail named
“Constitution”, a comment on the slow, laborious process of forming the
document. Recall, neither
Ambedkar nor Nehru objected to the cartoon. In fact, Nehru was on
record by telling Shankar, “Don’t spare me.” Are we to believe that what was
good in 1949 is inappropriate for 2012?
Undeniably, to create a controversy on the absurd
ground that the cartoon “insulted” Ambedkar is downright ridiculous. Thanks to
increased Dalit power and populist vote-bank politics, the Father of the
Constitution has become an article of faith for Dalits. Akin to what the Gandhi
dynasty is to the Congress or Karunanidhi to DMK. But to embalm him in
political hypocrisy insults the courage of man.
The story doesn’t end here. Next, West
Bengal capricious stormy petrel Mamata put a professor behind bars
for satirizing her. Thus, in a milieu where patriotism spells sycophancy spells
political correctness, anyone transgressing this, is seen as a desh drohi. Whereby, caricatures are the sure-fire recipe
to jail. Undeniably to take offence at cartoons, reminds one of the dark
Emergency days and spells a move towards authoritarianism.
Think. Aren’t our Right Honourables, elected to
safeguard our Constitutional democracy, of which freedom of speech and
expression is a fundamental and inviolable part? Yet in a country boasting of
70% poverty and aangootha chaaps, our
polity instead
of focusing their energy on crucial issues that threaten the country like Maoist
terror, increasing casteism, communalism, rising disparities et al, think there
is more political mileage in creating controversies over irrelevancies and
non-issues.
Welcome
to the phenomenon of competitive intolerance as MPs read cartoon which
criticise them as part of a larger conspiracy to denigrate the nation and
corrupt young minds. Thus, we will now be inundated by a torrent of
demands to ban more and more expressions of culture, art and knowledge.
What
is worrisome is that mobocracy and majoritarianism is fast replacing reasoned
debate. Big deal, if it strikes at the democratic roots of Parliament or
outside. Whereby, political correctness is the new strain of political
hypocrisy which adds zing to sycophancy wherein a combination of both put
together totals absolute power.
Finally, the danger is not of a
few controversial cartoons being removed from textbooks or periodicals, without
reason but that this is just the beginning. Of raucous noises of identity politics through show of
brute Parliamentary majority declaring “victory” over what they perceive as prejudicial and irreverent.
Of course, this might prove counter-productive as
it exposes petty, egocentric netas steeped
in yesteryear prejudices. Wherein they themselves insult, denigrate and deify icons
turning institutions into empty symbols, worse than any caricature. Indeed, it
is sad that our polity has lost all sense
The world over leaders are lampooned. Be it former
US President George Bush. He was invariably shown as a small figure being
guided by his father or by his Vice-President Dick Cheney. The Queen Mother was
a favourite of humour columnists and cartoonists who repeatedly referred to her
fondness for gin and racehorses. British Prime Minister David Cameron is
routinely made fun of in the press, as are other European leaders.
What next? We can be sure that in future young impressionable
minds will be nurtured on nice, sanitised, uncontroversial and pro-neta version of our history. Since
governance is growing increasingly fanatical of any criticism and dictatorial
wherein at a drop of a hat, bans are imposed and news, views et al censored history is almost certain
to pander to our petty, narcissist and self-serving jan sevaks. The latest case is India earning the title of a wet
internet nanny busy whetting social sites.
All in all, our leaders need to realize that by indulging in
all these shenanigans they are making caricatures of themselves, and not too
engaging or humorous ones at that. Remember, Bhakti in religion may be a road to the salvation of the soul.
But in politics, Bhakti or
hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual dictatorship”. India road to
salvation lies in our leaders searching resisting becoming the butt of ridicule
and the bone of contention! ---- INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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