Firaq

“Saat Suron main itnee Taakat Kahaan, jo inki nafrat se lad sakein”

I not only watched this movie because it won several awards or it was of my interest but moreover because it was directed by Nandita Das.

The movie is based on Gujarat riots. The unfortunate yet true post Gaodhra genocide is portrayed in a very decent manner through two isolated segments of good/bad Muslims & good/bad Hindu. It focuses not on showing violence but more of emotions and one’s psychology at a given point of time.

The movie starts on a slow note , but gains pace as it depicts mixed emotions of fear, hatred, anger, suffocation, disparity, revenge, aloofness, concern, curiosity and above all the pain of alienation from your own country.

The blank face of a lost orphan child touched me deep. I felt the confusion surrounding Sanjay Suri and was by the depth of Nazruddin Shah’s musical score that made everything appear meaningful.

In February 2002, I was in the same country, in fact adjacent to the victim state. Chilling my teenage with the excitement of Valentine’s Day, in my very own world. And today I get goose flesh not because I get to know all this, but to realize how emotions have died, how humanization hardly exists.

Nothing has though changed much; an old Narendra Modi is replaced by a young Varun Gandhi.

It’s strange & in fact suffocating to see criminals as leaders of our nation, proudly taking pledge and appealing for “say no to criminals in politics”, & we being too fond of their progress stories.

We have seen a surge in demands for implementing the provisions of 49 O in our election voting procedure. But i fail to understand that why do we need to demand an option as “none of the above” in our voting ballet?

Than what is the use of being a part of the democratic structure, which can’t provide us with a set of true nation leaders from a lot of one of the world’s most populated countries!

Definitely we have come too far.

The not so Big Picture

It has been quite a many days now watching the election bulletin on news channels, segregated columns in journals, proving this being the biggest elections so far.For me this one is the second election, I’d be chasing and the improvement can certainly been seen on the following grounds-

Film stars have now sorted a back up profession, once they realize they are old enough to take it and can have black & white multiple accounts.
(Sanjay Dutt’s recent “Dutt yatra” sawaari took 3 crores for decoration)

Politicians like Raj Thackrey are enrolling themselves for voice modulation & oratory skill classes, after facing a major threat of inferiority from youngsters like Varun Gandhi, who have successfully adopted the “instant” mantra.

Bollywood is moving slow not because of the recession but because the stars are been signed for election campaigns, the locations are been pre-booked for rallies, printers are very busy and that has resulted in bigger deals for dress designers & music directors.

The target audience this time has shifted to young educated elite class rather than the illiterate ones, and so the 'salespeople' of various parties are being seen outside several colleges tracking students.

From 1 kg rice to villagers, it has now switched to 1 laptop to freshers & and hwo knows may be a Nano next time.

Also no effect of the economic slowdown is visible on politicians for they are spoilt with several opportunities in hand by the newborn baby parties and certainly better packages.

Kasab will be well groomed by the next elections to participate, but the fight is still on between S.P. & B.S.P. to decide who will takehim in .

This is the modernized version of the political scenario today, where showing off seems the ultimate goal, a party is projected no less than an attractive commodity, and of course politicians are one of the most expensive hero’s.

It won’t be a nightmare, if the next time we see Rakhi Sawant dancing on Advani’s head, or elections being postponed for IPL.The western policies of election campaigns are being adopted by the same set of leaders who claim that they can die to save their Indian Traditions.

Today for exercising our own right we need an advertisement. High time we should realize it’s on the stake of our money, our right & above all our security.

Jai Ho!