INDIA I CRY

The Whys and Wherefores of India’s woes

 By Remo Fernandes

We've arrived at the 15^th August of the new millennium. Half a century ago, when our nation's fathers achieved our freedom, they must've had an Utopian vision of India in the year 2000. Today this year we were scheduled to feel joy in our freedom, pride in the achievements of our country, and happiness in the fact that we no longer have poor, starving and illiterate citizens after all these decades, remember_ Do we_

I, for one, don't. So excuse me if my article isn't all peaches and cream. If that's what you're looking for, read no further.

I would rather reflect on why my country today wears a tear instead of a smile.

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 As citizens, we're cool [read not bothered] about the important civic things in life. Our priorities are strange indeed; I mean, we don't ever give up any of our time to fight against the corruption and inaction we face at each and every government office along the length and breadth of our country; we never form a road block to agitate against the potholes in our roads; we never unite to stop all payments of bills when our electrical power goes off every hour, our taps run dry every day, or our phones go dead for weeks. Its been happening forever; but we take it lying down, like the cowards we are, and therefore indirectly beg for more.

But god have pity on a poor unsuspecting outsider who commits the hideous sacrilege of calling us 'Goanese' instead of 'Goans'! Or on a girl who should have the temerity to wear a skirt which reaches above her knees at a Carnival parade! Or on a film director who should dare portray a drunk Goan in Bollywood! Ah, then we're ready to sacrifice hours and days of our time, writing letters to editors and vociferously airing our opinions to anyone who will listen.

But of course there are those of us who have made it their full time profession to do nothing but protest: I'm talking about the politicians who instigate their party workers to burn and stone and kill for the sake of a language, for the sake of a religion, for the sake of a book, for the sake of a film, for the sake of a sport, for the sake of anything at all: all done 'for the love of the country'. If they love their country that much, I have always wondered why they don't go and fight her enemies in places like Kargil. If they love their country that much, I have always wondered why they kill their countrymen instead.

And again, more than these politicians, I blame ourselves. After all it is unanimously agreed, and sadly even condoned, that all our politicians without exception are here solely to grab power and make money in any which way they can – they can therefore be expected to resort to any trick to divide and rule. But we the people, we the tax payers who pay and keep these servants in luxury to supposedly do our work, what do we do_ Open any paper these weeks, and you will see learned pundits [and not so learned ones] holding forth on Konkani, Marathi, the Bible and the Vedas. Yes, we the educated people actually fall for the politicians' traps and play right into their hands, and do exactly what they intend us to do, like stupid guard dogs who have been thrown a juicy drugged bone – we fight among ourselves for it, while the thieves peacefully rob our house. And so while we're busy discussing these non-issues in newspapers and homes and bars and bus stands and offices, they go on raping our country dry undisturbed! Why can't we see through their game, why can't we stop directing our anger at each other and direct it where it belongs – towards the politicians – instead_

When we do get truly angry, we go out and burn buses. Which only hurts Goa's economy. And the politicians laugh all the way to the next elections, because they care two hoots for Goa's economy anyway! Why don't we burn their luxurious houses which are stacked up with their ill-gotten loot instead_ Now that's the only 'economy' that they care about – their own! You want to make your elected politicians take notice of your woes and wishes_ Hurt their riches – not each other!

But even more than the people, I blame the Press. Yes, I do this at the risk of offending the wonderful people in this noble fraternity – but there's no personal offence meant. Open any newspaper, and the headlines will be on politicians. The importance and respect these thieves in the guise of ministers are given is the greatest tragedy of all. One says 'there is no need to privatize electricity in Goa, because within one year from now everything will be perfect.' [Read: 'Please give me one more year, that's all I need to amass a fortune for my five subsequent generations']. Another goes to Delhi and says 'Goa has achieved each and every goal it had set for itself, and everything is now perfect in every field'. A third one says 'We have made in-depth studies, and this industry which my government has approved of is totally non-polluting'. And every lying word they utter, every false promise they make, every ribbon they cut is glowingly covered in bold print with photos to boot. Why can't we, like the child who cried 'The king is naked', see these thugs and thieves and murderers for what they are, and treat them as such, instead of being in awe of their positions and cars and sirens [for which we pay anyway]_

On the front pages of newspapers I would rather read what truly intelligent and integral people of substance have to say; people like our intellectuals, scientists, writers, professors, artists – in other words, the true builders of a country, not its destroyers – and of course the few upright people we have in our government as well. I would rather dedicate full pages to the doings of the Kairnars and the Kiran Bedis and the Chandrababu Naidus of this nation instead of reading headlines on the [mis] doings of the Advanis and the Laloos and the assorted chief ministers Goa has had the misfortune to suffer these last many years. I would rather know what Arundhiti Roy or Salman Rushdie or Vikram Seth think our home and foreign policies should be, instead of reading cheap columns by Shoba De and other mindless celebrities who write nothing but frivolous name-dropping 'I've-been-there'/'I know them' reports on so-called high society events. Open any newspaper today, and check out the moral and ethical value of its contents…

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Yes… they say that We, the People, get the government we deserve. But that's too simplistic – and self-deprecating – a resumé of the whole problem. After all, to start with, all we can do is vote and elect judiciously; but how judicious can you be when your choice of candidates is always an array of cheap thieves and criminals who belong on police wanted posters_ When you have to choose a candidate between a smuggler and a deforester_ A communalist and a fanatic_ An illiterate oaf and an educated crook_ And all of them totally corrupt, even those who make themselves appear cultured and smart and clean and suave_

Ah, India, I guess we shall have to let pass a whole lot of 15^th Augusts before we can feel that joy and pride and happiness we were meant to feel today…

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Appendum: By the way, to end on a lighter [but not necessarily happy] note, I have coined a little riddle:

QUESTION: What is the difference between our ministers and our cricketers_

ANSWER: When caught taking bribes, our cricketers are raided.

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