When we were in school and college, there was just one Angry Young Man. During the later part of our blissful lives as students, there was this movie called Inquilab that had Amitabh Bachchan in the vortex of a rotten system where politicians and businessmen were brazenly corrupt and venal. There appeared to be no solution, no relief and no justice whatsoever for that hapless citizen we now have honored as the aam aadmi. The movie hall erupted in thunderous applause during the climax when one could sense fellow moviegoers audibly washing away their anger through paroxysms of faux voyeurism. You see, Amitabh picks up an assault rifle and guns down every single villain masquerading as a politico, a cop and a trader. I am not too sure, but I think the movie was released in late 1983 or early 1984. Terrorism, corruption, inflation and dynasty politics, to name just a few, were the leading topics of discussions in newspapers and magazines (there wasn't much by way of TV news and absolutely no Internet back then).
Isn't it ironical and a monumental fraud perpetrated on the aam aadmi that terrorism, corruption, inflation and corruption continue to rule the airwaves. It seems nothing has changed. But in some silly and significant ways, change has happened. Thirty years ago, there was one angry young man. Today, Indian roads, homes, rallies and media outlets are overflowing with angry citizens. Everybody seems to be deeply angry with something. But hardly any of us seem to agree on how to target the root causes behind this anger.
You have political leaders who seem to think that displaying anger is a sure-fire way of attracting reluctant voters. So during much of the election campaign for the Uttar Pradesh assembly in early 2012, Rahul Gandhi adopted the persona of an Angry Young Man. In rally after rally, the scion spewed anger at the manner in which non Congress parties ruling the state since 1989 had ruined the present and the future of the aam aadmi. In one rally, he got so angry that he apparently tore the manifesto of the Samajwadi Party. Such a waste of paper. The problem with this kind of anger was that the voter was neither impressed, nor convinced. The voter could not find anything concrete or worthwhile in what an earnest and sincere looking Rahul Gandhi was saying and what his political and media acolytes repeated ad nauseam. We all know the kind of results the UP electorate delivered.
Rahul GandhiAround the time Rahul Gandhi was storming through town after town in Uttar Pradesh, another very, very unusually angry citizen was knocking on the doors of the Supreme Court. After retirement, he now threatens to blockade the Parliament to demand justice for the neglected and browbeaten Indian farmer. Yes folks, I am talking about former Chief of Army Staff General V.K Singh who claimed his honour was hurt because the government of the day had decreed that General Singh was born before he was. Forget the confusion. It was a sorry sight to see an Army Chief slugging it out with his political masters in the Supreme Court and in the gleefully sensationalistic news TV channels. In the end, both General Singh and the extremely articulate but too smart for their own boots defenders of the government were testimony to the fact that anger in this age in India increasingly seems, "fast", furious and ultimately futile.
Do see how I have used apostrophes for the word. Till about the end of December 2011, it did appear as if Anna Hazare would be the most furious man of 2012 and shake up the political system from its roots if political parties did not pass his own well meaning but quaint version of the Lok Pal Bill. Remember his angry fulminations of 2011? Remember the angry diatribes unleashed by his minions on the political class? And surely you remember the delicious counter bites unleashed by the likes of Manish Tiwari? Well, the Lok Pal looks as dead as a dodo right now. And one of his most ardent followers Arvind Kejriwal has launched a political party named, what else but Aam Aadmi Party! And now, it does appear as if Anna Hazare is more angry with Arvind Kejriwal than all other politicians in the country. So where did all this anger and counter anger lead to? Forget the Aam Aadmi, I don't think even Arvind Kejriwal and the political system he targets will be long term beneficiaries.
Isn't it ironical and a monumental fraud perpetrated on the aam aadmi that terrorism, corruption, inflation and corruption continue to rule the airwaves. It seems nothing has changed. But in some silly and significant ways, change has happened. Thirty years ago, there was one angry young man. Today, Indian roads, homes, rallies and media outlets are overflowing with angry citizens. Everybody seems to be deeply angry with something. But hardly any of us seem to agree on how to target the root causes behind this anger.
You have political leaders who seem to think that displaying anger is a sure-fire way of attracting reluctant voters. So during much of the election campaign for the Uttar Pradesh assembly in early 2012, Rahul Gandhi adopted the persona of an Angry Young Man. In rally after rally, the scion spewed anger at the manner in which non Congress parties ruling the state since 1989 had ruined the present and the future of the aam aadmi. In one rally, he got so angry that he apparently tore the manifesto of the Samajwadi Party. Such a waste of paper. The problem with this kind of anger was that the voter was neither impressed, nor convinced. The voter could not find anything concrete or worthwhile in what an earnest and sincere looking Rahul Gandhi was saying and what his political and media acolytes repeated ad nauseam. We all know the kind of results the UP electorate delivered.
Rahul GandhiAround the time Rahul Gandhi was storming through town after town in Uttar Pradesh, another very, very unusually angry citizen was knocking on the doors of the Supreme Court. After retirement, he now threatens to blockade the Parliament to demand justice for the neglected and browbeaten Indian farmer. Yes folks, I am talking about former Chief of Army Staff General V.K Singh who claimed his honour was hurt because the government of the day had decreed that General Singh was born before he was. Forget the confusion. It was a sorry sight to see an Army Chief slugging it out with his political masters in the Supreme Court and in the gleefully sensationalistic news TV channels. In the end, both General Singh and the extremely articulate but too smart for their own boots defenders of the government were testimony to the fact that anger in this age in India increasingly seems, "fast", furious and ultimately futile.
Do see how I have used apostrophes for the word. Till about the end of December 2011, it did appear as if Anna Hazare would be the most furious man of 2012 and shake up the political system from its roots if political parties did not pass his own well meaning but quaint version of the Lok Pal Bill. Remember his angry fulminations of 2011? Remember the angry diatribes unleashed by his minions on the political class? And surely you remember the delicious counter bites unleashed by the likes of Manish Tiwari? Well, the Lok Pal looks as dead as a dodo right now. And one of his most ardent followers Arvind Kejriwal has launched a political party named, what else but Aam Aadmi Party! And now, it does appear as if Anna Hazare is more angry with Arvind Kejriwal than all other politicians in the country. So where did all this anger and counter anger lead to? Forget the Aam Aadmi, I don't think even Arvind Kejriwal and the political system he targets will be long term beneficiaries.
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