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Gutter inspector's work

Gutter inspector's work

Author: A.R.Kanangi
Publication: Afternoon Despatch & Courier
Date: January 17, 2004

Introduction: To many Chhatrapati Shivaji is a great hero - almost divine. They feel disturbed and threatened when some foreigner comes, and like a gutter inspector, looks for the dirt in the drain and writes a book.

It was written: the earth is flat. And when that enterprising, imaginative Italian Gallelio found and provided proof that the earth was round, he was tortured. Not physically - that was not necessary. He was shown the torture chambers and different gadgets used for inflicting pain. That was enough. He could visualise it all.

And the hapless man was forced to say he was wrong. The earth is not round, it is flat.

He had made an inconvenient discovery. Those who wanted to spread the religion world-wide were embarrassed. The book had the final word. How can anything in it be changed?

Such revealing, damaging disclosures are made all the time, in all countries of the world. Someone with a rational or scientific bent of mind comes out with embarrassing statement - rocking the edifice, the system, the comfortably ensconced establishment. There are tears in the eyes of images of saints; there are gods installed in places of worship who drink milk. What is astonishing is that a large number of people swear they see the tears flowing down the cheeks of beloved saints, see god drinking milk. Mass hypnotism, the rationalists will say.

How can one explain this phenomenon?

For those who believe no explanation is necessary and for those who do not, no explanation is possible.

Faith. That is the important thing.

And faith is absolutely essential for those who do not think, who do not want to think, who cannot think.

Years ago, I was present at the gathering of village folks discussing some episodes in the Ramayana. There was unbelievably frank discussion on the role of Rama, Sita and Ravana. Make no mistake, they were all firm believers in God Rama but maybe they wanted confirmation and removal of doubts. One of them said Rama was not a just king. On the basis of a chance remark made by a dhobi, how could he have imposed a death sentence on Sita? That was a death sentence, since she was to be left in a frightening forest with hungry wild animals. The explanation given was that God Rama knew what was going to happen and that his beloved wife Sita would be safe. Everyone was satisfied with the answer. And then, there was this issue about Ravana, a handsome, extraordinarily intelligent man being branded as evil. He did could have tried to rape Sita, but he did not. He wanted to win her over. Explanation: nothing of the sort. There was a divine line round the tree where she sat which none could cross. An unbeliever said: "How could she have sat under a tree in Colombo during the rainy season?"

What I am trying to say is that we should never attack the faith of people. They get confused, disturbed, threatened when we do so. Life is a mystery and reason and logic is not everything. There are things beyond logic and reason, beyond the comprehension of man.

It is better that we do not tell the truth in situations where faith is involved.

Faith helps people to get a crutch - to get meaning, to get an illusion that sustains on earth. The great warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji is admired all over the country and more so in Maharashtra. He has become a symbol. People do not want to hear anything unpleasant or derogatory about him.

What happened at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute was unfortunate, but it was perhaps inevitable. A foreigner does some research there, and then writes a book on Shivaji. There are some objectionable passages in the book. So some persons, hurt and disturbed, attack the institute.

The angry people's target may not be right: the institute is said to be doing useful research. It is open to all. It certainly was not the fault of the institute.

These foreigners have an undesirable way of coming to India and like gutter inspectors (Mahatma Gandhi's description) look for the dirt in our drains. Quite a few of them are uncivilised.

They should leave us alone - to our own faiths, illusions. Every man must have space to work out his own salvation.

And truth can be a lie - quite often.

Sonia Gandhi is smiling

Her face was like that of a sphinx. She wore a hard expression all the time. There was that arrogance in the face - a clear indication of insecurity, lack of self- confidence.

There was no smile in that face.

The smile that opens the inner self to the world.

For the first time in her life, she had to play the role of a leader. She must have tried to copy Indira Gandhi. She really did not know how to go about it. See the way she walks - fast like her mother-in-law. And she must have thought that opening her mouth would be a give-away.

Eleven states ruled by the Congress. Majority in the Rajya Sabha. Senior, experienced leaders recognising her as the boss - cringing and crawling before her.

And then the shock came. A shattering blow. She must have felt the ground giving in at her feet. The assembly rout in three important states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh must have made her realistic.

The BJP was riding on a wave of success. The Congress setback has begun. The coalition strategy of the BJP is likely to further its chances in the ensuing parliamentary elections.

She must have realised it was time to get down the high horse and reach out to leaders of small but crucial states. Leaders like Sharad Pawar - her arch enemy.

She realised she had to swallow the humble pie and reach out to the man without whose assistance, Congress does not have much chance in Maharashtra and the northern states.

She appears to have clinched a mutually beneficial deal with him.

And smiling, she offered a bouquet to BSP leader Mayawati on her birthday. The two women are likely to hit it out well in Uttar Pradesh. Their rapport may grow so much, that the Congress will ditch Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav and bring about the fall of his government - and thus make way for the return of Ms. Mayawati.

And she is beaming her charming smile towards the southern state of Tamil Nadu and trying to tie her party's knot with the DMK. But Karunanidhi does not seem to be willing. Why must he enter into an alliance with the Congress which is a non-entity in the state? He gains precious little by allying with the Congress.

But Sonia Gandhi will not give up. She has won over her arch enemy Sharad Pawar. At the press briefing after their talks, it was not she but Mr. Sharad Pawar who did all the talking. And like the true diplomat he is, he said nothing.

And Sonia stood beside him - shy and smiling.

The arrogance is gone. Sonia is smiling.
 


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