When Onion Uttapam was launched few months back, we wanted to bring back satire back in India. Lack of humor shows the moral degradation of any country and the amount of pessimism that has gripped a country. When we started it appeared that there was a lot to write about. This country provided lots of material for a person to make fun about and convey the wrongdoings to people. Here was ample material about politics, celebrities and sports to write about.
There is a Raj Thackerey everywhere trying to make a mark in politics. A Rakhi Sawant to brag about and a Mayawati to talk about. Every nook and corner of the country provided us with word-feeds to write about. We started and were penning down articles like anythings. Onionuttapam was our vehicle to vent our frustrations out and to show our literary skills. It was supposed to be our way of contributing to our country. But the old man amongst us failed to use his experience to warn us that the world doesn't run on ideals. Every dream starts with an ideal but it's speed is slowed down by the reality of the world and waits, driven by the same ideals for another moment to start writing again. A moment, that lies buried in the ruins that India has become.
This is a country which is a satire unto itself. We talk about this as India. Where is India ? People in North East don't consider themselves as part of India and desire independence. Up north, Kashmiris don't want to be part of Independent India. Sikhs have fought a unsuccessful war for Khalistan and we remain in fear of the war starting all over again. A huge chunk of Chattisgarh, Telangana, UP,
In the remaining states every state wants it's own identitiy. Marathi's want Maharashtra for themselves and Kannadiga's, Karnataka for themselves. So where is India and so-called Indians? I no longer feel anything satirical for this country. I feel pity. Pity because this country is ruled by people who live in one of the most secure jails of this country. They are released from bars to cast vote to decide the future of this country. Some of our representative's take money to decide what is good for us.
Imagine a day when the Indian Parliament is bought by a foreign country with loads of money and they make us a part of another country, what will we do then ? Or another situation when they pass a law distributing the Government money among themselves? Tell me how many are confident that our leaders will not do that. What else can we expect from such leaders who are fighting among themselves while country is in the middle of terror attacks. Two great leaders playing blame games while life of millions of people is at stake. A country where judges play with provident fund money and lawyers mutually decide the case before even going to the court. And where even deserving sportsmen dont get to represent the country in the Olympics.
What satire can we write about this country, when this country is a piece of satire on earth itself. Perhaps, Federalism is the way out. We shall write about this in the future.
derebail2009
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This seems to be best editorial i have read in a long time, try to post it in other forums. |
Kabir
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Agony in the Editorial is understandable but better perspective may be useful. There is hardly a country in the world whose peoples have not exhibited fissiparous tendencies at one time or the other in their histories. There is nothing special about India that Indians should be any different. At youthful sixty, can't get scared of such tendencies, can we now? An Indian MP is in prison; a President elsewhere is kept out of it. That’s how life goes. Why India, "Creation" itself can be lampooned and its follies exposed by a "satirist" if he has the right glasses on. "Idealism" of any kind should be the first target for scrutiny and ridicule and an Idealist, ideally, should be able to withstand it. Again, human nature and it foibles by themselves are a huge source for amusement. One does not even have to look beyond one's own self and immediate surroundings to find material for a biting satire that can have an uncommon view of the commonplace. A neighborhood police constable, a chaiwalla and the local ‘god man’ are far more interesting characters than the colourless PM of this country. However, if one has made politics or headline news as the issues of importance to oneself then they are perennially rich sources too provided one does not lapse in to despondency of Cassandra-type predictions of the dooms-day. No point in getting depressed at every flotsam and jetsam that a Nation’s eternal life throws up. |
but alas it is sad bu...
