Cutting Through the Noise...

In the wake of the unpsurge of popular sentiments in the support of the mammoth and "revolutionary" movement that this whole Anna Hazare episode has come to become, there is a different kind of upsurge that I have been witnessing. Upsurge in the critisism of the people, who demand for an alternative viewpoint, a rational debate to follow this whole anti corruption opera bieng staged. I have been on the reciving end of my share of scrutiny and flak from my peers, having bieng one among those who are "UnIdian" and "Insenstive" enough to have dared to speak against the tide. Well, Normally, I wouldnt have bothered to clarify my stance. Afterall, those who are critising me are as entitled to their opinion as I am to mine. However, since Iam being bereft this benefit of doubt, I choose to write this post, not as a clarification, but as an alternate viewpoint, for people to understand, that me and the likes of me, who refuse to say the word as the world says it..are not necessarily devil's advocates..we are people..who call for rational judgement and sane debates over an issue that is being "romanticised" to a level that is has almost reached the levels of insanity. I will not draft this post as another one doing the "SWOT analysis" of the versions of the bill..there are enough already doing the rounds. I speak about the attitudes here..the attitudes being dealt to the people who are giving any thing less than their complete agreement and support to the bill.



First things first...the reason I endorse Arundhati Roy's article here..is not because I hero worship her. Yes, she does command huge amount of respects from me. But respecting someone does not mean blindly following their ideologies and viewpoints. I am as critical of her ideologies as her most stauch critics would be, wen they seem worthy of critism. The same sentiment holds true when I speak of Mr. Hazare as well. I have been a follower of this Magsasay Award winner activist for a long time. Having read about his work at the ground levels, and his success at Ralegan Siddhi..the orginal battleground he has been wokking at..he draws my admiration and respect. I admire him in the way he has unified the country and mobilized the mass over an infestation that is rotting our roots.



Having said tht, I refuse to join my friends and my countrymen in the mega sized, media orchestrated stage show that this "movemnt" has now gone on to become. As an initial supporter of the movement, I have been vociferous in my critism of how the government has acted in tackling this whole episode. From the lollypop they handed to the people..in the name of the "govt's version" of the bill..to the Stallin like attidute in their tolerance of the protest..the goverment no doubt has emerged the villains in this episode. The aroused disconcert and sentimets of the masses againt this is justified, and infact appreciated.



However, this movement has now reached a stage, where these "sentiments" threaten to override our power of rational thinking. where the romanticism threathens to supercede logic. In drafting a law, that holds a power to revloutionaize the constitutional setup, is it justified to let the heart rule the mind..? Is it justified to close ourself to alternate ideas that challenge a popular yet by no means a perfect version of the bill that is being pushed forward. People fighting for the cause call themselves the torch bearers and guards of proleteralian democracy, but in refusing to allow dissent aren’t they themselves underming the democratic setup they so vehementaly claim to guard? Fine, These alternate viewpoints maybe erroneous, but how, without any debate and reasoning can they they assume that their own version, their own viewpoint deserves to be followed? And if they say, they are open to debates and talks, challenging their views ..what reason propels them to tag and dismiss every dissent and every crictic an anti national? In placing themselves and their opnion above all voices of dissent, they are bieng as presuptive as the system they claim to be fighting againt.



Is supporting the viewpoint the crowd supports the proof that I and the likes of me will have to give to prove our Indianness ? Well, that being the case I’d rather take the flak and get ousted from the good books of people, than curb my better sense and speak the “general mind”. Cause the general mind refuses to think anymore..it choses to go with the flow. If u want to change and revolutionalize the system, It requires more than just a show of heart and solidarity..it requires a show of deliberation and reasoned thinking as well. Yes, the motivated masses have done well in coercing the govt to rethink its strategies and attitudes. But in our complete refusal to hear any voices of dissent..even those coming from amngst us , we are ourselves underming and tampering with the pillars our system stands on. We are getting carried away in the media fuelled fury and agitation, which the media keep adding fire to ..as melodrama means eyeballs and eyeballs means TRPs. If defying such absurdities earns me a tag of cynic Id gladly take that. Staying a cynic with a realization of reason and reality is better than becoming a romanticist who places his hope blindly in a pied piper, to be led to a magical land of no despair. If anything, at least a cynic drowns on his own terms.