This is my own loose translation of a popular Tamil proverb. Tamil proverbs are known as capsules of wisdom put in a poetic language. Poet Abdul Rehman has mentioned somewhere that each Tamil proverb is a poem in itself. What does this proverb convey?
When we go to a shop we are interested only in the merchandise; we look for quality and durability. Sometimes we look for elegance also. We are the least interested in the person who sells them. Yet, there are occasions when we are carried away by the eloquence of the seller and end up purchasing an article. Sometimes, the salesman is so persuasive that he makes us purchase an item which we did not have any idea of procuring. As they say, ‘sales talk’ always succeeds almost all over the world.
This is more so in the field of Indian politics. As far as I can remember, it is the person who counts in politics, rather than his philosophy. The philosophy may be a sound one, yet it becomes acceptable only when it is presented by an acceptable person.
India is known as a country of hero worshippers. It is always a person who has the qualities of a hero, personal charm, endearing manner and some amount of benevolence who manages to reach the top. In short, we want a father figure, in whose hands we will be safe and smug. Once we accept the person, we are prepared to accept his philosophy, whatever it is. It is like saying ‘he is a good person, we are safe in his hands, therefore whatever he does must be good for us.’
When Gandhi entered the Indian scene there was no dearth of intellectuals infused with patriotic fervour who were launching a fierce fight for freedom of India using parliamentary methods. Yet within a short while, Gandhi could become a pole star in the firmament of Indian politics by freely mixing with the masses, speaking their language and identifying himself with them. His generous mixture of religion and politics brought him nearer the masses and very soon he became ‘Mahatma’, an unsurpassed figure who could be equalled by no one. His writ started running in the whole of the country and anyone who questioned him did so at his own peril. There were occasions when Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajagopalachari disagreed with him, but they stopped their dissension with murmurs. Rajagopalachari became unpopular when he openly disagreed with the Mahatma in the question of partition. Netaji Subash Chandra Bose was completely overshadowed by Gandhi and had to change his scheme of action. Between Sardar Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru, the latter became the darling of the masses more easily because he was able to obtain Gandhi’s stamp of approval.
After Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru with his sincere love of the people and his ardent devotion to national development soon rose to become the father figure Indians wanted to find. A person of charming manners, he was soon to eclipse everyone around him. Even when he bypassed others using coarse methods, he was neither suspected nor chastised. When elections were held in 1952, there arose posters everywhere in India, showing a lifesized Nehru proclaiming, ‘I am the candidate in all the constituencies.’ Even the number of constituencies were mentioned. So, Congress party depended on Nehru’s charm for continuing in power and the strategy succeeded. During his lifetime, no party other than the Congress could capture power anywhere in India, but for a brief spell of Communist rule in Kerala.
After Nehru came Indira Gandhi, whose strength was yet to be proved, though she did wear her father’s mantle. Very soon she rose like a colossus, pouncing on her opponents like a wounded tigress and instantly disactivating them. Once having firmly seated herself in the saddle, she took every step to consolidate herself. She followed the policy of non alignment rather aggressively, showing to the imperialist forces that she was not the one to be taken lightly. On the international front, India stood firmly on the side of the aggrieved nations. She kept the Indian ocean area free from any power play. She created Bangladesh, cutting Pakistan to size. She generally helped the Tamil militants of Sri Lanka, thereby keeping that country in a state of scare. All these earned the admiration of her countrymen in abundance, if not their good will, and she came to be considered an iron lady, both in India and abroad.
At the home front, she was not that good to her own country, and trampled all the democratic institutions which had been built brick by brick since Independence. Her emergency and draconian measures that followed successfully created a fear psychosis among the people. Yet, there were people who admired her for the welfare measures she took during those dark days. If she earned the epithet of ‘annai’ it was not as a benign mother but as a stern disciplinarian. However, it is significant that she was able to resurrect herself after all the ignominy. It shows that, after all, people accepted her as a protective force, in whose hands the country would be safe. She might have continued to rule for long had she not been snatched away by cruel fate.
Morarji Desai, unfortunately, had to carry a stigma from the beginning. He was considered stubborn and unyielding qualities which would be unsuitable for a multiracial country like ours. He was also considered fascist and conservative. It was not a secret that he was nurturing prime ministerial ambitions. Jawaharlal Nehru was wary of him and tried every trick to keep him at bay. Yet, after having tasted Indira Gandhi’s devious rule, full of trickery and deceit, people came round to accepting Morarji Desai, known for integrity and straightforwardness. He suited the requirements of a father figure all right, but his government gave way under the weight of the ego of the constituents. Had he been given more time, he certainly would have won popular acclaim.
Rajiv Gandhi could not have filled the ‘father figure’ frame, yet he was clothed with a halo, that of being young and dynamic. Though he was guilty of hypocrisy and misdemenour, his followers, the set of sycophants that they were, presented him to people as no less than a saviour.
Even to begin with, prime ministership was thrust upon him, as it were, because he was the son of his mother. It is difficult to say, however how he would have conducted himself if he had lived longer.
(To continue)
When we go to a shop we are interested only in the merchandise; we look for quality and durability. Sometimes we look for elegance also. We are the least interested in the person who sells them. Yet, there are occasions when we are carried away by the eloquence of the seller and end up purchasing an article. Sometimes, the salesman is so persuasive that he makes us purchase an item which we did not have any idea of procuring. As they say, ‘sales talk’ always succeeds almost all over the world.
This is more so in the field of Indian politics. As far as I can remember, it is the person who counts in politics, rather than his philosophy. The philosophy may be a sound one, yet it becomes acceptable only when it is presented by an acceptable person.
India is known as a country of hero worshippers. It is always a person who has the qualities of a hero, personal charm, endearing manner and some amount of benevolence who manages to reach the top. In short, we want a father figure, in whose hands we will be safe and smug. Once we accept the person, we are prepared to accept his philosophy, whatever it is. It is like saying ‘he is a good person, we are safe in his hands, therefore whatever he does must be good for us.’
When Gandhi entered the Indian scene there was no dearth of intellectuals infused with patriotic fervour who were launching a fierce fight for freedom of India using parliamentary methods. Yet within a short while, Gandhi could become a pole star in the firmament of Indian politics by freely mixing with the masses, speaking their language and identifying himself with them. His generous mixture of religion and politics brought him nearer the masses and very soon he became ‘Mahatma’, an unsurpassed figure who could be equalled by no one. His writ started running in the whole of the country and anyone who questioned him did so at his own peril. There were occasions when Jawaharlal Nehru and Rajagopalachari disagreed with him, but they stopped their dissension with murmurs. Rajagopalachari became unpopular when he openly disagreed with the Mahatma in the question of partition. Netaji Subash Chandra Bose was completely overshadowed by Gandhi and had to change his scheme of action. Between Sardar Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru, the latter became the darling of the masses more easily because he was able to obtain Gandhi’s stamp of approval.
After Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru with his sincere love of the people and his ardent devotion to national development soon rose to become the father figure Indians wanted to find. A person of charming manners, he was soon to eclipse everyone around him. Even when he bypassed others using coarse methods, he was neither suspected nor chastised. When elections were held in 1952, there arose posters everywhere in India, showing a lifesized Nehru proclaiming, ‘I am the candidate in all the constituencies.’ Even the number of constituencies were mentioned. So, Congress party depended on Nehru’s charm for continuing in power and the strategy succeeded. During his lifetime, no party other than the Congress could capture power anywhere in India, but for a brief spell of Communist rule in Kerala.
After Nehru came Indira Gandhi, whose strength was yet to be proved, though she did wear her father’s mantle. Very soon she rose like a colossus, pouncing on her opponents like a wounded tigress and instantly disactivating them. Once having firmly seated herself in the saddle, she took every step to consolidate herself. She followed the policy of non alignment rather aggressively, showing to the imperialist forces that she was not the one to be taken lightly. On the international front, India stood firmly on the side of the aggrieved nations. She kept the Indian ocean area free from any power play. She created Bangladesh, cutting Pakistan to size. She generally helped the Tamil militants of Sri Lanka, thereby keeping that country in a state of scare. All these earned the admiration of her countrymen in abundance, if not their good will, and she came to be considered an iron lady, both in India and abroad.
At the home front, she was not that good to her own country, and trampled all the democratic institutions which had been built brick by brick since Independence. Her emergency and draconian measures that followed successfully created a fear psychosis among the people. Yet, there were people who admired her for the welfare measures she took during those dark days. If she earned the epithet of ‘annai’ it was not as a benign mother but as a stern disciplinarian. However, it is significant that she was able to resurrect herself after all the ignominy. It shows that, after all, people accepted her as a protective force, in whose hands the country would be safe. She might have continued to rule for long had she not been snatched away by cruel fate.
Morarji Desai, unfortunately, had to carry a stigma from the beginning. He was considered stubborn and unyielding qualities which would be unsuitable for a multiracial country like ours. He was also considered fascist and conservative. It was not a secret that he was nurturing prime ministerial ambitions. Jawaharlal Nehru was wary of him and tried every trick to keep him at bay. Yet, after having tasted Indira Gandhi’s devious rule, full of trickery and deceit, people came round to accepting Morarji Desai, known for integrity and straightforwardness. He suited the requirements of a father figure all right, but his government gave way under the weight of the ego of the constituents. Had he been given more time, he certainly would have won popular acclaim.
Rajiv Gandhi could not have filled the ‘father figure’ frame, yet he was clothed with a halo, that of being young and dynamic. Though he was guilty of hypocrisy and misdemenour, his followers, the set of sycophants that they were, presented him to people as no less than a saviour.
Even to begin with, prime ministership was thrust upon him, as it were, because he was the son of his mother. It is difficult to say, however how he would have conducted himself if he had lived longer.
(To continue)
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