Mann ki Blog #12

Hey what’s going on? How are you? It’s time for another edition of Mann ki Blog. I’m fully vaccinated now my dear readers. Go ahead and cough on me, I don’t care. What an eventful month that had been! Monsoon Session of the Parliament, Olympic Medals, Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, earthquake in Haiti, Taliban being Taliban and many more. There was so much happening that I had to write a Mini Mann ki Blog few days back. In case you missed it, you can read it here. We also had Onam, Muharram, Parsi New Year, and Raksha Bandhan. I hope you all had the delicious Onam Sadhya, lost a lot of blood on Muharram, got your hearts broken after your crush Rakhi-ed you and did whatever you do on Parsi New Year.

Before we begin, did you know that on this day in 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington DC. Also, on this day last year, Chadwick Boseman died from complications related to colon cancer. Long Live the King. Wakanda Forever! Now let’s get going.

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I am sorry to start off with a rant my dear readers. I could not help it. As you know, India recently ‘celebrated’ its 75th Independence Day. Such a momentous occasion should ideally make one joyous. I am however pathetic and often tend to punish myself. It all began when the Prime Minister said that “in memory of the struggles and sacrifices of our people, 14th August will be observed as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day.” About a Million lives were lost during partition. I was stuck wondering how the British left without any kind of reparations. It was almost as if they drew some random lines, said okay bye bye and left.

Have you seen India Gate in New Delhi my dear readers? The monument was unveiled in 1931 to commemorate the lives of more than 80,000 soldiers of the British Indian Army who lost their lives in World War-I. Just read the last line once again. Doesn’t it seem ridiculous that 80,000 Indians had to die fighting a war that basically had nothing to with them? During the Second World War, more than 23,00,000 soldiers manned the British Indian Army and about 89,000 lost their lives. What did India have to do with the Second World War? Even if it did, was it worth losing 89,000 lives? This was also during the time when the Bengal famine killed about 30 lakh people. 30,00,000 human lives. Three times the number of partition deaths. No reparations.

It took India and Pakistan less than two months after August 1947, to start fighting over Kashmir. Less than two months after they became members of the Commonwealth. The fight continues to be an ongoing affair. What about the relationship between India and the United Kingdom? As on 21 April 2021, our official records state that: 

“India and the United Kingdom share historic ties since several centuries. The two countries have a Strategic Partnership since 2004 and enjoy a multi-faceted relationship spanning across trade and economy, health, science & technology, defence & security, people-to-people relations, climate change and close cooperation on multilateral issues.”

Historic ties since several centuries it seems. Nicely done.

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I am not done with the ranting my dear readers. Bear with me please. During the political integration after independence, more than 550 so called ‘princely states’ acceded to India. What were all these princely states doing before that? The British exercised paramountcy over several of them, with the British crown as ultimate suzerain. At the same time, the British respected and protected them as allies, taking control of their external relations. Have you seen that my dear readers? They were allies. Allies to the oppressors. It is recorded history that some of these royal houses, such as the Scindia’s of Gwalior, actively supported the British during the 1857 Revolt.

After their accession to the Indian Republic, were the ‘princely states’ held accountable for their actions during the British rule? Did they face any kind of consequences for their actions in the decades that followed? I don’t know. The Pataudi’s have done well. Pusapati Gajapathi Rajus of Northern Andhra are doing well. Expect may be a few exemptions, the new age royals continue to hold power across political, economic and cultural spheres while we, their subjects, fight among ourselves for being right wing and left wing. The Scindia’s for example have held power and influence and continue to do so from both the so-called liberal and conservative political parties.

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You see my dear readers, these are the kind of things that keep me awake at night. I am not even kidding. I cannot trust the news. Everything I see and read, I worry that it might be some kind of propaganda, or worse, a distraction from the actual truth. I see how the more we become polarised and the more we fight among ourselves, we end up benefitting the people and groups that ultimately rule us. Even if we don’t benefit them, we let them get away without any reparations for their misdeeds. It is like UFC, or IPL. Yes, you want to take sides. Yes, you want the other side to lose. Just like how the other side wants you to lose. But it is the organisation and the players that benefit from the fan fights. People often talk about how opposing opinions are like two sides of the same coin. What they don’t talk about is that the coin is owned by someone else.

Case in point: After INC was wiped out in the 2019 Andhra Pradesh Assembly elections, people who hated them celebrated. But if we really look at it, most of the INC leaders simply migrated to YSRCP or the TDP after the establishment of the former and after the state bifurcation. Most of the INC leaders now rule from YSRCP (including the Chief Minister) or sit in the opposition from TDP. Only the teams changed. The game continues to remain the same.

Aahh! I am now done with the rant my dear readers. I am not proud of it and I am sorry you had to deal with it. But what can I do? That is the power of public narratives. Take Karan Johar for example. Not long ago, he was seen as an anti-national for casting a Pakistani actor in one of his movies. After Sushant’s death last year, he became the poster boy of nepotism in Bollywood and faced the wrath of the people. What did he do? He produced a biographical war movie ‘Shershaah’ following the life of Captain Vikram Batra and released it during Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. Also, he cast the two people from his usual ‘talent’ pool without the ‘nepotism-kid’ tag in the movie. He threw the bone and we caught it. It’s all in the narrative my dear readers. Now he goes back to making movies with Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt.

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Now let’s take some time and talk about hope and optimism my dear readers. In October 2007, when a consortium led by Vijay Mallya (along with Michiel Mol) formed the Force India Formula One Team Limited, it was matter of pride for the entire nation. Mallya was instrumental in bringing the pinnacle of Motor Racing to India during 2011-2013 with the Indian Grand Prix. But sadly, for different reasons, it all went away. With the situation that Mallya is in now, chances of the coveted motor sport coming back to India are slim, if not entirely non-existent. Both the creation and the creator disintegrated.

Then there was Lalit Modi, the founder & first Chairman and Commissioner of the IPL. In August 2009, when Lalit Modi was still at the helm, Forbes magazine described the IPL as ‘the world’s hottest sports league’. But unlike Formula 1 and Mallya, IPL did not crumble after the downfall of Modi. In fact it grew exceptionally well and to this day remain the most popular sports league in India. The success of IPL inspired several other sports to have their own leagues like the Kabaddi, Volley Ball, Hockey etc. The creator left but the creation survived, and thrived.

You might be wondering where I am going with all this. You see my dear readers, few weeks back, a trailblazer and a visionary by the name Raj Kundra was arrested in connection with an adult film racket. There are allegations of him doing horrible things like forcing women into porn movies. I strongly believe that all guilty parties should be punished according to the law of the land. But at the same time, I do hope that for the sake of Atmanirbhar Bharat, his creation survives and thrives.

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That is all for this edition of Mann ki Blog my dear readers. Apologies for the long rants and poor editing. The last one week has been hectic for me. I got transferred from India and just moved to a new place. As you can imagine, there’s lot of shopping and trying to settle down. I will try and do better with the next Mann ki Blog. Before we end however, let’s do one more True or False Quiz. Last month’s solutions are also given below. Thank you for reading and stay safe.

Quiz

Statement – 1: After the men’s hockey team won gold at the 1980 summer olympics, India had to wait 16 years with out a medal, until Leander Paes won bronze at the 1996 summer Olympics.

Statement – 2: Nusli Wadia, one of the main funders of the erstwhile Jana Sangh and later the BJP is the grandson of Pakistan’s first Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan.

Statement – 3: In October 2018, with the approval of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, Arnab Goswami was made a member of the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library Society.

Statement – 4: During June 2019 to August 2021, Hon’ble Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) Swami Sachchidanand Hari Sakshi Ji Maharaj, popularly known as Sakshi Maharaj has 96% attendance in the parliament, while Rahul Gandhi has 53% attendance.

Last Month’s solutions

Statement – 1: Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel wrote a book that was published in 1945 called ‘Sangarshma Gujarat’ detailing his experiences during the Quit India Movement.

Solution: False. The book ‘Sangarshma Gujarat’ was written by Prime Minister Narendra Modi detailing his experiences during the Emergency. It was published in 1978.

Statement – 2: When Vasundara Raje was the BJP Chief Minister of Rajasthan, there was a period when Jyotiraditya Scindia was a Union Minister in the UPA Government. Scindia is Raje’s nephew.

Solution: True. Jyotiraditya Scindia is the son of Late Madhavrao Scindia who is Vasundara Raje’s brother. All Royals.

Statement – 3: Following the services of the sangh volunteers during the 1999 Kargil War, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee invited the RSS to participate in the Republic Day Parade in 2000.

Solution: False. It was Jawaharlal Nehru who invited the RSS to participate in the Republic Day Parade of 1963 following the services of sangh volunteers during the 1962 conflict with China.

Statement – 4: Even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first term as Chief Minister of Gujarat started in October 2001, he entered the Gujarat state legislature on 24 February 2002 only. Three days later, on 27 February 2002, a train burned near Godhra.

Solution: True. Well, what can I say? it is true.

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