The Maharashtrians

Our nation is composed of a multitude of ethnic and linguistic groups that have a rich and colorful history behind them. If we were to scan through the Independenece movement we shall see that all these ethnic groups played a role in fighting the British. However, if we were to pick the dominant linguistic forces I am sure that the Maharashtrians and the Bengalis would count among them. And I am proud to have grown up in an environment that has made me assimilate the best of both these forces.

However, blood ties being the strongest, I shall always remain faithful to my mother tongue and today I shall dwell extensively on the diminishing power of the people who speak my tongue.If you were an outsider trying to assess which of the many linguistic groups in India weild the most power, which area would you investigate first ?

I would suggest cinema...True, Bollywood is synonymous with Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra but it is an industry that churns of movies in Hindi and of late in the Hinglish medium. Marathi cinema does seem to do well but can never stand up to its Hindi counterpart...Now look to the south of Maharashtra and you shall come across Chennai. A city bubbling with raw Dravidian power and a film industry that is tech savvy with great musical talent ( A R Rehman ) and finacial muscle. Movies in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam are a rage not in their respective bastions but also in South-East Asia and the Middle East, courtesy a large expatriate population.

The Marathi Decline

The Maharastrians of Gopal Krishna Gokhale have degenarated into an inward looking community whose circle of influence and concern does not exceed beyond the Vidarbha, Konkan and Marathwada regions. We rarely venture into other parts of the country and our idea of moving out is only to the outposts of Sunnyvale and SanJose with an equally large Marathi speaking population whose sole occupation seems to be writing codes. We fail to assert ourselves in front of other linguistic groups because our very nature does not seek confrontation and when we do it is of a nonsensical kind.
The Sikhs are recognised as a nomadic community who are hardworking , ambitious and thrifty and as the old joke goes when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon he found our very own red turbaned Sardar with a plate of Tandoori Chicken waiting for him...The Malayali is known for his quiet efficiency, the Tamilian for his intellect, the Marwari for his entrepreneurship .. what is the Maharastrian known for ??

I am pained to see that the community that has given this nation people like Shivaji , Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Baba Amte who have changed the basic fabric of this country, has no one to offer...... ( don't give me names like Madhuri Dixit,Sachin Tendulkar and Pratibha Patil)...

Arre marathi manoos .. kuthe gelas tu ?

The Balance Sheet

It does not take one long to realize that our existence is a no profit-no loss exercise. What leaves you shall return to you in some form or the other.
The other day I made a solemn vow that I shall not make sarcastic or critical remarks about anybody... either colleagues,friends or relatives. I found that once I had made this resolve there was a sudden spate of criticisms and sarcasms directed at me , in person and also behind my back. It made me reflect and I came to the following conclusions :

1) Whenever you make a resolve your mind also gets programmed subconsciously. You become aware of the subject of your resolve and in your daily quota of human interactions you are tuning in to related situations that enable you to test your inner strength and tenacity. At the same time you also find that you will be facing numerous situations that shall force you to act contrary to your resolve. What must be noted is that you have faced these situations before, it is only because your subconscious has changed that you have become aware of the existence of these situations.
Example : You have taken a resolve not to mock any of your colleagues. You suddenly find that you have become the butt of an increasing number of jokes. If your were to reflect on the situation you shall find that you have always been the butt of many jokes... it is only because you want to renounce these habits you find that a deluge of such occurences... Now this awareness can elucidate two responses -- i) You fall back into your bad habits since you want to avenge these insults or ii) You become mentally stronger and are finally able to break free ....

2) To move onto the path to betterment, nature make sure that you bear the fruit of all your actions , good or bad, that had their origins in that habit. Once these are exhausted only then can you move on. This is a difficult period for any human being and most of us are not able to cross this stage.

To move on in life, it is important to look at your balance sheet. That's life for you my friends....

Independence

Come 15th of August and there is a surfeit of articles glorifying our country for having stood the test of time and towering above the rest of the world as the largest democracy. I pause to ask a few basic questions.

1) Is there a vision for this country. Do we know the purpose of our existence ? Is there one common cause that can bring together all the people of this nation irrespective of linguistic, religious or casteist barriers ? For all the talk about the IIT's and IIM's changing the face of Young India have they produced a good academician who has drafted a grandiose dream for us ?
2) Our country is not in economic shamble because our politicians have been plain lucky. They never envisioned India as a software superpower -- If they had had their way we would have been begging for alms from the USA's and for that matter China's of the world. Can we point out even one decision not taken under duress or because of providence but with a sense of foresight that has altered the course of this nation significantly ?
3) If we are a hunky dory unified nation state why have there been so many separatist movements over the last 60 years ? Why do states want to break away even if they might not be able to survive economically and shall be eventually gobbled up by our neighbors ( If they become independent successfully)
4) Why do we celebrate the success of one bronze/one silver medal in the Olympics where as Tiny Cuba boxes away to golds and Mighty China churns out a factory of lanky men and women who have become the most feared athletes today. ( Don't be surprised if China goes on to win the Cricket World Cup in the next 10 Years).

Now my answer to the magical question -- Why is India still a democracy ?

There are close to 100 parties vying for a share of our treasury that can be emptied through their devious machinations. To keep the ordinary folk of the country engaged in their daily activities so that they can play their their game of loot and plunder , they decide to conduct a festival every five years. In this, the spectators are treated to a gala display of buffoonery in which they have to pick out the joker whom they liked the most. Once the populace is entertained our friends go back to their game.

No prizes for guessing what is what..........
Does that answer our questions ?