False Icons

We need to get out of our cosy cocoons more often and connect with the holloi polloi of the heartland. Sitting in Delhi and other metros we are no longer connected to the masses. The India Bharat divide comes to the fore almost immediately. We happened to visit Lalitpur a small town in BUNDELKHAND in MP although culturally and socially the town bears affinity to UP. Time seems to have stood still over the last seventy odd years or actually may be even a couple of decades earlier. The overgrown village is very much one even today, with cattle tied in the courtyards of practically every other household, cow dung cakes plastered on the walls of the huts, the flowing open filthy drains, mounds of plastic adorning every street corner making a mockery of the Swachh Bharat initiative, the narrow lanes where the odd kid is still openly defecating with dogs and piglets for company. All in all quite a dismal state of affairs.

It is not just the place but also it’s people who too are steeped in archaic traditions in this age that one wonders whether the development train has simply bypassed this hamlet. In this day and age the crematorium is still divided along caste lines. One always thought that at least in death there can be no discrimination, but even that privilege is denied. Interestingly at the crematorium also there are plaques displayed for the philanthropic deeds, we are an obsessed race, obsessed about seeing our names anywhere and everywhere. So we even spotted the usual graffiti which is again the last thing you would expect to find here.
The silver lining in this morass are the people themselves. The town itself is a family, where irrespective of your relationship with the neighbours, they are all together in times of distress. An old lady, a widow whose kids and grandkids are all in different parts of the country, feels so much at home that she spends her last days right here, even at the cost of poor medical facilities, which is a mandatory requirement in old age. She relates to the love and affection, the sense of belonging and the camaraderie and of course the fact that this is the ancestral dwelling make it literally impossible to even think about any other place as a home.
Some days ago  on our way to Lalitpur we passed through Jhansi, its mere mention  brings alive the Rani of Jhansi Laxmibai.We  need icons, as a society, in religion, in politics, sports and more so in spirituality. Once we understand this the controversy associated with Padmavati will be crystal clear.  She and her valour have been part of the folklore since 1857. While the existence of Rani of Jhansi is beyond doubt so are the stories of her valour, courage and indomitable spirit, the ballads composed and sung by the Bundelkhandis will obviously be exaggerated to some extent. History  always  represents the victor’s version, but since the saga is of relatively recent origin, it is still fresh in people’s memory. Moreover there are written records available, hence the chances are that her gatha would live on.

Unfortunately that is not the case with Padmavati, she may or may not have existed, but majority of Indians have been brought up believing in this character. So does it really matter whether she actually was a person, she is an icon and every society needs their icons. Since we are a relatively young nation with an ancient civilization, the need for icons real or fictional is all the more essential. These icons are also not permanent, some fade away with changing socio-political milieu and new ones get invented/created. Dr Ambedkar is a case in point, he had his place in the history as the man behind the constitution, but today he is the messiah of the Dalit and backward community. In the days to come he shall rival the father of the nation himself. Mahatma Gandhi’s efforts towards eradication of untouchability already stand negated. The achievements of Nehru and Indira Gandhi are similarly fading away from people’s memory, their failures are being highlighted thus reducing their stature.

 Getting back to this Padmavati controversy, icon she is, that is something which no amount of propaganda can diminish. However, it by no means implies that any motley group of people can hold the state to ransom. After all every account of historical events will be open to interpretations, as long as the main theme is retained, the minor issues such as exposure of mid-riff by the queen being unbecoming or her reflection being shown in the mirror to the villainous Sultan have to be left to the storyteller. It is his or her version, which we are at liberty to accept or reject. The “banning democracy” is not a healthy one and all right thinking citizens must join hands to address this issue. Mind you the political parties pander to such blackmail out of electoral consideration only, which itself is doubtful at best. The goons are a minority and the majority will never support the irrational and illogical act of bans and rioting over such acts. As was evident by the success of the movie itself at the hustings. So much so that the Karni Sena itself did an unashamed volte face supporting the movie. The Rajputs have been glorified, their sense of ethical war waging has been eulogised, although at times they seem to have been depicted as rather naive thus easily led up the garden path. The facts of course aren’t as shown, it is movie after all and not an authentic historical account, which can be quoted in research. The flip side though is the masses do not read history nor do they undertake any serious research, their beliefs get strengthened or negated by such fictional accounts. It stays on in the memory long after they walk out of the movie hall. The story of Anarkali owes its origin and life to Mughal e Azam. Once again there were no historical records confirming existence of such a courtesan in the Mughal Darbar of Akbar the great forget about her being buried alive in the walls of the fortress. But majority of Indians believe such an event occured. Obviously it is the impact of the movie itself.

Should the movie makers then not be more careful embarking on these  fictional accounts loosely based on historical characters? After all it is tremendous responsibility to shoulder, where they can play with the faith and beliefs of not just one generation but many ensuing ones as well. Anyway the controversy surrounding Padmavat has faded into oblivion, it has served its purpose, the film maker is a hero, espousing the cause of freedom of expression and taking in the moolah as well, having his cake and eating it too. The political ends have also been met, the polarization along community lines did serve its purpose and the Karni Sena, which no one had heard of before this episode, has had its moment of glory. People have already moved on…so has the media. Sridevi, Nirav Modi……..false icons!!!!!