Between Hope and Despair

BETWEEN HOPE AND DESPAIR

RIDING THE WAVE

Dynamic systems have certain features in common. The never static life form is in a state of flux constantly changing – sometime at accelerated pace and at other times at snail’s pace. Change is the most characteristic and defining feature of living systems - be it bacteria, a lizard, a human being or a society. In the  lifespan of a society or a nation there are occasions when conditions become highly favourable or otherwise for a certain kind of change and a small push at the right moment can provide a long lasting direction to the shape of things to come. The Indian nation is witnessing such a moment of transformation in more ways than one.

In the last quarter of the year gone by we were in the US visiting our daughter. US media is usually indifferent to events elsewhere around the globe unless it is directly or indirectly related to American interests. Among the then recent happenings the one event of our major concern was the oncoming Common Wealth Games to be hosted by India. Something that could have been a matter of national pride turned out to be one of national shame. The indifferent American media did not bother much about the happenings but BBC news was unavoidable and we shuddered to view it. We were passing through agonising moments for no fault of ours not only due to the state of total unpreparedness on part of the organisers but also primarily due to the stories floating about the misappropriation of funds on massive scale. We felt ashamed, and like us a vast majority of Indians did. Of course those who were responsible for the frauds must not have gone through similar agonising moments. While living abroad this kind of feeling becomes more intense and unavoidable. After our return back home it was almost daily news with usual charges and counter charges, setting up of committees and sub-committees to investigate the matter. Probably the charges were too severe to be brushed aside and the scams and frauds started surfacing although attempts to divert and suppress the right moves have always been there. Then came into lime light the 2G scam whose reverberations were felt for a considerable time. From the ‘denial mode’ to ‘partial acceptance mode’, a number of patchwork steps came into forefront. It was the moment when all right thinking Indians lowered their eyes in shame. Day in and day out dark stinking cellars were being exposed to day light which by itself might have been just a tip of the iceberg. However, by this time the nation got a bit of immunity against the psychological depression arising from the bugs of corruption and scams: CWG, 2G, the Adarsh Society and half a dozen similar other cases kept hogging the limelight. Without such immunity, even though to a small extent, the situation would have brought acute depression on a mass scale. Under these conditions a diversion from the depressing events was always more than welcome. Such an opportunity was provided by the approaching World Cup to be hosted jointly by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. For seven weeks a dose of cricket-opium kept relieving the nerves from the tension created by events that preceded and which also ran parallel as well. This was somewhat akin to the state of schizophrenia where as a defence mechanism the mind creates an altogether different personality of the person under stress.   

The initial phase of the game saw Team India doing good at times but many a times it survived by a narrow margin. Overall it did much better compared with the last world Cup in West Indies when India, humiliated by supposedly weaker teams, could not make it to round two. Things looked somewhat better this time, as after few hiccups the performance of the team was satisfactory enough to take it to the next round. Among the last eight teams the quarter final stage was reached and India was pitted against the then world champions who had won the cup three times in a row. The tension was now building up although the chances were not quite favourable yet there was a finite possibility of winning, and at the right moment Team India struck the right note. The match was won and team entered the semi final stage to be played against the arch rival Pakistan. By now the tension of the ‘Scam Era’ had been replaced by that of the ‘Cricket Drama’, but with a difference. It had no element of shame in it. A keenly contested game India managed to win partly due to the opponent’s misfieldings as they too were passing through tense moments. A win here took India into the finals to be played against Sri Lanka. Come April the second, and the high drama was on cards.

The night of April 2 was full of hope and despair for millions of Indians in India and elsewhere. After innumerable moments of tension taking the boat through ups and downs came the moment when the massive hit by the Indian skipper led to the moment that lifted the Cup and also the entire nation. The whole stadium with around thirty five thousand spectators was drowned in the chaotic noise of  joyous maddening celebration. Within a few seconds the entire nation went mad with crowds thronging the roads and streets shouting, dancing and occasionally enjoying the fireworks. Looking closely and objectively it was irrational but nevertheless spontaneous. The mood of the nation undergoing depression due to scams and frauds changed to that of pride and deep satisfaction. The whole thing looked irrational but that was for the real. With the euphoria subsiding there was time to reflect on the entire set of events and its implication, if any.

Just before the start of the mega event one of the players of Team India made a statement that the team would like to win the cup for a specific reason. The country had witnessed innumerable frauds and scams. Most of national news had been depressing and disappointing. A win would bring some cheers to the disheartened masses and that is what we wish to do. And he was damn right. The momentous occasion brought down the curtain albeit temporarily on the darker side of the events that had engulfed the nation.

The euphoria was essentially a deep psychological necessity and it worked. The moment gave an indication that given the right kind of parameters we have the capacity to excel in any arena. This showed that for individuals too there were no serious impediments on the path of success including those from simple background. Cricket which was earlier confined to only big cities and affluent persons was now no more the domain of rich and the affluent and the small town India was very much in the forefront. In short the psyche of India’s masses sensed three things in an indirect way: [1] that by shear hard work and talent it is possible to excel, [2] that to excel one need not necessarily be from an affluent background, and [3] that in spite of scams and frauds all is not lost.

Looking objectively the tumultuous rupture of joy and euphoria one may see an element of irrationality and childishness. Only a dozen nations in the world play cricket and winning a game from amongst a dozen nations is not the same thing as if it was won against a hundred nations playing it. Chess is played almost everywhere and Vishwanathan Anand’s feet of winning grandmaster’s title should be regarded as a much greater feet achieved single handed. If Team India   is a bunch of heroes then Anand must be a super hero. Alas, things are not always rational and logical.  Just look at the awards being showered on the cricket players from all quarters. By doing this we are doing a lot of disservice to Indian Sports in general at least in the long run. All this would certainly not affect the motivation and performance of Anand, but Anands in the making in their formative years would not remain untouched. Even Anand did once express this kind of discrepancy in our reaction and approach. There are innumerable other sports- football, basketball, hockey, tennis and not to mention various athletic events. They too deserve some attention.

Manipulators and Performers

That is about the shape of things in the longer run. In the short run we must enjoy riding the rising tide and immerse in the euphoria the depression caused by corrupt politicians, bureaucrats and similar men and women in other arenas. Let us take advantage of the moment to strengthen our connectedness to each other and to the soul of the nation without being jingoistic.  As the old saying goes: strike the iron when it is hot. And where to strike the iron requires some degree of vision and wisdom. And we are lucky that we had some such men to take advantage of the situation. The notion of taking advantage of the situation sounds unsporting with some sort of selfish design. There are two types of Indians: those taking advantage of the situation in pursuit of their own self interests, by any means whatsoever and those who are pursuing their interests by rightful means. Rightful means prompt you to work hard to achieve the goal trying to excel in whatever pursuit you are following. The first kind represented the corrupt whose primary aim was to seek and forge connections to achieve their goals. They may at times act individually but in general they are a smart bunch of manipulators and they are to be found not only among politicians and bureaucrats but in other arenas too. The second group of Indians have been working hard to achieve whatever goals they have set for themselves trying hard to excel in whatever they are pursuing. They may be scientists, technicians, writers or sportsmen. At this moment Team India became a successful representative of the India of performers. The agony and shame thrust on the nation by the other India of Manipulators with connections was temporarily lost.

During the medieval era Indian masses humiliated by the defeats in the hands of foreign invaders and fragmented by their own differences saw an escape in the ‘Bhakti Movement’ which worked as a kind of shock absorber. In  the present context such events as cricket World Cup did what the Bhakti Movement did few centuries ago. It kept India ticking. India was on a rising tide.

As it happens the withdrawal symptoms of such mega events also have their own effects. When the euphoria subsides and the harsh realities of life and living comes staring in front. When such a situation arises there appears an enormous low pressure region. This time India was lucky. Before the low pressure region could strengthen and lead to greater depression another diversion of sorts came into focus.

The Lokpal Drama

We have talked of  ‘the scam era’ and we have talked of the ‘world cup’. The two were unconnected in any direct sense yet they were connected through the effects they produced. The nation was now riding a wave, with the low occurring at the scam era and the high in the world cup. The echo of the world cup started to fizzle with the ongoing IPL extravaganza. With the euphoria of the World Cup subsiding the scam era made a return and it returned with a greater thrust. The cricket opium was now losing its intoxicating effect. Just then the Lokpal Drama started making headlines. Just after the world Cup win the Lokpal Bill became the subject of renewed interest and the discussion heated up between the government and then the representatives of the Civil Society pressing for a more meaningful and robust Lokpal Bill. Then came the announcement by Anna Hazare that he would be on a fast unto death until his demands as regards the Lokpal Bill were accepted. The government had earlier rejected Anna’s demand, and it was in no mood to do so now. The format of the Bill as acceptable to the government had no provision for stringent action or punishment to the erring politician or official. The format insisted upon by Anna  was just the opposite. Why was the Government so opposed to stringent punishment for corrupt in high offices. The reasons were not difficult to imagine.

However, Anna’s fast on the issue created a unique and unprecedented impact on the masses. The entire nation minus the political class appeared to echo the sentiments expressed in Anna’s stated position. The shame and agony of the people in being only mute witness to the happenings earlier reverberated in their new mood to combat the scourge of corruption. The young, the student community, teaching community, the media and even a class of politicians appeared to cut across their defined positions and backed Anna. Even those who never had heard of the man, those who had almost nothing in common with the fasting hero, the computer savvy and SMS crazy young ones – they all found in the event an opportunity to come under one umbrella. It reminded many among the senior citizens of Gandhian fasts and also the mood of the masses during the freedom movement. Strike the iron when it is hot. And the time to strike the iron was ripe. The internet and the SMS were effectively used to propagate the sentiments echoed by a few and within three to four days it became a national theme.     

It was an event almost akin to world cup Final. In both cases totally unconnected with each other  a nation came alive – in a childish celebration in the first, and a mature manifestation in the other. In both cases the nation came alive and kicking. It was a bit more than that. In both cases ‘India of Performers’ scored an edge over the ‘India of Manipulators’. However, such occasions are few and far between. Most of the time manipulators have been the winners as they connect very well. It has to be a long drawn fight between the two. These are satisfying moments for an average hard working honest Indian who wishes to perform. To keep life ticking he may need to alternate between cricket and Lokpal Bill – between M S Dhoni and Anna Hazare. It was a chance that both the events – the World Cup win and  Anna’s fast came in the same week. I donot think Anna has much craze for cricket but many enthusiasts would try to see a linkage between the two events. Both events were mood changers for the nation. It is up to us to maintain the momentum.