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Journalism of Courage
In Mani Ratnam’s Yuva, four rough and tough guys in Marlborough gear strut into a legislative house as the camera pans over a sea of white with the unmistakable suggestion of a new dawn breaking. It is an almost eerie parallel to real life; to the recent to-do over the entry of the likes of Milind Deora, Sachin Pilot, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Rahul Gandhi into Parliament. The breathless adulation with which the new entrants have been greeted by the media over the last few weeks leads one to presume that, like Ratnam’s heroes, much is expected of them. Immediately.
The feel-good images fit in with the increasingly widespread disenchantment with long time career politicians and the viewpoint that has gained currency in recent times of there being far too high a percentage of senior citizens in politics; some even advocate a retirement age for politicians just like in other professions. There is something to be said for this view. A familiarity with modern technology, the ability to project ahead, good health and enterprise are qualities more commonly found in the young than in the old. And new energy cannot but be welcome in government, as anywhere else.
At the same time our snowballing worship of youth in politics is nothing short of ludicrous. Have we forgotten, for instance, the Lok Sabha thrown up by the 1984 elections? Rajiv Gandhi, young, handsome, shawl stylishly flung over one shoulder. The two Aruns, boxwallahs who had left their jobs for politics. The actors, Amitabh Bachchan and Vyjanthimala. A varied house with sportsmen and mahar-ajahs as well. And remember what happened to that dream? Or remember the 1985 Asom Gana Parishad government? Students, friends, leaders of a popular movement. They came to power at the end of violence, promising hope. It took less than a year for accusations of differences, mismanagement and unmet promises to surface. Or remember a littlebefore then, Sanjay Gandhi with his buddies, and the mayhem that resulted?
Youth has its advantages. But it comes with negatives attached as well. Brashness and inexperience for instance usually come with the territory but there is scarce acknowledgement of the possibility in the recent gushy outpourings on the profiles of young MPs. In fact, it would seem from the excessive limelight, as if an inordinate amount of sagacity and maturity rests on their tender shoulders.
More important, we do not pause — as we should — to reflect on the fact that today’s world weary politicos were yesterday’s rebels. We do not ask what went wrong. Why, with all their cleverness and their ability, they turned into the people we know today? And we certainly do not ask how we expect today’s young ’uns to survive the hard knocks of politics any better than their predecessors. Optimism is good but it can be misplaced. And youth, as we should know by now, is not a miracle panacea for our ills.
Then why do we insist it is?
Take Yuva, for example. The film’s hero is an idealistic student leader played by Ajay Devgun. Determined to enter electoral politics he takes on baddies, including a goonda type played by Abhishek Bachchan, and along the way even inspires a happy-go-lucky Vivek Oberoi to join him in his struggle. Ratnam’s message to the urban, educated youth: politics, will remain a dirty business unless you join it.
It is simple wake up call, glossily wrapped, yet hopelessly anachronistic.
The fact is that the wo/men in blue are already in politics. And what’s more, politics is no longer perceived as a dirty world. It is a profession, like banking, like advertising, like public relations or acting. Most like acting, in fact, because though the risks are high the qualifications required are nil. Training and apprenticeship are optional and the benefits are immeasurable. There is power, pelf, protection and, given the media’s looming fascination for pretty faces, loads of publicity as well. Good, bad. one can make of this trend what one will. But to expect a revolution from such impulses is believing in false hope.
Every day brings news of first-timers taking a shot at politics. Educated, sophisticated, often rich and well known people. Nothing wrong with it. Just democracy at work. Yet the dangers remain the same. The disgust Yuva’s students experience towards the khadi-clad is towards men and women who, having been elected to represent them, have ended up representing only themselves. It would be unfair to negatively prejudge the new generation storming the political arena. But it is absurd to lavish expectations where no justification yet exists. If we are not careful, denim could end up being the new khadi.
