Howdy Moody

26 September 2019

The euphoria of triumphalism has become so heady that it has reached its peak, so think many. The impenetrable mood of celebration over the Houston event where so many Congressmen and the POTUS joined the stage with Mr Modi making it a celebration of Indian Americans, where they were toasting their arrival on the USA as a reckoning minority of distinct ethnonationalism, with the presence of stage of not just the PM of the land they left behind successfully, but also the President of the land they have embraced, is indeed a milestone for India Abroad. In the long memory of India, we have been deported abroad, as indentured labour, we were forced to flee colonial India, from British prosecution and forced to flee seeking an escape from hunger, escape from the indignity of a third world arena mired in politics of identity over caste and creed, where merit was curtailed at the cost of emancipation and opportunity thwarted by license regime. For us, those of us, who risked it all, leaving behind their homeland, ‘Houston Calling’ as ‘#HowdyModi’ was indeed great moment of reckoning and arrival.

Of course, Indians at home are tripping over not the ethnic group of American Indians, but over the man they chose to banner as their guest of honour- Mr Modi. It is irony that should not be lost on any one, that most Indians in America are not uniform in their support for Mr Modi nor are they so for Mr Trump, who is breathing down many of their necks, seeking to ICE them and deport them if he could! But we live in a world of narratives, often running parallel to each other, perfectly comfortable with the proximity as well as the inviolable boundaries under which they run! Hasan Minaj the Comedian was stood up and barred from entering for his remarks against Mr Modi, yet he found himself celebrated in his absence, for his contribution to the cause of visibility of Indian Americans. Yet, can we detract from the fact that while they gathered to give each other a pat on the back, it was Mr Modi who epitomised their collective resonance even if it were briefly? That it was a platform for Mr Modi to endorse his views, to sell his record, and Mr Trump cleverly used it to get himself endorsed too? Of course, the locals did not mind, and despite the opposing camp decrying Mr Modi’s liberal record or lack of it, #AdiosModi did not upstage the celebrations of #HowdyModi! It was his moment, the moment of an Indian PM who had a massive back to back victory at the national elections, winning an increased majority, which is unprecedented for non Nehru-Gandhi dynasty led party, which has not happened since 1984!

So naturally from initial pitch of Mr Modi as an agent of change, who will bring on Acche Din, whose ‘Gujarat Model’ was the USP, we have come a long way now. In five short years of incumbency, Mr Modi now is truly ‘larger than life’. The theories for this anointing of Mr Modi to don the mantle from Pradhan Sevak which was more Nehruvian to a more RSS streak Rashtra Pitha, Father as it were, is multiple. Firstly, the efforts to keep away bad news is running out of steam despite a pliant media which was toasted by Mr Trump himself in that left handed compliment yesterday: “You have great reporters, I wish I had reporters like this. You are doing better than anybody else. Where do you find these reporters? This is a great thing.”(https://www.huffingtonpost.in/entry/trump-indian-media-journalism-modi_in_5d8af034e4b08f48f4ac8ded) Secondly Nationalism as a project has had a mixed run with the snafu surrounding the NRC in Assam which now sees the Domocles Sword over some 1.8 million Hindus in that state alone. It has led to RSS Chief having to bare fangs which the powers that be would wish to keep under kid gloves- that not one Hindu would be left behind in the country wide NRC proposed.

Thirdly there seems to be little appetite from its core constituency for reforms as evident from the manner in which key states of BJP like Gujarat have responded to the new Motor Vehicle Act with its weighty fines! Most BJP ruled states are not implementing the provisions, or watering it down, which is making a dent on the ‘might of the majoritarian government at the Centre’. Fourthly even the narrow ethnic nationalism of natives versus invaders is floundering with major disruptions from archeological finds at Rakhigarhi and Keezhadi, and the linguistic pursuit of this where riding on Sanskrit but seeking to impose Hindi, met with such resistance that in a rare admission the indomitable Mr Shah had to retract his words. Fifthly the law of diminishing returns in Kashmir and against major political players is beginning to show its hand. Major political forces of the Valley have not opted to kiss and make up with the centre, their bond of apolitical conduct found only Hurriyat leaders as takers. The use of ED to red flag bulls like  messers Chidambaram, Raj Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, Shivakumar, etc will eventually run its course, and judicial exoneration of both 2G and CoalGate scams at the level of trial itself and reopening of the 1984 riots cases afresh have offered the distinction of political vendetta!

It would seem that the adage, more things change more they remain the same would be true for Indian political scenario. There was the country galloping to be in the top three, and we are now struggling to stay afloat in the top ten, our numbers look suspicious, our growth rates are now purely in the realm of speculation and like the early 90s our Sensex and NIFTY have become highly susceptible to global news, shedding nearly a percentage point each time global markets sniff a flu! There is to the average person, a feeling that key institutions have not just bent, but buckled to the will of the government, starting with how our Supreme Court is functioning, with government having its way on two justices- one resigning and the other shunted out. Justice Tahilramani resigned from Madras HC and now Justice Akil Kureshi has been shunted to Tripura.(https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/sc-collegium-changes-justice-akil-kureshi-s-appointment-from-madhya-pradesh-to-tripura-high-court-1601501-2019-09-21) Of course, such judicial interference happened during Indira Gandhi’s time, so may be we are seeing a throw back to an era of majority governments, so a general sense of enfeeblement has set upon other pillars of the Indian State. But, as people now unfailingly highlight on social media, we have a CM of Gujarat who himself vociferously spoke against such moves, calling them out as evil, turning us against the Establishment as he promised to wipe out the system in Delhi.

That is why the WhatsApp University narratives of attributing all wrong to Nehru-Gandhi, to Nehru-Gandhi Dynasty, to Secularism will never go away, independent of election season. But more importantly a sense of cognitive dissonance has set in avers a buddy and partner, which makes our elites who are vocal supporters and bhakts of Mr Modi to usurp all these moments where Mr Modi is extolled as PM of India, and to wrap it and present it to us the gullible as evidence of the extraordinary greatness of the man! न भूतो न भविष्यति- Unheard of in the past and not happening in the future, what ever is happening to and because of Mr Modi! So to place Mr Modi above the fray, they have to confer parenthood on him. No, it’s not that simple. Because he had not heard ‘Pappu’ speak prophetically about India when he said we needed a beehive not a Messiah. (https://in.reuters.com/article/rahul-gandhi-cii-beehive/rahul-gandhi-bemuses-with-beehive-speech-to-india-inc-idINDEE93304B20130404) Of course, near unanimously his theory was debunked, we opted consciously for the alternative view of ‘One Man!’ Mr Modi is our Messiah and what is happening now is just layering of hagiography that would go ultimately into his Modipurana as evidences of his avatar, as key insights into his character and conduct. India rejected the ‘beehive’ which meant we all had to convert ourselves into worker bees, be sterile and focused, while collecting pollen and nectar, waxing our way to that pot of liquid gold for our collective hive! We opted to nominate one person who guaranteed us Acche Din. We are clear he will make it stick, it will work and it is just around the corner.

That is why majority of us are not takers for any news that could alarm us otherwise, be it the spurt in onion prises or record high petrol prices. It is not that we are going to play Diwali with Onions once more after 2013 when Anupam Kher or Shefali Vaidya tweeted entire threads about price rise or now Amethi MP Ms Smriti Irani hit the streets against inflation and lack of job prospects for youth. It is just that we are hedging our panic, our appetite is yet to be satiated with good news that we have been promised and we would rather wait for our favourite menu to get cooked and delivered, than take other options. “It could be ‘Birbal ki Kichdi’, don’t worry uncle, we will wait for it! As long as it takes!” This is the corner street teen who is working part time as guard, car cleaner, errand boy, who wishes to take some capital and put up a ‘chai-pakoda’ stall some day! Like Poirot, I stiffen my back, do an about turn and waddle purposively in the nearest direction I can needle, but such excursions are merely to prove a point to many of my friends and relatives who think Mr Modi stole the vote in 2019 through EVM manipulation or plaint Election Commissioners. 

In all probability, the ‘Pappu’ is wise. He took the gauntlet, gave it his best shot, and now shifted gear, gave up the mantle to his mother who wanted desperately to please the High Command coterie. The media is content with playing footsie with which Congress or TMC or NCP or SP political bigwig will now elope to the caring comforts of the BJP. Last night in a sample of Hindi and English TV channels, the trending news was ‘Deshkepitha’ ‘Father of India’ with a central minister as usual saying that those who oppose this notion are not nationalist enough! I leave you with this jarring note that all this is distraction, whereby using Mr Modi and his personal prestige and popularity, the right wing is going about changing the very ground in which the Indian state rested since her independence!  HowdyMoody?