They are our leaders
Time – Year 2008
Place – One of the suburbs of Mumbai
Purpose – Felicitation of around 200 students of class X & XII from nearby localities who had scored 80% and above in board exams.
Chief Guest – One of the local leaders (female)
Scene 1 - As usual, the invited students along with their families are seated well before the function is to start. After the function, a dinner is arranged for all.
The narrator is in the front row besides a door through which the chief guest is to enter.
Scene 2 - The chief guest comes 45 minutes late with her army of supporters (secretary, assistants, security personnel, drivers and others) and is surrounded by all local but not so big political party leaders.
Scene 3 – The chief guest takes her seat on the stage; age-old tradition of welcoming her with expensive gifts starts. Bouquets & garlands (Rs 8000), a large Ganesha sculpture in brass and silver (Rs 90000), expensive silk saree (Rs 35000), expensive shawl (Rs 10000) are a few items being gifted to her which are then very smoothly passed on to her staff and goes in waiting vehicles.
Scene 4 - The entrance is jammed by her staff and a conversation is overheard. Detailed discussions on who will keep which gift item are ensued. Except for the saree (that too if she likes it), everything will be distributed among her staff.
Retrospection - If that is the case, I wonder what’s the use then ? We Indians are emotional fools; we think unless we gift and worship our guests, we have not fulfilled our duties as hosts.
The locality and chawl people had collected more than Rs 2 lakh by contributing Rs 5 each for this function. They could have utilized this money for building a small library or a community center or anything useful to them. Instead they chose to gift please the leader who did not even need them and instead obliged her own staff.
OK, agreed. The general public is a fool but then it looks upto its leaders for guidance. Why can’t these leaders refuse to accept any gifts ? Why can’t they stop these people from wasting money and guide them to invest in themselves ?
P.S.- Today was voting day and with a heavy heart I voted for one of these leaders.
*Sigh *
Current song:- Thoda Hai Thode Ki Zarurat Hai – Khatta Meetha
Technorati Tags:- India Politics
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Peter said,
April 30, 2009 @ 8:17 pm
At least you have done your duty! … and nobody is perfect, certainly not our political leaders!
Tarun said,
May 1, 2009 @ 1:50 am
I too cast my vote today.
Well I am proud of having gone to the polling both and cast my vote.
SiD... said,
May 2, 2009 @ 9:49 am
Atleast you voted!!!! Voting at lok sabha polls is important regardless of the local leaders… because it will help bring a government which runs the whole nation for next 5 years…
read somewhere that there is also a proposal to have “None of the above” on the EVM!! That wud be interesting
Local leaders… well!!! The rural style of democracy - each one for every one - may be we better move towards that…. (with development of ’societies’, specially in big cities, we have already taken a step towards that direction long ago…
kunjal said,
May 2, 2009 @ 1:55 pm
yes a lot of money is just wasted in pomp and show
good you voted
Celine said,
May 3, 2009 @ 6:53 pm
One day I shall vote too. *sigh* Before that I hope to get the wisdom to choose the good one from bad.
Indrani said,
May 4, 2009 @ 11:36 am
I too voted, still not sure if voted for the right person. They all change colors so fast.
~vagabond~ said,
May 10, 2009 @ 7:37 pm
I dont know who I’d vote for if I was in India. I’d have a hard time selecting any candidate for sure because I cant stand hypocrisy. This post made me mad. With all the poverty that still exists in India, with all the wide gap that lies between the rich and the poor, with all the illiteracy that still exists in India, with all the big talk and no action, why the heck would a politician still accept expensive gifts from a community that could put that money to use instead for the enrichment of their own community?