In conversation with Bharat Mata

Loud thunderclaps of ‘Elections ‘24’ awoke me from sleep with a start last night. Groggy and in a state of dreamy half-sleep, I was visited upon by, who else, but our Bharat Mata (henceforth BM). She was dressed in a tricolour of our national flag looking proud but forlorn, sad and weary– her high and wide forehead creased by ripples of worry. I bowed to her with deep love and respect and sought her ashirwad to help me become her true son who would guard her honour and adhere to the dharma of ahimsa and bhayichaara. I also sang Gandhiji’s favourite bhajan: “Vaishnav jan to tene kahiye...” and Bhimsen Joshi’s soulful ‘Mile sur mera tumhara…” to cheer her up. Then we began talking. Here is how our conversation ran:

Me: Why are you awake so late in the night our revered Bharat Mata?

BM: Son, like you, I was also disturbed by this cacophony and claptrap of ‘Elections ‘24’: hate speeches, uncouth language, undignified barks at opponents, outrageous lies, empty chest-thumping, groundless ‘guarantees’ and what not. Why are these leaders befooling and corrupting my good children– 144 crore of them?

Me: Mother, they say that political elections are a no-holds-barred match and therefore the means do not matter. Only ends do.

BM: But dear son even in a dangal there are some ground rules and a level playing field for the contestants, and an impartial, watchful referee to prevent foul play. But I hear many strident voices of dismay and frustration about the election watchdog, the ECI, its EVMs, and also about the recent hurried selection of its two members. Fairness has not just to be ensured but also seen to have been ensured, don’t you think?

Me: But mother many TV anchors and social media outlets say: “All is well.”

BM: Don’t you trust these lapdogs, son. They are adept at manufacturing lies, and the andhbhakts –   sadly the educated elite among them – divorced from even basic common sense and objective reasoning lap it all up and peddle them zealously. The saner voices go unheard in this toxic din.

Me: But all credit to the Sarkar, Mother, for building a bhavya Ram temple: A cherished Hindu dream which has sent waves of rapture among us– the Hindu bhakts.

BM (tweaks my ear): Now listen. Building a temple is one thing. But using it as a weapon or a ploy to fan religious sentiments for votes is another… even a gross malpractice. Our Rams and Krishans dwell in my peoples’ hearts… And then don’t we already have magnificent temples like Meenakshi and Tirupati? My daughters and sons, I dare say, need the public money invested in world-class hospitals and ISROs and Harvards and Oxfords instead, for us to be a vishwaguru to stand up to the might of hegemonic China – whose ghostly shadow encroaches and looms over my head like a bloodthirsty dragon – and hold Gandhiji's great mirror of morality before the callous, soulless, hypocritical West with the Gaza blood on its hands. Scientific temper, not superstition, as enshrined in our great Constitution, and communal harmony alone will make that happen, son. Heed me: Fanning religious frenzy is no good… it is dangerous. Look, my 1947 wounds haven’t yet fully healed. Why aggravate them?

Me: But mother I am proud of our judiciary. Of late, it has at least delivered on electoral bonds and also pulled up Baba Ram Dev for his misleading ads. Although, I am not sure how well it has addressed the EVM issue in its judgement yesterday.

BM (hesitating and sighing): Well, der aayast, durust aayast, as they say. Imagine, how the bonds led to economic corruption and quid pro quo as my valiant son Dhruv Rathee has so well brought out. Yes, the EVMs have generated lot of fear and doubt in the public. judgement. I do hope the wise judges have not let me down. I do hear some public din about the conduct of some judges in the recent past. Son, I also always smell a rat when a SC judge accepts a cosy government position even before the ink on his retirement papers has dried out. About the ECI, well, it must never have a double face: with a stern singeing frown at Rival A and benign silence of innocence towards Rival B for the same electoral misdemeanour. Remember T N Seshan? I sorely miss him today.

Me: Mother, my friends’ oft-repeated argument is that the opposition is corrupt, rudderless and unable to throw up a good PM material.

Mother (tweaking my ears hard): So the WhatsAPP university has done its bit to corrupt your sense of reason too? Don’t you be a silly fool. You/they are talking as if we have to pick up a king to rule. In a vibrant, healthy democracy, the party that wins elects a leader from among its ranks by popular choice. Mind you, this time this election is all about Democracy vs Autocracy, clear and simple. Secondly, elections are like a ‘Samudra manthan’. If executed well and with fairness, several gems will surface up. PMs are not born … they happen by the demands of time and circumstance. Gandhiji’s is a sterling example before you. The thing, son, is that my many good daughters and sons in the opposition have been ruthlessly trashed, tarnished and vilified to project them as corrupt, incapable and effete in the public perception. … And then, isn’t change the law of nature, a harbinger of hope and joy? Change, my dear one, for its own sake, deserves a chance.

…Thus our conversation went on covering many current issues like our meek silence over China’s incursions and Sonam Wangchuk’s fast; the Manipur mayhem; mythology vs science & history; ‘mixiopathy’ vs allopathy; rising autocracy vs diminishing democracy; Constitution vs Manusmriti; global watchdogs’ recurring whistles vs our backsliding HD indices; ED-CBI-IT vs bails & jails, and of course the ‘Washing Machine’ … and concluded with her final comment: “Politicians of all hues are just politicians and no more, remember. You err when you look upon them as kings, gods and demi-gods.”

It was now getting late. I touched BM’s feet and said, “Bande Mataram.” She blessed me with a touch of hand on my head, sighed and, saying, “the stakes are high this time; harken to my words and vote sensibly son,” she left: proud, majestic but distraught.

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