Saluting the Indian Politician

As Kolkata go to the polls tomorrow in the last leg of the world’s largest electioneering extravaganza, citizens are at the crossroads of a big decision making amidst a promotional cocktail yet again.

I remember penning down my random thoughts on the eve of the last state level elections wherein change was deliberated as the key theme.

The Indian elections, as one popular Television commercial argues, justifiably at that, are the greatest talent show on earth. 

You must give it to the Indian politician; they have never leave any stone un-turned and make a sincere effort to realize their fullest potential with regards to their communication skills. I speak this from heart without an iota of sarcasm. Their versatility with multiple media is just amazing. Television, SMSes, New Age Social Media, Print Media …none seem to be a challenge for them.  Ducks taking to water is surely an understatement. Questions posed by self-styled media anchors on national television are often on the borderline of medieval insanity yet every time the Indian politician comes out a winner. His intellectual capability and comfort with statistics make a dwarf out of many a journalist. 

I often feel that the Indian politician is a battered lot in a country wherein aspirations diversity would put the proverbial chalk and cheese to shame, if those had some feelings, that is.  Again, the conventional wisdom attributes the failures of our nation on virtually every other front to the equivalence of leadership goodness (read badness).

In retrospect, don’t you think we are somewhat unfair to this living and kicking creature called the "Indian Politician"? How many times do we take a brand manufacturer to court for failing to comply with the expectations promulgated in the national media? I wish someone comes up with some R K Laxman type common man cartoon which epitomizes the ignominy of the common politician.

Can we be fair for once and appreciate the tight roping he or she has to do; on one hand his ruthless affiliation... validating the financial viability of his choice (particularly if one is a rookie) and on the other mapping back into the topi clad financial modesty model, so strongly and sacredly drafted and grafted in the mind of his or her voter over the years. Mind you, we are in an age which has March-past the notion of Huxley’s Time as a tyrant years ago and is now under the post wherein Time is equaled to money but then our Politician is supposedly "other worldly". We determine the success of every other practitioner in terms of how much money he earns yet....

It is my feeling that those who hold high apolitical offices in this country are a more privileged lot. After all they do not have to face an appraisal every 5 years (which returns the prospect of joblessness) and is neither favored with the luxury of bending rules without much of public glare (unless it gets into the point of no return) like we have been seeing in the case of some of our sporting bodies.

Perhaps no other occupation in this country is subjected to the level of hostility from its prized “P” like this one. As we go into this last phase of the world’s largest “talent show” or “extravaganza” …whichever way you see it let us salute the Indian politician for his relentless passion in the backdrop of 360 degree hostility. Even the otherwise “kind” god, weather notwithstanding, have been indifferent this time round.