Jantar, Chuu Mantar. Really? – Guest Post by Nandini Bahri-Dhanda
Dear All: It is my pleasure to publish this guest-post by Nandini. It is actually an email that she sent Shekhar Gupta in response to his editorial titled, “Jantar, Chuu Mantar“. I am not sure whether it will be published by Indian Express. Nevertheless, it is a thought-provoking piece which I felt needed to be read and discussed widely. As some of you know, I have had my differences of opinion with Anna Hazare’s movement but this piece prompted a serious re-think. Without further ado (emphasis added),
*** A Response to Shekhar Gupta by Nandini Bahri-Dhanda ***
Dear Mr. Gupta, This is in reference to your article- Jantar, Chhu Mantar in IE 14 May 2011.
Frankly I was initially quite bewildered at the hostility from newspapers and its editors, sociologists and intellectuals at Anna Hazare’s fast, his demands for modifications and changes etc in the Lokpal Bill, his drawing attention and articulating the general public anger at corruption.
I read article after article of regular contributors and columnists of your newspaper whose writings I had over the years read and enjoyed. Whose opinions I had respected and if I had for some reason disagreed, it had atleast opened my mind to another perspective. Â However this time round I have seen the pettiness, the vindictiveness, the disdain, the cynicism of these writers and contributors , including you Mr. Gupta.
“The Lokpal Bill is not going to end corruption“….no one claimed it would. It was only a first step in the right direction.
“Who chose these members from the civil society?”….. these people volunteered, came forward and offered their services and expertise. Was anybody of stature and repute not allowed to participate?
“This Committee would by-pass the Parliament”……yes it would in the Bill formulating stage but it had to be eventually passed by the Parliament.
In most developed democracies citizens do push and articulate bills and laws which are then eventually passed by their Senates, Congress or Parliaments after further debate and discussion. Â And then the most hypocritical, inverse snobbery where one of your contributor’s mocked Hazare’s statement that he would never be able to win an election because he did not have the power of money to give TV’s, alcohol or sarees to buy his vote. Hazare’s disain for the Indian voter was dangerous she said, almost fascist!
The gloating that we are a democracy that has thrown out non performing governments 4 times in 64 years is pathetic! Â Â It seems most of our intellectuals, sociologists, writers, journalists, editors, industralists are cynical, hardened and a part of the system. Â They “enjoy” proximity to the powers that be. They “enjoy” their largesse, a Rajya Sabha seat perhaps? They “socialise” with this lot. Some write little bits to keep their worth and value and some offer favours in a quid pro quo. They are cynical to believe that this is how it is and will remain so.
Mr. Gupta your Jantar- Chhu Mantar is a misplaced piece of writing. This election did not prove anything except the Indian voter just carries on and on the cycle- exchanging one lot for the other. We are to put it mildly, a passive democracy. We exercise our vote every 5 years and throw one lot out for the other. DMK this time and the AIDMK last time. In the next elections DMK will be back.  Is this a mature, thinking, aware voter? The DMK has looted enough to feed Tamil Nadu 20 times over for seven generations. They have not been punished- they are being “rested” in Karunanidhi’s own words. Did your mature voter ever demand what happens to our money? Where is it being spent? Why aren’t thieving people in prison? No- we simply vote them out. Then allow this lot to loot and plunder and bring the old lot back…..”vibrant” democracy indeed. Are we perhaps mistaking “noisy” for “vibrant”?
I was given to believe that a vibrant democracy is where citizens demand accountability from the people who have been voted in to administer and govern. Where they question and deserve a response. Where citizen groups and pressure groups see that the government “works”. Where the citizen expects justice as a right and not a favour. Â Where citizens do not have to grovel for what is basically theirs.
An aged man of another era from some remote part of the country, who cannot by any defintion be called cool, came to the Capital and drew the middle class out….and that is what has worried everybody. These were not Jimmy Choo and Armani clad glitterati that could be smirked at. These weren’t your Great Unwashed who could be talked down to. This was the Indian Middle Class Mr. Gupta which has so far been ignored.
I know because I was there. I met a young man from Badarpur. Â He had recently filed his tax returns- for the first time he said with some pride. His two brothers were still looking for jobs. He worked 10-12 hours a day, drove back and forth his motor cycle on pot holed roads, returned home to electric outages and no water. He wanted to add a floor to his house but the MCD and police were harassing him……the same old story Mr Gupta…Ghar ghar ki kahani.
The MLA of his locality spent 50 lakhs on his daughter’s shamiana and Kalmadi made those crores and crores, Raja made more……his anger was palpable. I walked alongside a 45 year old single woman with 2 children who ran an export unit in Okhla. There was stinking garbage on her street which was not picked in weeks, electric outages, inspectors who demanded hafta, MCD would not let her raise her boundary wall despite 2 break-ins, no police patrolling. She paid her taxes but what was she getting in return? …Sheila Dixit had made millions, substandard material was used in flyovers, there were 23000 MCD ghost workers….she was angry.
The word on the street is- Â Sharad Pawar, why is that man in every cabinet? Who does not know that he could buy India twice over? In another country, another democracy he would be serving a prison sentence. Any scam and his name is there ! About Sonia Gandhi, the less said the better. Her son-in law, a costume jewellery businessman can buy The Aman…..??! Who will punish these people? Where is justice?
My parents, in their 70’s walked from Jantar Mantar to India Gate. My father, an ex soldier who has served in the army for 38 years and fought in 4 wars, believes the enemy is within. But then you don’t have much time for ex serviceman either, do you Mr. Gupta? Â You feel these chaps are paid to lay down their lives and they have no right to ask for higher salaries. Your opinion as been articulated in article after article that they should be there for patriotism and glory.
I wonder if you have such advice for Karunanidhi’s brood or Sharad Pawar’s offspring? This was not Tahrir Square. This was Jantar Mantar swarming with Middle Class India. Not with Anil Ambani and his pals, not with Rahul’s convenient Kalavati. But Jantar Mantar with educated, hardworking Indians who pay their taxes and try everyday- everyday to be honest. Listen to their voice.  They are no pushover…..otherwise we may live to regret it.  Incidentally, I don’t recall anyone in Jimmy Choos.
Best regards, Nandini Bahri-Dhanda
Image courtesy: Wikipedia. Comments, thoughts and counter-points welcome as always...
Related Posts: Jan LokPal Bill – Guest post by Sh Ashok Chowgule & Time for Introspection
Thanks for sharing the response to Shekhar Gupta’s article. Unfortunately, the response is shallow and does not point out why ‘middle class uprising’ (if it were to be defined such) can help solve corruption. How terrible this citizen activism can be (in the worst case), can be seen from the California example (read the economist special coverage of how civil society has wrecked a once well functioning democracy).
The problem is that India is too diverse a country to be ever be adequately represented by ‘civil society’. Shekhar gupta and other Indian express contributors have at least pointed out why this will not work. Can Anna Hazare supporters please point out why it will?
Btw, the TN election showed the electorate as smart one, despite bribing by DMK, people ended up voting against it. I can’t find a quote that I read on Indian express few days back about a poor TN woman who voted against DMK despite taking the Rs 500 bribe 🙂 The people of this country are not as stupid as they might seem.
PS: As of now I don’t completely support any of the two groups but am leaning towards minimal civil society activism because at least I can vote and throw one party out of power, how will I show my displeasure at Anna Hazare if I disagree with his policies?
WOW….reality bites
Indeed THE ENEMY IS WITHIN. Within our minds. Hardly anything to add or analyse in this ‘response’. Crystal clear. Thanks for sharing Shantanu.
I also regularly read Mr Gupta and other columnists in the Indian Express. Mr Gupta seems to have changed his tune in the recent months. Promise of a Rajya Sabha seat perhaps.
I also wrote a two sentence comment on the same article. It was never published. Mr Gupta seems to have joined the scoundrels.
*** COMMENT EDITED ***
Bhushan, wel said india is a divers country so therefore, haath aur gor me tel legalo our kumkaran ka neend solo.
There are more divers and totalitar countries who mannage to make the change such as Egypte, Sovyet Union, Cuba and now even Arab countries but we in hindustan, no no no we cannot, we are all time loosers. Djanam Kundli me likha hay usko koi nahi change kar sakta hai.
Thanks to the army men and women of India it is “save†here otherwise all groups as mentioned in the article posted by Nandini Bahri-Dhanda would have there own lawles state and China and Pakistan would decide for the people of India…
Jai Hind Mrs. Nandini keep up the good work.
P.S. And the end result I do not have to tel you what the outcome would be or shall I joggle up your mind, either way in that case dead is the outcome bhushan saheb, just give it a try you have your life in your own hand you can stop anytime you like.
*** NOTE by MODERATOR ***
Please try and keep to the point. And no personal abuse please. Thanks.
A fitting reply to Shekhar Gupta. Btw here is the photo of Mr. Gupta –
I visited this website to check if there was an item on the situation in Karnataka. Alas, there is no mention. Anna Hazare, a person who has no locus standi in the democratic setup gets a mention once, twice, thrice, and over and over again, but the BJP chief minister in Karnataka who is being hounded by the governor, against all democratic norms simply does not get any support here.
That is why India remains behind. It is simple. Everyone has his own agenda and wants to do things outside the system. Very few wish to look at the system and do anything if at all to strengthen the system.
Do you believe a Partisan governor be allowed to operate unchecked in a democracy? Do you believe that Hazare or Gupta or Expree are more important than an elected chief minister?
If not, why don’t we see a mention of the Karnataka situation?
@prakash,
This is not a television channel, which claims the owes a responsibility to show all topics under the sun. The author of this web site is free to choose his/her topic of interest /concern.
Hope you got it. Thank you.
Warm Regards,
RV
Dear Shantanu
I was curious about Shekhar Gupta’s article (I barely ever read his work), and regardless of this email from Nandini, two things stand out clearly:
“our civil society, media, intellectual and ideological discourse are all still thin and shallow. They have a long way to go before they can match the depth and maturity of our voting classes.”
“Anna Hazare spiked his own movement’s football by explaining why if he contested elections he would lose his deposit, because our voter, the corrupt, drunken idiot, would merely trade her vote for cash, a sari, a bottle of liquor.”
I totally agree on these two statements, regardless of the other parts of Shekhar’s article.
I’ve said this from the beginning and continue to say this: The voter is SUPER-SHREWD and smart. He wisely discharges his role in providing this government with a STABLE government. He knows that stability is FAR GREATER good than being a corruption-free government. Anarchy is the worst outcome of all. So he insists on voting for a party that provides, overall, with a modicum of credibility.
All these EPs (Eminent Persons) are utterly arrogant and therefore held in great contempt by the voter. They imagine that by coming from the outside and lecturing to voters they will change the system. They can’t. They must get in.
But when they want to get into the system they do so as individualists. Either they run as independents like Meera Sanyal and get booted out, or run a fake party (like Lok Satta) without ANY depth of leadership.
These EPs take the voter to be a fool. The voter squarely kicks them into the dust-bin each time. That’s what they deserve.
I’ve said from day ONE that let those who cast a stone on India’s democratic model first stand elections and then talk about it. I hold the MOST corrupt Indian politician in higher esteem than the “smartest” intellectual who harangues the voter but does not do them the courtesy of offering a CREDIBLE alternative.
I’m not interested in the Nandini’s of this world. I’m not interested in the Hazares.
I’m interested in those with the CALIBRE to offer the voter with a CREDIBLE alternative. That is nothing less than a full-fledged national party comprising the BEST possible leaders India has to offer – and the BEST policies.
Let the Nandinis of India not pick fights with idle journalists. Their job is to write and report. They don’t count. Let the Nandinis of India show their capability by working as a SINGLE TEAM to offer India a true alternative government.
Then their words will mean something. Till then it is just wasted energy. Please refer to my blog post on this issue of energy: http://sabhlokcity.com/2011/05/use-sun-tzu-to-change-india-let-each-drop-of-energy-matter/
I’ll post an edited extract of this comment on my blog, challenging all these Nandinis to stop babbling and to start focusing on ELECTORAL VICTORY.
There is a system in India to oppose corruption: Get into parliament and change the system. Why does our civil society not understand this basic fact of life?
Here’s an edited version of the above post (that one had typos), with a few more thoughts: http://sabhlokcity.com/2011/05/get-real-india-pick-fights-with-the-enemies-of-india-not-with-journalists/
The author of this web site specifically asked me to post ALL criticism online. Have you got any issues with that?
Whose sidekick are you? Or are you a loose canon? Try and post something relevant to the topic. Focus on the topic. Forget about defending anyone or the author of this blog. He can very well do it himself and do it better than others. In short, desist from confrontational posts about other posters. I hope you are old enough to understand that.
@Prakash, i think those two attributes namely the “loose canon” and “sidekick” apply to you suitably.
warm regards,
RV
It seems Sekhar Gupta believes the voters who voted corrupts out and the supporters of Anna Hazare Movement are two disjoint sets. Can’t these two sets be intersecting?
Both the views that the Indian voter is very stupid and that he is the wisest are extreme views.
If the voter was very wise he would have given at least one chance to Meera Sanyal, who appears to be a wise lady, to prove her mettle in the Parliament; but did not.The Indian voter has elected known criminals who fought from behind bars.The same Indian voter elected Lalu for three consecutive terms and the Left Front in Bengal for more than six terms; look what they have done to Bengal! The same voter elected Raja who caused a stupendous loss to the country just so that he could make him, his party and his boss richer by a few thousand crores.
But Sanjeev is right about the stability point. However we don’t need the stability provided by looters.India would have been growing much faster if all this loot was used for the country’s development instead of being deposited in Swiss Banks or some unknown banks in some unknown islands.
Here we go again, chasing our own tail.
||namO bhaartam, namO Sanskritam||
Shantanu,
Good response. Since comments on
Franky, these Durbari journos are quite nauseating in their support of Sonia G and her family. Since IE moderates comments and manufactures ‘consensus’ this is a good place for alternate POV.
I stopped reading this guy long ago and have not missed a thing. Indian voter in neither smart or sophisticated, considering the average level of education. Even the semi educated (10 pass) can be easily mis informed with IPL, Bollywood and pink panties. Unfortunately that is what happened along with EVMs in the previous election. No wonder Shekar G is back to his usual tricks of discrediting Anna. His movement is a threat to Dynasty. So is the movement of Baba Ramdev, expect more attacks on Ramdevji.
These Dalal media wallas should realize that in the days of internet they are not the sole arbitrators of public discourse.
Can’t agree with what Nandiniji is saying! I have a question, the voters are idiots, then the people who are Anna’s supporters are different than voters?
Oh my god, the voter, the sacred Indian voter…how can you insult the Indian voter?
The reality is India has one of the lowest vote participation rates in the world. For voter turnout India is ranked 141 out of 169 countries. Within Asia every country has a higher turnout than in India except pakistan and Bangladesh !! Source: http://www.idea.int/publications/vt/upload/Voter%20turnout.pdf
With turnout at 59.4% over 40% of registered voters do not vote. So I guess we have no way of knowing if they are idiots are not.
Of the remainder only enough have to be idiots to get the looters elected. Let us slightly over half – 31%. So we are really only talking about a third of the registered voter population. Statistically it is quite possible that a third of the registered voter population – while not necessarily idiots – are less than bright.
the bigger problem is that politicians and their pollsters do make these calculations. The campaign managers know exactly where the saris need to be distributed. Politicians are businessmen. they spend evermore money on buying votes because they know buying votes works. You simply have to look at escalating Indian election expenditure by parties to know that enough votes can be bought.
Anyone who thinks otherwise lives on another planet or suffers from ‘head in sand’.
Regards
AJ
To the ladies and gentlemen trashing democracy and wisdom of voters,
Democracy is not a system where you can pick up the most efficient or most honest. No democracy can guarantee that. Democracy guarantees the selection of most popular. Now, please try to remember your college elections, did you see the smartest or most honest to be elected? Certainly not. Most popular gets elected and he/she works over time to manage other’s perception about him. Exactly the same way Gandhi family uses their resources to control media to manage perception.
But then one can argue that you can choose the most corrupt in the form of most popular. How does democracy safeguard people from such a person? By installing a set of checks and balances. Whatever checks and balances we have in Indian democracy is not enough to face the challenges of modern times. Plus, whatever little we have is under the constant danger in the name of anti-corruption movement currently over-taken by a section of campus elites who seriously lacks people’s mandate.
It is necessary to install more checks and balances in the system, it would alone make it difficult for any official/politician to think that they can get away with corruption.
Thank you for posting this. A heart touching article. Gives me move energy to go on and on.
Thanks to Nandini for writing such a beautiful piece.