Of Greenathon & Lord Rama

Two curious things happened on the same evening of 8th February.

The NDTV channel collaborated with Toyota to launch a Greenathon- a mass movement dedicated to climate change, which raised more than 2 crore rupees within hours to provide solar power to villages deprived of electricity. There was a galaxy of stars pleading for ban on plastics, replacing traditional heat generating bulbs with CFLs (Compact Fluorescent Lamps), using CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) in place of gasoline products like petrol and diesel etc. Young boys and girls descended upon the banks of Yamuna in Delhi and on sea beaches of Mumbai to undertake token cleansing jobs sending out a clear message that the fight for saving environment can no longer be left to the governments of the day. It was heartening to see cricketers, cine artists and models teaming up to adopt villages and assuming social responsibility. It made a lot of sense. If you could spend lacs of rupees to buy a stake in an IPL team, you could surely invest some of your money in safeguarding the future for yourself and your children. If the initiative launched today survives over time and graduates from a tokenism to a mass movement, one can become hopeful about the future of this country and the world.

We need this optimism because those whose business it is to unite the country and lead it to a better future are still the prisoners of the past. We had the principal opposition party raking up the Ram temple issue, which it had conveniently put aside to remain in power for a full five years and remained forgetful of it all the while it sat in the opposition. The strange logic being that you need to be in power in the Centre and by yourself alone to build it at the controversial site where the Babri mosque stood and was pulled down in the presence of the PM-designate. It is another matter that the then CM of Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Kalyan Singh who swore before the apex court to protect it, let it crumble and got away with a token sentence is swearing to destroy BJP in U.P. Why? Because his son was denied a ticket for the forthcoming polls from a constituency of his choice and SP promptly handed it on a platter with an eye on his clout among the backward castes. Sons succeed fathers across the political spectrum from DMK in the South, SP in the Hindi heartland to NC in Kashmir. But the charge of dynastic politics is reserved by the BJP only for the Congress. Who cares for the smaller fish when the fight is with a whale and you never know whose support you would need in the era of coalition politics. But what took the cake was Modi’s charge that 26/11 was not possible without local support. It would pit the Hindus against Muslims and also ensure that it made Congress look too soft to fight terror. It flew straight into India’s face, which had been claiming that the dastardly attack on our financial capital was planned and executed from Pakistan. It was made a day before Pakistan has to officially react to India’s dossier. Who needs enemies when you have such friends amongst your own people?

People and politicians seem to be pulling the cart of the nation in different directions.