Our town municipality went to polls a few days back after
some hectic campaigning, rabble rousing et
al which have now come to characterize elections in any part of the country.
Amongst other notables, the lady chairperson won again by a thumping
margin-a wonderful example of woman empowerment. However, there is a chink, a huge
one. Since the time I joined in this district which is roughly a year ago, I have been witness to mass cribbing over
the state of the district headquarters.Young and old, students, intelligentsia, women and even politicians have bemoaned that
the Municipality and its chairperson are simply defunct and it is for all to
see. Roads exist just in name, mostly, they are small arteries joining potholes
the size of Vesuvian craters; garbage dumps create an unsightly view and raise
a huge stink at all places, drains don’t exist and wherever they do they have
been clogged since a long time, street lighting is poor and no public amenity
seems to be properly maintained. This in a town known to be the home to some of
the prominent freedom fighters, writers, educationists, politicians and
visionaries of the state. A town which has a prominent place in the tourist map
of the country and is also the home to a missile test range which gets
frequented by scientists of national and international renown, all through the
year. Yes, the living conditions in the town have been appalling and I always
thought that there was a huge merit in all the virulent complaints against the
elected members constituting the Municipality. Therefore, when the elections
were announced, I could understand all the feverish political activity and the
fervor surrounding the entire process. Maybe, the people wanted change and I felt
they truly deserved it. However, all my optimism was pretty short-lived. Once campaigning
begun, it appeared as if there was a mad rush among candidates to appease the
voters. Not through emotional speeches or vacuous promises which would have put
any lovelorn suitor to shame but through rampant cash mongering. It appeared to
be a test of who could muster the wherewithal to make the highest bid for the
voter. Of course, with the administrative machinery exercising maximum
vigilance to deal with unethical practices, the cash and freebie peddling was
not a blatant road show. As it is like with all things in this country, the
important deals happen behind curtains and under covers. Our people might scream
their voices out and go teary eyed regarding corruption and all other evils
afflicting our society, but when it comes to making a little personal
contribution to the cause, we come to a naught. We would rather grab that Smartphone
or that bicycle or those caches of liquor bottles being offered by a candidate
to ensure our electoral support rather make an informed, just and fair choice. All
this seems an ode to hypocrisy, especially
in a country where Anna Hazare and Arvind Kejriwal were being hailed as the new,
modern icons in a corruption beleaguered nation a few summers ago. Somebody put forth an argument that poor
people cannot really be blamed for getting lured into this ugly web. Really? Is
poverty the single big qualification which can be taken as an excuse for all
the wrongs? Somehow, are not we poor because we are so corrupt in our
individual thoughts and practices? It is just not that we are poor financially;
we seem to wallow in social and ethical poverty as well.
I ruminated for a long while as to what my angst was really all
about. I was surely not a stranger to the practices and intentions of our
people. This perfidy in the name of democracy has been in existence for some
time now. Was it the direct confrontations with such double speak which was creating
such a bother? Partially, yes. The realization that all the anti-corruption
self-righteous movements led by the bright, young people of our country are
only but storms in a teacup brings in a tsunami of pessimism. However, the real
angst is about the fact that the people of this town (which incidentally boasts
of a very high percentage of literacy) have again lost the chance to make a
choice which might have given them an opportunity to be able to enjoy the
benefits of an urban life. For the next 5 years, the Municipality shall be
graced by the same nincompoops of the previous term who filled in their
personal coffers at the cost of larger good. Why? So that they could afford to
dole out expensive bribes or throw mutton feasts right before the elections and
get the next term assured. Who really bothers about ramshackle living
conditions? My worry is not about the elected but those who elected. The feasts
would be forgotten in a week’s time, the few thousand rupees would be spent in
a month, the free saree/dhoti might just tear off after six months and the
phone would conk out in a year. What would remain are the same potholed, bumpy
roads, badly lit environs, tricky public amenities and a general grumble
regarding the sorry state of affairs reminiscent of medieval times. What would
also remain are incidents of women getting molested in dark streets, people suffering accidents on
bad roads and children suffering from dengue/malaria because nobody really
bothered to clear the massive garbage dumps.
As for myself, I pity my spine and back for the nth time as
my vehicle bumps and swerves through the roads of the town. And then, I look
up, catch the sight of the lovely near full moon giving a teasing look through
the branches of an old tree..and then, all rancour is temporarily forgotten. The
milky orb seems to beckon to forget all man-made follies and rejoice in its
heavenly beauty. And, I dreamily submit.
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