Patriotism

 Recently, there was an accidental but very short political debate with my friends. The argument peaked and came to an abrupt end when one of them remarked that if the present government returns to power at the centre, India would become Bharat. I was genuinely curious as to why that should be a problem, and bang came the reply -- it would spell the end of inclusivity -- rendered in a tone of helplessness. I was really shocked and before I could respond, the other friend categorically banished politics from our midst.

Well, this would be rather a common issue, I assume, being in a part of the country where the concept of Bharat is anything but welcome. Be that as it may, the intolerance I felt at this common 'regional' ideology is due to a radical reconfiguration of my own attitude a few years back. 

Patriotism was only a peripheral sentiment in my life, which surfaced only when India played cricket. Whenever my Ma used to say how moved she felt every time she heard the national anthem only set me wondering why. This was corrected the day I watched the anthem featuring deaf and mute children, played at a movie theatre. I was happy to see my eyes filling up, just like that. But even then patriotism was at best occasional.

This changed in 2020, during lockdown, when TV brought back all those epic sagas. Watching Ramayana  and Mahabharata in adulthood was an entirely different experience and overnight I could feel the gears shifting as mental decolonization set in. Suddenly, I was aware of my Indianness as one by one the layers of western ideology began to erode. Patriotism, or more accurately and appropriately deshbhakti moved from the margin to a more prominent position. The introduction to the wonderful and vast world of Indian Knowledge Systems further cemented the feeling as the distinction between Bharat and India became clearer. 

 A byproduct of this shift was of course an increased political consciousness which, for the first time, made me desperate to vote. So when I heard such dismissal of Bharat on absolutely dumb pretext, I felt not only disbelief but terribly bad at how false narratives can be so convincing that even educated and informed people would turn a blind eye to actual elevation of the country's status in the last decade ! The saddest part is not just this deliberate or constructed blindness but the blame game for the pathetic regional affairs and condition on the neglect from the centre !

How I wish I had enough knowledge, with evidence and at least a reasonable debating skill ! But I'm super proud of the fact that I love being a Bharatiya and would always, always want to be born in this blessed land.

The role played by the man at the helm of Bharat, in making me understand what deshbhakti is undeniable. It is very rare to find a role model whose preaching and practice match so well, and I am inexplicably glad that I am alive, witnessing and capable to understand the transformation my desh is going through now. 

भारत माता की जय

वंदे मातरम

Remembering Bollywood

 There was a time when I used to breathe in Bollywood. So much so that I sometimes claim to be a former walking encyclopedia on the same. Well, why not! I used to pore over all available film magazines, bought audio cassettes of almost every new film, used to wait eagerly to see the 'shorts' of favorite songs on channels like ATN, MTV and Channel V. And the unalloyed joy when the song came on is something unparalleled. Also, making scrapbooks with pictures of actors and fighting with a friend for a picture of SRK -- it was amazing!

I don't know when I lost track of this obsession, and as usual, I attribute it to the time life stepped into employment phase. And in the intervening years Bollywood changed, almost unrecognizably -- dream city got off screen, songs lost intelligible lyrics, a whole new set of people now inhabited the celluloid with a fresh set of values and attitudes. 

Location change is welcome since cinema can introduce new places. It's been good to see more of the heartland and other places along with new dialects of Hindi. But the shift in song style is difficult to digest. It's made worse when good old hits are re-done with changed lyrics. I still wonder if Akshay Kumar felt anything while doing the new "Tip tip barsa pani." I cannot watch the latest version.

What's perhaps most saddening (for me, no offense intended) is to see favourite movies and/or characters now being re-analyzed and categorized under new gen, very correct labels. So, former ideal romantic heroes are now toxic boys, simple, inane stories are now scanned for gender bias/stereotyping/ further toxicity. I realized with a bang while doing a Buzzfeed quiz on "Which Toxic Bollywood Boy is your True Soulmate?" and I got Raj from DDLJ !! 

Still, Bollywood still tenuously holds on to what it once was. It still, albeit occasionally, offers dreams, an escape into a beautiful world, and helps sustain hope.  Of course, this may sound very inappropriate and tacky for many, but anyone who truly enjoyed the old Bollywood would understand the sentiment. 

I, for sure, am immensely proud of having grown up in the golden 90s and feel fortunate to have absorbed the dream, the joy, the excitement and pleasure that the then Bollywood gave me. 

NB:- Bollywood still rocks and always will !