Not so dirty Politics anymore..

I have a huge respect for the communists. Not the ones wielding guns, but the ones with pen in one hand and mic in other. In short, the Politicians. And it surprises me too, because I have hated politicians all my life. Growing up with the opposition constantly retching "weakening economy", "friends of the capitalists", "enemies of the state", "aam aadmi trahi-trahi kar chuka hai", you sincerely lose all hope of ever finding facts in a politician's speech. But ever since the UPA-1 govt was formed in Delhi, I have seen a completely different class of critics. They were precise, efficient, and took the masses with them. They wielded facts, idealist theories, and were learned. They wrote articles in newspaper editorials, listened to the others, and were eloquent speakers. They were the Left parties, who had ruled West Bengal for 34 years, who some now say ruined, and not ruled, Bengal for 34 years. But whatever the case be, they truly brought an honour code in the otherwise rotting Indian Political System.

The left parties function through their polit bureau. And what the polit bureau does is ensure that it remains a party and takes in opinions, rather than decisions. It was perhaps this scrounging for opinions that made the party accept Prakash Karat's idealism when Jyoti Basu was asked to be Prime Minister. And they definitely have a huge difference of opinion, with most of the world as of now, but they stick to it. And they glue them with facts, which is so unlike most other parties where the leadership is a single person/family with the thinking cap on! Who will argue with that? The decorum they bring to the post they hold is unprecedented in what I have seen in India! Compare them with the uneducated goons, who don't understand what parliament is, and roam about shouting slogans and hurling shoes and slaps. The ex-Chief Minister of Bengal, Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, left office on the day the election results got out. And not only was the office, his official residence also got emptied on the day of the result itself. And it took a Mamta Banerje, who, as we know, doesn't hold assts worth more than 5 lacs, to overthrow this rule. And now her cavalcade moves along with the traffic, and she uses personal funds to decorate her office. If the Left's conduct doesn't promote ethics, what will? And all this happens in a country where the other politicians are minting millions. The Reddy brothers are still mining money, even if illegal, Yedurappa is still doing "immoral" but not "illegal" works, and the DMK is openly flouting election norms.I don't think I have ever heard of a communist party ever being accused of corruption! And more than often, we don't see any blame game in the party. For every loss, there is a person who ACCEPTS responsibility, for every fallout, a person accepts the moral obligation. Not just for his party, but because he has to! It is his conscience that makes him do so. I have strong respect for such people. It takes courage to accept loss. It takes courage to resign, to leave everything. And it takes a strong will to keep following the track You believe is right!! They may have a twisted notion of economics, I am not well-read enough to comment on that, but they certainly have played a huge role in bringing back my respect in politics!

Every other party in India can learn from them!

A chapter in the lives of Arun, Munna, and Shai..

I like one thing about staying in IIT during holidays. You get a lot of time to yourself. So while one of my friends made himself CAD car models, another one got busy completing NFS, and I started reading Marx. And getting bored (which was really obvious), I turned to Dhobi Ghat. The movie left me so incomplete, touching a chord and then leaving it twiddling, I felt cheated. So after a while, I started watching it again. And then once more, till I couldn’t hold Yasmin’s dead body, or all the broken hearts any longer. So I switched it off, and tried to distract myself. But Shai’s last tear kept coming to my head, and I couldn’t fool myself any more. I had to write this.

Just to spend some more time with them.

I just can’t find where to start from. From that innocent touching of fingers, when Shia showed her photographs, or Arun’s heartbreak at the third letter? Perhaps the best is which the director chose. From the three letters, so contrasting Arun’s life. Yasmin meets Arun, when he is a loner, and she is a colorful young woman. And Arun finds himself again, a completely different, considerate person. An innocent love starts to bubble in his misery, a love from beyond. He walks the space she had walked on, breathes the air she lived in. But he is not destined to be so lucky. The love story ends how it started, in the last letter. And he was left to collect the memoirs, the souvenirs, of the woman he loved, but couldn't know. I don’t think he ever let go of the locket. And I don’t think I want to know. It might decide things for Shai, and how that last tear of her finally gets to roll. Such a beautiful person, so full of hope, of courage, compassion. And she finds herself in that beautiful bond, that sacred worship, with the person she loves, on the very first night.. I am so glad she got the address in the end. Even if it meant the end of the world for Munna. He did love her dearly, and it was pure. But all that was left with him was he memories, and the hope, that she would be happy where he sent her. And the job, which I hope he got. And for Arun too, I hope it turns out a new leaf in his book, for him and for Shai. And for Munna.

For them, I hope it does finish well…..