1. The Ozu effect
There is something unique about Japanese master filmmaker Ozu’s films. Most of his films are about the day-to-day lives of simple families. These films are mostly set within the four walls of the house; the camera hardly moves out of the house. But through the subtle observation of the characters within the family and their relationship, he brilliantly reflects upon the larger social and political changes happening outside of the four walls. By spending enough time and deeply observing the otherwise insignificant events happening within the family, we the audience can sense the larger forces playing in that society in that time. Nothing is direct, it is all in the air for us to see. These simple family dramas (without much drama) are more ‘political’ than any other ‘political films’.
Similar to an Ozu film, the subtle changes happening in my own little family have given me insights into the larger political and social changes happening in our country ever since AAP happened. Till few weeks back the atmosphere in the mornings at our house was never pleasant. As soon as we woke up, Shilpa and myself wanted to drink our tea and read the newspapers quietly but Maya (our 6 year old daughter) wanted to ask questions about what we are reading and wanting to have a conversation about it. So there was a constant tension in the house because for us reading the newspaper was our activity and we didn’t want to be disturbed by Maya and from her point of view she couldn't understand why couldn’t we explain what we were reading. We kept on telling her that she won’t understand most of the things which come in the paper - it is only for big people.
But the truth was that we didn’t know how to explain to her the news we were reading; scams, rapes, political murders, inflation, price raise, terrorism, farmers suicides etc. Everything was negative and hopeless. We didn’t know how to explain all these concepts to a child who came to this world totally innocent and hopeful. So we made our efforts to keep her quiet in the morning and she kept protesting.
Today we are a happy family right from early morning. In the mornings now all three of us sit together and read the newspaper. We read about a chief minister who travels in the same car as our WagonR. We read about a chief minister who stopped his car at the traffic lights and asked people about how they were doing? We read together about a chief minister who said I don’t want a large house to stay. We read about a chief minister who made electricity and water charges affordable to the common man. We together read about a chief minister who sat on the street and protested till the central government listened to his demands (Maya loved this story since she has done this couple of times herself on MG Road and CMH Road) These are simple concepts to explain to a six year old and reassure her about the goodness of the world she was born into. Like in an Ozu’s film I see this bit of happiness we share in our family, as a reflection of what is going on around. There is a new energy and hope which even a six year old can feel.
On a bit more serious note, I myself was feeling a bit low for sometime now. There was an unknown kind of sadness, a sense of hopelessness, frustration, anger, a feeling of trapped energy inside. There could be many reasons for it, from personal relationships to professional uncertainty to a sort of frustration in looking at the world around in which my daughter is going to growing up in. Even though I have done many things to overcome this feeling including yoga and meditation, I was still feeling weak, helpless and had kind of given up. But in the past one month I am finding that there is a new kind of energy within me. I am not feeling all that bad anymore. I feel some kind of strength and confidence that I won’t give up. I didn’t want to make that wild connection but still as what happens in an Ozu film, the emergence of Aam Aadmi Party may have something to do with my new found energy.
2. The signal man
The other day I was at Banaswadi railway station. Banswadi is a tiny railway station in Bangalore, there are no markings or signboards on the platform to know about the coach position of your train. It was night and since my train stops there only for one for one minute, it was critical for me to get an idea of where my coach was going to stop. Then I saw in front of the station master’s office a railway official was waiting with the signal flags. I went upto him and asked him for the coach postion. He got so upset and started to shout at me saying that his job was to show the signal and not answer my questions. I didn’t argue with him, I just turned around and walked away. While walking, just for the fun of it I said (more to myself than to him) “Jab Aam Aadmi Party aayega, toh sub kutch theek ho jayega’’ (when Amam Aadmi party comes, everything will be alright) After hearing this he walked with me and showed me the position of my coach in the platform and went back.
I was thinking, why did he do it? Was he scared that I am an AAP guy and I am going to complain about him? No, anyway giving this information was not his responsibility, so he was not scared of any complaint. I think he did what he did because he suddenly found a new relationship with me as another common man, unlike earlier where he looked at me as another class. He felt that he has got a responsibility towards me as a fellow citizen beyond his work. It has nothing do with AAP directly but i think the energy that has been brought in by AAP has beautiful side effects like this; many people have started to feel that they have a responsibility towards other common men.
3. I love people who break the law
Lots of people including many APP supporters were upset about AAP's decision to go on a dharna. But in my case, I became more of an admirer of AAP after the dharna than before. If you are out there to change the system, you have to break the rules. You have to start new practises. You have to shake up the system. You can’t do things in ‘proper channel’ because that proper channels and processes are what got us here in this mess. Rules are made by the people to help the people, we shouldn’t become slaves of rules and systems we have created for our own good. We should be able to challenge them and change them if our intentions are right and we have a larger cause.
Growing up in Kerala with Dharnas and Harthals every other day, I couldn’t understand why people were making a big deal about a chief minister sitting on a peaceful dharna for two days. Above that calling this dharna 'Anarchy' is an insult to the word Anarchy. Every one from the other established parties, media and the President of India himself criticised AAP for not sitting in the office and ‘governing’ like all other elected governments do. Essentially what they are saying is you were activists before the election, now you are a government, so you have to change your behaviour and become like us.
They want AAP to come to their side; the elite club of power. Which in India is a nexus of political class, industry and media. In the time of Lokpal agitation this nexus perceived Arvind Kejriwal and friends as some insignificant outsider trying to disrupt the system. Later when those protesters decided to contest elections the nexus perceived them as the outsiders trying to become insiders. Now when the protesters won the election and came to power, the nexus expected them to have become insiders. But AAP refuses to join the club and wants to remain an outsider. That is what is making AAP unique. That is also what is making the nexus very uncomfortable; they don’t know how to deal with this new animal. So they started blabbering all kinds of things like lack of governance, immature, anarchy, gimmickry, unconstitutional, dignity of the government etc.
But I love the way in which AAP is willing to try new experiments and dirty their hands. They don’t want to be in any conmfort zone, they are taking risks, they are not willing to let go of anything they believe strongly. So I sincerely hope AAP ignores the opinion of the media, other conventional political parties, the President of India and Captain Gopinath. They should go ahead and break more rules and disrupt the system. AAP, please stay as activists, please stay as an outsider.
4. The gang rape by media
When the entire mainstream english news channels are ganging up in attacking AAP, one should understand that AAP is doing something right. The way in which Times Now, CNN IBN, NDTV, Headline Today and News X is going about attacking AAP is shocking. It is totally manipulative and unethical. Media doesn’t realise that any sensible person can see through them and figure out what is going on. I kept wondering why these experienced journalists are doing this? Then I realised this gang rape of AAP started ever since AAP government refused FDI in retail and ordered an audit of the power companies’ accounts; till then AAP was the darling of the media. Again when I came to know most of these media houses are owned by the Ambanis and Birlas, it completes the picture.
Media somewhere believes that they have created AAP and now they have the power to kill it as well. It is in a way a real test for the media about their impact - it will be interesting to wait and watch what will happen.
5. Simplicity in a complex time
Last Sunday’s Hindu carried an an article against AAP in which the writer complains: “Kejriwal has reduced everything to simple, practical solutions”. I don’t understand why she is saying it is a problem? We live in complex times. If someone has managed to come up with simple, practical solutions we should appreciate it. I will call it the the genius of Arvind Kejriwal to make the complex into a few simple practical solutions.
In my whole career in communication and design I tried to achieve this in my work; find simple and practical solutions to what appears to be a complex problem. And every time I tried to do that, there was always resistance because many people make a living out of those complexities. They have to justify their existence by making everything they do seems like rocket science.
Simplifying is the hardest thing to do. It is a difficult process to take out all the unnecessary layers to get to the fundamental of the problem and then come up with a soloution. When Modi says ‘Good Governance’ it is a complex abstract concept. What is governance? What is good? For whom? We have no clue about how it affects our everyday lives. When Rahul Gandhi says ‘Inclusive Growth’ we don’t see any clear path in which he is going to achieve this for us, and there is no way to measure the result. But when Kejriwal says ‘People in an area should decide how government money is to be spent in that area’, it is a simple, practical, measurable solution.
Can you find a more simple and fundamental expression than ‘Power to the people’ when talking about democracy? Look at the symbol of AAP - a party which came to clean up the system can’t have a better symbol than the broom. This clarity of thought and simplicity of expression is what makes me look up to AAP.
6. To my dear friends
Many of my dear friends warn me not to get all excited about AAP. They tell me to wait and watch. Because AAP hasn’t shown their true colours as yet. Some say they are another bunch of opportunists, some say they are right-wing people in disguise, some say they are old fashioned leftists, some say they are funded by foreign organisations to disrupt our country. Frankly I am not as well informed as my friends on all these matters, so my friends could be right in these theories. Right now I find AAP interesting and I am attracted to it. If tomorrow AAP shows their true colour and if they turn out to be any of the ones mentioned above then I won’t support them and I will have no ego problems or shame in changing my opinions. As a Vipasana meditator I know how not to get attached to anything deeply.
Twenty five years ago when most of the young boys of my age where busy exploring girls, in a small village in Kerala, I and a group of virgin mallu boys used to meet everyday in a bookstore owned by one of our friend's father to discuss politics. And the nights we spent sticking posters and writing walls for the parties as the foot-soldiers. Being born in Kerala in that time meant you had politics in your blood. We were concernd about everything from the state, national and international politics and its impact on our societies. All of us had different political beliefs; some worked actively for the party sacrificing a lot and some supported the party. But all of us believed that we are working for a better world. But as time passed, we realised slowly that our parties have failed us, big time. The parties have existed only for the sake of the party. Our group has dissolved and we moved to many parts of the country. Many of us never felt like engaging with politics again, we also lost touch which each other. Few days ago out of the blue one of them contacted me from Delhi. We haven't spoken about AAP in our conversation, but I knew exactly why he felt like getting in touch with me, he was excited like hew was twenty five years ago. Since the emergence of AAP, I am also feeling a similar kind of involvement with politics which I felt twenty five years back.
So please let me enjoy this while it lasts.