Opinionated

Remo speaks on national television (Times Now), about politicians of not just Goa but every politicians in India,

Politicians are not administrators, they are thieves, they join politics to make money, they have no respect for law and order, they do not even abide by what the Supreme Court orders. Law and police are in their pockets, there is no solution to their greed but to just shoot them down like mad dogs. But I can’t do that, I am not a criminal, I would probably just be out of this place someday.” [Some interruptions from the anchor here and then Remo continues] “You know, when I talk like this you people think I am just being cynical and pessimist, but am only being a realistic. We are also partly to be blamed because we think everything would be alright tomorrow. The reality is, that nothing is gonna be alright. Once we accept how bad things are only then would we be able to do something about it.”

I am blogging about Remo NOT because I think what Remo said is right or wrong (although what he said is not something I haven’t heard before and definitely not surprising). I am blogging because of two good reasons.

I applaud his guts to say such strong words on national television. You seldom hear an entertainment guy having an opinion, let alone a strong one and last a political one.

There is a saying opinions are like ass holes, everybody got one. But not so much political. I think, to have an opinion is pertinent to a meaningful existence and to hold a political opinion is a duty.

In India, it is one of the virtues to NOT hold a political opinion. If a school going child reads or speaks too much of politics his parents would get worried about his future. If a college student is not preparing for his JEEs or CATs and shows more interested in fixing up the college union issues, his parents are shattered. They’ll leave no stone unturned to bring their, lost child wandering on the streets of politics, back to the ‘sahi raasta’ that leads to a secured job in US. American parents may hope “our son would run for presidentship one day or become a senator” but in India joining politics is the greatest disgrace a child can bring to his family (unless it’s a political family of course).

Alas, he kept saying, but how many in India asked, “what can I do for my country”.

But I hope things are changing. Few Indian youths from one of the IITs saw Rang De Basanti and formed Bharat Uday Mission. More became bloggers, got into citizen journalism and all that. But joining politics is like getting into the shit hole to clean it. Someone once said, “A country gets the politicians it deserves” As long as we’d think politics is dirty, we’d only get dirty politics.

So if you can’t go down the shit hole to clean it, at least be around, to see if it’s being properly done. Don’t go about your bowling sessions and Barrista coffees until you have formed and demonstrated your political opinion.

B) Remo made an wonderful point in his last few lines. Optimism v. Realism. To make things right you have to first acknowledge how wrong things are. Pessimism is realism, optimism is a fanciful way of living life, affordable mostly by the cosmopolitans in India, the English speaking white collar executives, they live in the metro cities, they have hobbies like photography, reading, writing, travel, cricket etc. They are all very happy and optimistic people. They would never get worked up trying to fix some of the issue in the country because they don’t think anything is wrong.

I was reading this article in where the author have written…

So why are people turning away from politics- and how do we bring them back? Some causes are outside our control – especially the comfort of life in 21st century Britain which has led many to feel they just don’t need to bother. Life’s fine and how would casting a vote change it for the better?

This section of optimistic happy people in India have a life way to comfortable than Marx and his socialist theory would have allowed them. Unless they would see what is wrong with the nation they would never do anything, and I guess they are too blind to see what is wrong and the divide would only widen.