Tuesday, December 17, 2013

The REAL meaning of two words: Arvind Kejriwal

This appeared in Asian Age....
           The real meaning of two words : Arvind Kejriwal.
After what the ‘Jhaadu’ did to its mighty opponents in the recent New Delhi elections (swept them right off the map), Arvind Kejriwal has ceased to be just the given name of an individual. Those two words connote much more in our minds, post 8th December. They have made that rare transition  and become nouns…. adjectives…. adverbs… proverbs…. verbs…. lyrics… anything and everything the nation needs to hang on to. We desperately  needed to believe. We now believe. Not necessarily in a man armed with a jhaadu, who goes by that name. But in what he stands for. Arvind Kejriwal is now a symbol we can recognize and identify with. He is India’s hope – even for those who still don’t know what he can do for India. Nor what the deliverables are. All they know is that this David was armed with a humble broom and enormous fervor. The Goliath  in this case was a powerful, well entrenched adversary with every possible resource to bank on. When Kejriwal decided to take on Sheila Dixit, skeptics scoffed and dismissed the man as either a dodgy agent of some shadowy figures out to finish the Congress. Or a complete mad man hell bent on self destructing. Nobody gave this underdog much of a chance. Nobody, except his flock of faithful followers. And a few early converts to his cause, who argued anybody was better than Dixit and the Congress Party. The ‘C-Word’ became interchangeable – ‘C’ for the Congress. And  ‘C’ for corruption. In such a cynical scenario, along came a man who claimed to represent the ‘aam aadmi’.  The Mango People got born. And from the looks of it, the Mango People are here to stay.
Decades from now, when historians try and decode this particular Delhi Election, his will be the name that pops up as the man who emerged as a game changer. It’s interesting how the public’s focus changed  -  almost miraculously - from Narendra Modi to Arvind Kejriwal. Not because Kejriwal has become a national figure overnight. Oh no. It’s because Kejriwal’s victory goes well beyond mere numbers. It’s not the number of seats his party managed to win. It’s the  message that victory sent out to the entire country.  The message is pretty simple : it says change is achievable if you are committed to it. And Kejriwal proved it. Perhaps, we are too close to this narrative to read it accurately enough. We would love to know Kejriwal’s ‘secret’. And maybe we will be most disappointed to discover he doesn’t have one! We live in disturbing  times. We suspect everyone. We trust no one. Several attempts were made to besmirch Kejriwal’s name and derail his campaign. Who knows what  sort of dirt may get dug up in future? But as of now, Kejriwal is up there with the angels, sporting a dazzling halo of his own. His victory is seen as the people’s victory. He is being hailed as a people’s hero. What the public  has seen is sincerity and passion at play. When even his mentor, Anna Hazare, had distanced himself from him, Kejriwal carried on the good fight, never once losing focus. He had a one point agenda and that was to expose wrong doers and realign a deeply flawed system to be in sync with citizens’ expectations.  Critics may carp and fault his methods – those wild charges and rash allegations that were beyond proving. Despite a few really serious missteps that may have cost him two or three crucial seats, Kejriwal stayed on course. It was nothing but his steadfastness that won him his hard fought victory.

 Let’s not grudge him his due. Let us acknowledge the Kejriwal factor. But let us also be realistic and get the perspective right. Kejriwal’s job is done for now. This is what he was meant for. To be the catalyst. To be the carrier of people’s aspirations. To be the warrior who would lead his rag tag troops from the front. Kejriwal suddenly became the man who had done the right thing. The man who put his money where his mouth was. The man who had the guts to go eyeball-to-eyeball with adversaries who had outclassed him in every department, but one  -   transparency. Perhaps, emboldened by the success of this one man, many more Kejriwals will take birth and find the courage to jump into the fray and get their hands dirty. Because, like him, they may also see the bigger picture and tell themselves : this is an important moment for India. If we let it go without doing a thing , we are doomed. Kejriwal made us dream again. Made us believe that it’s possible to take on the big guns. And win. Whether or not Kejriwal ever becomes a national leader or even the Prime Minister, is not important at this point. That Kejriwal exists at all, is what counts.  

13 comments:

Pooja Rathore said...

Plan B for women - smart article ..I liked it.
About Arvind Kejriwal you are right about acknowledging his due and the fact that someone like him exists....

Ahmad said...

You always seems to be anti Government. Corruption was always problem post Independence. So why to blame Congress !! its Indian's tendency to being corrupt. There are only few honest politician in post Independence Era of India. Interchangeable C between congress and Corruption is absurd and ridiculous. You and Chetan both are just slamming Government of Congress without grounded reason

Sathyakama Sharma K said...

If it was not for Kejriwal effect, there would have been defections, horse-trading, hijacking etc etc! To that extent he has already cleansed the Indian politics! After all he is holding a broom not a sword!

VY said...

A true acknowledgement to AK! The truth is people are fed up with the system and all these parties. AAP is kinda a ray of hope for some change. On that there is wide divide between old and new. In my lifetime till now it's first time that most of the youngsters gave vote against their elders wishes!! No wonder, same gonna happen at least in Delhi's neighboring states! How feared are these parties from AAP, Janlokpal bill is the example.

Anil Kumar said...

@Taufeeq Ahmad,
It is the sick mentality of people like you and your community in particular and some old Brahmins - who are fooled by this pandit party - who has brought this country to such a desperate situation. For you there is no difference between those who are looting this country in the name of secularism. After a flurry of scam if you think Congress is doing what every has been doing so far - so we should reelect them again. YOU must be on Congress' payroll that 's why you are talking like Rashid Alvi, Salman KHursheed's language. Loot at will and then just say that everyone is doing corruption - it is normal.
AAM Aadmi party has beat the shit out of both vongress and BJP. Even Ann'a Lokpal is being passed with some changes because of Arvind Kejriwal. He is the second Gandhi who will liberate this country from Indian scums in Congress / bJP alike. At least that is the hope. Kejriwal was real force behind Anna. Anna was just a figure. I hope that latest bill passed in parliament is good enough and this is not done something in haste by Kiran Bedi to counter AAP' uprise. It is shameful that people you feel are good and want good for this country get trapped in their ego to bring down other. Gen VK singh's close proximity with BJP and rebuke of AAP is another example. I hope Arvind Kejriwal Delivers as he is the real Bharat Ratan wadn has given hope for millions of people who are fed up with dirty politics which is fuelled by the sick mentality of few communities both educated and uneducated.

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salamkool said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
salamkool said...

Please do not over praise excessively the Kejariwal or the People who voted him.

The next elections will be the deciding Signs of all victories achieved by Kejariwal in Delhi.

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