Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Why we must be thankful to Modi

So Narendra Modi, for the 'secular Indian', is a bad man. Even Gulshan Grover wouldn't have a thing on him.


But we have much to much to thank Modi for in the last three days when he embarked on a 'historic' fast to absolve his image as a Muslim-hating, genocide-approving dictator. No, really. If anything, Modi's stage show of an apology has blown the puritanical cover of what has been my chief bugbear for the last month - the hunger fast.

Last month, another Modi fan and current messiah to the masses, Anna Hazare sat on a dharna that moved millions to protest and rage against the government. Both Modi's and Hazare's fasts were clarion calls of the gastronomic sorts for change. Modi wanted you to change your ghastly opinions of him. Hazare wanted your help for a change in how we held our public servants accountable.

As the dust settles from all the furore both fasts kicked up, I am happy to report that little has changed. Opinions on my Twitter timeline and from water cooler chat that revolved around the sadbhavana (now that all the sales at the stores have ended) seemed as polar as ever. Modi-praisers continue to praise, Modi-haters continue to hate. And Anna Hazare? He sinks deeper into the recesses of my morning papers, only raising a whimper when it's a particularly slow news day.

And the hunger fast? That's been the real casualty of this last month. No progress, or army, can march on an empty stomach. If Napoleon was alive, he'd have gone 'I told you so'.

0 comments: