THE COMMON MAN
MEETING A REMARKABLE MAN - 50 YEARS OF INDIAN INDEPENDENCE
It all began years ago , at a Bangalore bus stop , when an young Hirnnaiah found himself imitating a particularly pompous man making a nuisance of himself at the bus stop. Since then he has come a long way. His victims have included leaders of all kinds and hues. Laughter is his business and Hirnnaiah takes it very very seriously.
This man is used to making strong categorical statements on issues that are very close to his heart ; like freedom for example. Freedom for him is a utopian dream that was given to the common man of this country by its leaders. Today this dream lies shattered. Says Hirnnaiah, ‘ I don’t think that the entire country is enjoying freedom - the benefits of freedom are limited to a selected few. The common man is unhappy today because he has no voice in the running of this country. For him freedom is just an illusion’.
Though disillusioned by a myopic leadership , Hirnnaiah still swears by political democracy , which he thinks is an ideal system of governance for a nation like India. However he would like it to be accompanied by freedom of expression, freedom from fear and freedom from the problems that haunt us as a people. At the same time he feels that democracy as it is exercised in India today has completely sidelined the common man. He says indignantly, ‘Every five years we come alive for 2-3 days for voting and after that the common man is dead again while the elected man enjoys all the benefits’.
As befits a man who makes his living by words - written or spoken , Language is an important issue for Hirnnaiah. He feels that linguistic reorganisation of states was a big mistake. ‘We should have listened to Sardar Patel,’ says he, ‘who had said don’t divide India into linguistic provinces, for if we do that each province will become a mini India’ . Hirnnaiah strongly favours the 3 language formula which advocates the study of a national language, an international language and a state language.
Like any other sane man Hirnnaiah has a healthy contempt for politicians which is reflected in his vitriolic political satire. He feels that there is not a single leader in this country today whom we can be proud of. ‘ The less we talk about the leaders and politicians of today, the safer our country would be’, he maintains, ‘By God, we shall never again get leaders like Lal Bahadur Shastri or Sardar Patel and of another Gandhi we cannot even dream of’.
Hirnnaiah is equally harsh on the Indian mentality of elevating its leaders on a pedestal and there after happily forgetting about his/her teachings. He states, ‘ Gandhiji did not fight for freedom so that his statue could be erected and his name could be used for petty political gains. He fought for us , so that we could make the society a better place to live in. We Indians are bound to live in this country , bound to breathe our last here, then should we not make our society a better place to live in?’, questions Hirnnaiah.
About the reservation policy Hirnnaiah feels that while India should have reservations , they should be based on economic criteria and not on the basis of caste. Saddened by the opportunistic ‘ Mandal-Kamandal’ politics of India Hirnnaiah says, ‘ reservations have been unnecessarily politicised. Caste and religion are personal matters, why do we bring these things on the streets I fail to understand.
A representative of the generation that ushered in the freedom of India, Hirnnaiah laments the internal strife that has riddled India for the past 50 years. He fondly recollects, ‘ we said Bharat Mata ki Jai and won freedom despite the diverse character of this country. But today what is the situation? Today we say Andhra ki Jai, Tamil Nadu ki Jai, Maharashtra ki Jai,….. and by the time we come to Bharat Mata ki Jai we have no voice left! Our motto should be Bharat Mata ki Jai first and foremost’
When he speaks about the future however Hirnnaiah’s eyes are misty with optimism. ‘ We have a beautiful country in our hands’ gushes he, ‘we should not loose hope and work towards developing India into a great nation’. As a parting shot he has some sound advice for the leadership, ‘ If you cannot run the nation, retire and let the new generation take over’. Anybody listening ?
Interviewed on film by Yati Jindal.
Written by Shefali
. THE STORY
FREEDOM
Celebrating 50 years of Independence
