What ails Orissa?

The recent debate on the issue of public agitation against POSCO setting up their factory in Orissa has come under heavy debates from the intelligentsia and Civil Society as such… All are unanimous in their verdict – it is wrong to displace people from their place of habitation and set up industrial activities which are basically ‘evil’ and ‘self serving’ enterprises…

Though I neither endorse the unregulated and unplanned industrial growth at the cost of displacing poor unjustly nor do I actively support the shrill cries of the ‘civil society’ who let out cries of murder at the drop of a hat…

The problem ailing Orissa and for that matter hindering its logical growth (given the rich natural resources and manpower) is to be viewed in its entirety, san any bias and prejudice…

The state which was considered to be an exemplary state, at the forefront of all activities a few centuries ago (known as Kalinga, the land of the warrior king Ashoka. The dramatic change of heart of the warrior king to Buddhism, of its early trade links with Bali, Indonesia; the rich culture and heritage evident in its exquisite temples, dance forms and handicrafts) now finds itself in not so proud list of BIMARU state and other such ignonimity … this as successive rulers (both undemocratic and democratic) have done precious little and wrecked havoc for the state...

Post independence, the only golden period in terms of governance,  political leadership and growth was seen during the regime of the late Chief Minister Biju Pattnaik who was and till date is the only single politician who felt passionately for the state and genuinely worked towards its development… post his era, Orissa saw the dominance of the Congress led government by another Pattnaik who ensured that no stone is left unturned in ensuring rampant corruption and criminalisation of politics… in the absence of credible opposition, the Congress leadership and its Junta rampaged the state and created a sorry figure in the national landscape.. The state of the affair and the deep rot came in its full force to the fore in 1999 when the state was stuck by the Super Cyclone and was rudely woken up to find its coffers empty following which the state chief minister was asked to resign by the congress high command (a case of too little, too late ).. As a clueless Giridhar Gamango (remember the man whose single vote pulled down the Vajpayee led government) took over as state chief minister, the cup of woes for the state has already started to overflow… Benign gesture by the neighbouring state under Chandrababu Naidu saw A.P come to Orissa’s rescue with their entire machinery which was mobilised for possible cyclone at their coastal area… Orissa literally battered equally by the cyclone as also for the attitude of its Sons and Daughters who had exploited and ravaged her, was in a pitiable condition post the super cyclone phase…

In such a scenario, the BJD was born and stormed to power with a relatively inexperienced son of Biju Pattnaik (Navin Pattnaik) at the helm of affairs… Shy and reticent, Navin took oath riding high on the aspirations and hopes of millions of Oriyas hoping for a better tomorrow…

11 years and 3 terms hence, in retrospect, one wonders whether we have progressed towards the chosen land or is it just an illusion of progress which we have been led to believe since then… True Navin has been iron fisted in weeding out corruption from within his party as well as the bureaucracy, but still lacks the political astuteness and understanding to have the necessary bargaining skills to ensure maximum benefits to the state while sticking to his principles (a la Nitish Kumar in Bihar)… Let us not be confused by the 3^rd term of BJD and equate it with its success in Orissa… These are two divergent issues.. Navin’s party’s achievement is similar to the erstwhile Congress party’s recurrent return to power in the state – the lack of a strong and cohesive opposition….

Navin, by his own design, has distanced himself from both Congress and BJP and does not have friend on either side… This equation, considered to be a political suicide in contemporary India (one happens to be the ruling Political party and the other the main opposition at the centre) has not served Navin and the state of Orissa well… Stuck with silly clearance from environmental ministry (since when have we  heard the environmental ministry throwing a spanner in the work of mining and industry in congress and allied led state of UPA) and other myriad smaller issue requiring centre’s clearance; one cannot but pity Navin running from pillar to post in Delhi to push the developmental agenda of the state through… he is also not helped by the pseudo civil society representatives and activists who make matter difficult for him to start any developmental project in the state with their shrill and vociferous opposition…

Only to make matter worse the state is also losing out on many opportunity  namely of utilising indigenous manpower (it has the largest technical manpower in terms of engineers, especially software engineers working in Hyderabad and Bangalore), of huge revenue through tourism ( Having a beautiful landscape dotted with amazing places of tourist attraction. A more business-oriented State for example, would have erected a monument and made the Kalinga battle-field of Ashoka, which converted Chanda Ashoka in to Dharma Ashoka, a `must-see' for all tourists, in addition to charging a whopping entrance fee. In Orissa, Kalinga battle field just happens to be there, on your way to Konark.) To mention a few…

Compounding man made folly, nature also plays a truant especially post 1999 cyclone where scorching summer coupled with an unforgiving monsoon has rendered Orissa as the favoured land of natural calamities. The naxal menace is on the rampage which is again due to lack of a strong political will and commitment (so well demonstrated by the neighbouring state of Andhra Pradesh).

The Orissa of today is a but a pale ghost of what it was in the yester years and also a Frankenstein of what it could have been given its potential… For this all are to be blamed equally; the political class, the bureaucrats, the general public and the intelligentsia for their apathy and callousness… Equally are to be blamed arm chair Critics like us from the state who are too comfortable leading their cosy life elsewhere and are too insecure to step in to the unknown by taking the initiative in Orissa in their own field and leading the way…

Are you "Ready"?

Saw "Ready" just a day before it disappeared from the theatres here... And boy ! am I glad that I saw it !

To give a  review or even rate the movie will be akin to showing candles to the sun... Literally ! The art of the nonsense which was first started with the series of slapstick by Govinda - David Dhawan has been perfected and institutionalised by Salman Khan...

Salman started his career with a chocolate faced,lover boy, boy next door image... He was known and adored (especially by the youth) for his physical brawn than for his acting prowess... Somehow through the years he has been able to survive and even carve a niche for himself in Bollywood when most of the Shahenshah and Disco dancers were given a run for their money... Salman had since then gone on to prove that the art of the nonsense makes more sense and can be turned in to a major money churner... In the process he has not only helped in reviving the careers of Bollywood veterans (Govinda himself is an example) but also making good of the no gooders in his family too (Arbaaz, Sohail, Malaika et al with daddy dear also jumping the bandwagon with 'Ready')...

the movie's story is a rip off from any average mid 70s movie where there is a damsel in distress waiting to be saved by the hero combined with the god old Samaritan (aka Bawarchi)  combined with a large loving family of the Barjataya/ Johar/ Chopra formula... And Voila ! we have a clear winner here !

The acting is not even close to standard. The only character in the movie capable of tickling the funny bone in the movie  is a surprisingly refreshing Sudesh Lahiri who has time aghain regaled the audience by his funny act in 'Comedy Circus' (remember, the ever hysterical Archana Puran Singh who has rendered Sidhu jobless with her 'mind blowing' laughs)

Not withstanding the many glitches and almost paper thin story line, Salman yet again manages to do the impossible... Rake in the moolahs and set the cash register ringing...

Now that the usual convent bred, English speaking critics have gone to town rubbishing the movie and more so Salman Khan; yet the 'Ready' team, is laughing all the way to the bank...

The only reason the movie is able to pull it off at the B.O (as also the numerous Dabbangs and Partners etc) is because Salman has created his own genre of movies and audience who love those movies... Salman refreshingly takes us back to the 60s and 70s where watching movie did not require special understanding of theatre and cinema (as most of the urbane-sophisticated movie critics would have us believe) nor did you have to have  a special understanding of the different genre of movie or movie making and the art of craftsmanship of masters like Kuberick, Hitchcock et al...  Bollywood movies thrived successfully on a large middle class following in the 60s and 70s which only promised to entertain the mass.. Period...

Frustrated with a crumbling system of reeking of injustice, corruption and red tapism , angry at its own impotence to change one's destiny and living conditions; they tumbled in ones and twos in to the dark theatres to find solace in the almost invincible hero who could do anything and everything... For them the hero epitomised the covert and overt yearnings of people like themselves who were slowly crushed under an unresponsive and draconian system... It gave them an almost vicarious and should I say, sadistic pleasure when they saw the hero slap his dictatorial boss and throws away his job only to become insanely successful (that too in a short span of time) in his new found business !... or looking at the angry young man taking to the underworld to prove a point to the world that he also can become successful and have 'bangla, gaadi and bank balance '... or just the simple joy of dancing around the  tree with the most beautiful girl and rescuing her from the evil villains...

30-40 years hence, things have not changed much.. The fruit of liberalisation has accrued to a chosen few while the poor is again crushed under the weight of a slew of government schemes whose benefits rarely reaches them... Though the angry middle class of the 70s have been pacified to an extent (seeing their children benefit from the 'liberalised economy') its the rural mass which is a shimmering and seething entity now... For them and for numerous of their brethren who have migrated to urban area in the hope of a better future (but alas!), actors like Salman Khan provide an window to be able to dream again wide eyed, aspire and lose themselves in the cool darkness forgetting their toil, misery and pain for the 2 and half hour of bliss when they feel themselves come alive..

For those and many more, Salman will continue to rule their hearts (and hence the box office) not only in years but in decades to come ! So move over the Kubericks, the Benegals, the Rays and the Hitchcocks of the world for Salman is here to cock a snoot at all and do some serious 'dhinka chaka dhinka chaka'....