Great Divide Across The Political Aisle
Bethany Hills on which stands one of Kerala’s great institutions - Mar Ivanios College in Trivandrum, is well-wooded. The campus is unique with winding roads, gentle and steep slopes, open spaces, and buildings nestled in between. The laborious climb up the hill is made easier by the cool shade of the trees that line the Mar Ivanios Vidya Nagar’s long road, and the breeze from across the open grounds.
Taking the steps from the mezzanine level so to speak, the grand tower on the main administrative building greets students and faculty alike, and showcases its graceful architecture. Walking past the basket ball courts towards the building, reminds you of any small Parisian garden.
The air is peaceful. Little sparks of adolescent humour everywhere. Hints of budding love at every corner, or behind trees.
An odd stare or a gentle fight brings out undesirable words or sounds. Some of us passed time playfully imitating our Professors/Lecturers, often reimagining them as news anchors!
A popular spot in front of the second canteen that served yummy parotta, beef curry and tea was called “Panchaara Mukku” (sugar beating junction - a decorative term for boys and girls innocently or intently sweet talking with each other).
Here, the then Principal Prof. Antony Eapen once spotted a loner (a boy) during a class hour and whisked him to his classroom only to find 100+ students studiously attending a most uninteresting class (during which we learnt of a new car in the market: ‘Mercedised Benz’) - the boy had lied that it was a ‘free’ hour!
The years were 1992-94. Ruling the state was a Congress-led UDF govt. Where the darling of the masses K Karunakaran was chief minister. This invariably led to protests, processions, strikes and what not, by the ‘Students Federation of India’ [SFI, affiliated to the CPI(M)].
The College Union elections were like a festival, and for us who were not yet of voting age, an opportunity to ‘participate in the democratic process’ of electing a “suitable” College Union. Both groups vied for votes passionately and aggressively. Debating furiously and campaigning fiercely. Campaigns touched upon such weighty issues like Narasimha Rao’s Economic Liberalisation and the dangers of America’s Capitalism. The highly inflammable ‘Mandal Commission’ issue had died out by then.
One candidate walked into our class and animatedly spoke about Rao’s policies threatening the likes of ‘Bata’ (a popular shoe shop), until someone from the audience pointed to the pair of ‘Adidas’ shoes he himself was wearing! At one stage, a female candidate for the post of Vice Chairman was insulted in front of a few others by one smart cookie. He was “handled” well enough!
There was an uneasy calm the day before the elections, the last day of campaigning. Posters were designed to mock or slight. Slogans were provocative.
One of the lecturers, whose preferential ideology was that of the ‘Left’, had died in an accident just days before. The ‘Left’ used it in the campaign speech by Sunil Kumar, the affable and always smiling, humble and accessible ‘Union Chairman’ candidate. The large gathering of students were charged up, jeered and sloganeered in anger against the ‘Kerala Students Union’ [KSU, affiliated to the Indian National Congress].
Nikesh Kumar - Union Chairman candidate of the KSU - now running the ‘Reporter news Channel’ in Kerala - then a lean figure, clean shaven and smiley too, took to the mic. The only issue he spoke about - the lecturer. Beginning softly, his voice began to choke. Soon tears started to run down his face. Maybe he sensed a sea of tears. He upped the ante and started crying-screaming in despair - asking the ‘Left’ why they wanted to politicise such an issue. At that moment, the soberly silent crowd, perhaps some of them sobbing too, looked like they had made decision - KSU would win hands down. And so did they, in all but one post - College Magazine Editor Jimmy James, a senior news editor at ‘Asianet News Channel’.
Once the results were declared, in a few days the whole cacophony died down. The fire and fury that echoed across Bethany Hills were a thing of the past.
Sunil and Nikesh (and many other rival candidates) could be seen walking together, hands over shoulder, laughing their lungs out, and at times sharing some banter with us novices on campus.
A few weeks later one day, there was a pall of gloom around the campus and it could be smelt and felt. Even leaves on the trees refused to do their typical dance to the morning breeze.
The previous evening, students from the MG College nearby had attacked students of Mar Ivanios College as they waited to take public transport buses back home. They were beaten black and blue with hockey sticks, cricket bats, wickets or just with bare hands. Many were injured. Some of them with bandages rolled around the head, or hands in sling could be seen walking around with a sense of purpose. Very soon it was announced that the day’s classes were cancelled on the request of the College Union.
A large meeting in solidarity with those attacked (mostly belonging to one of the two mainline outfits) was called impromptu. Most of the students gathered at the same spot Nikesh used the power of emotions to campaign and win the elections. Leaders of the SFI and the KSU stood side by side, shoulder to shoulder. One after the other, they slammed the violence. In unison they promised to stand by the victims, and every soul. This, was the coming together of a family!
Smart slogans lifted the spirits of the campus. The SFI, the KSU, all other political outfits, and almost every single person joined in a march around the campus. That was a straightforward display of unity in the face of danger.
Till a few weeks back, they were like competing tigers snarling at each other.
Nearly 20 years later in 2010, another spectacle took me by surprise. That leaders of various political parties always kept in touch with each other, and got invited to each other’s family functions etc. was well known. Newspapers carried interesting pictures. But this incident at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Delhi was completely unexpected.
The Tourism Minister of Karnataka’s BJP Govt. was a known ‘enemy’ of the Congress Party. A Python and a hen could be friends (this happened in the Trivandrum zoo in the 90s), but not them. A very senior Union Minister of the UPA Govt. was invited as special guest for a tourism promotion program targeted at Delhi’s travel trade and diplomatic crowd.
The Union Minister would soon arrive, we were told. Karnataka’s Tourism Minister hurried to the Hotel’s portico. The Union Minister alighted, and Karnataka’s minister bowed in full and touched the former’s feet to seek his blessings. Both of them hugged each other, and demonstrated mutual love and admiration. It was like a young boy meeting his teacher from school at a wedding! Though they belonged to two ends of the political spectrum with little in common, they spoke cordially. Just before entering the Grand Ball Room, the Union Minister remarked: “he’s my boy”!
As the event got on, the Tourism Minister otherwise known to be fiery, choked. He could not complete his speech because of what he said - “a very emotional moment”. The Union Minister showered many words of praise in return before delivering one of the classiest speeches I have heard (obviously that was before I listened to Dr. Shashi Tharoor!).
On the way out after the program, there was the repeat ofbowing and touching the feet and seeking blessings. The Tourism Minister stood on the grand steps of the hotel watching the UPA Minister’s car disappear into darkness beyond the great hotel’s compound wall. Like a child seeing off his father to the airport.
The minister said to us: “he’s my guru”!
As they say, ‘those were the days’.
Political opponents always maintained the courtesy of meeting, speaking, greeting and just simply keeping in touch. We generally tend to ascribe mischief to political opponents sharing good relations with each other. We can’t be blamed for thinking about their alleged “making adjustments” to smoothen corruption, get favours done or to avoid arrests or prosecution when the other side is in power. Even if that may be true (to an extent), is it not important for those from opposite ends of the political landscape to have cordial relationships? If not, how will they be able to take a nation of diverse tastes, preferences and choices together?
Today families are divided, friends ‘unfriend’ each other and even neighbours turn away with a “here comes a sanghi or here comes a commi or here comes a congi’ smirk! Worse, old friends (classmates, colleagues, clients etc.) refer to each other as Hindus, Muslims or Christians, unlike during the days of old.
Political leaders have become more than larger than life and command a loyal following, with absolutely no space to disagree or point out a mistake. At times this reaches dangerous levels of hero worship, where even trash cans are peeped into!
Just about anything under the sun is seen strictly through the narrow prism of politics and assuming that a topic is discussed only to undermine his/her leader.
And these things hurt egos to such an extent where during a news debate all one needs to do is to lift a hand requesting a chance to speak, and the other side takes it personal and threatens to leave the show!
While we have the right to firmly stand behind our preferred ideological stances, what stops us from continuing to be friends?
Across the aisle, we need warmth and comfort that enables confiding in each other, rather than the constancy of enmity and hostility that results in distrust.
Sustained vendetta on one side, and an everyday cry of victimhood is sure to tire out the well established system that needs everyone to work together for the betterment of the country and its people.
SUSTAINED DIVIDE, IS UNSUSTAINABLE! For humanity, and for the nation!!