Epiphany

Breaking News: India's Obama

Was watching Dev yesterday. Had never given it much thought or credit earlier. But it made me philosophical this time. With political horse trading, in-party differences and seditious speeches happening openly in India, there is a parallel anarchy brewing in Pakistan. Leads me to wonder if Plato was right in supporting a country ruled by a bad tyrant as against a bad democracy. He argued that that it is better to be ruled by a bad tyrant (since then there is only one person committing bad deeds) than be a bad democracy (since here all the people are now responsible for such actions).

What do you think? After 26/11 there was a fervor for change amongst people. A change for the better - against the rotting system, against unaccountability, against injustice. Unfortunately it is seeing a dying crescendo in didactic ads that urge people to vote. But the moot point is who should we vote for? It is the same old caboodle.

Is there anyone who inspires? Is there any party that is honest? India needs an Obama at this stage - a new face of hope - very unlike the political stalwarts bordering on senility. Gender, caste, religion neutral. A visionary with honest intentions and impeccable record. I can only think of Ratan Tata. All the rest are bad tyrants that would make a worse democracy.

Is there anyone who can convince him to stand for elections? Can the media for once play a persuasive and constructive role? That will be true game changing journalism. A welcome breaking news.

Arya Samaj Masala?!!

MDH masala. Kitchen King or Deghi Mirch...asli masaley such, such...goes the line in the ad that shows a gnarled senile man as the founder of MDH masalas. Ok so they did not have anything unique to say but the legacy it had since 1912. Ok they did not go the celebrity route like Anzu Hing which has Jayaprada as its endorser. They chose the founder to add credibility - Mahashaya Dharampal Ji - and hence the acronym. So far so good.

My mom always told me that MDH stood for Mahasheyan di Hatti - a punjabi phrase, loosely translated, means congregation of the rich or a society of nobles. So the rich tradition and rich masalas still made sense.

But what I saw today appalled me first. Then I was bemused. Because in a way, the ad that I saw simply imitates life. What I saw was a brazen attribution of MDH to Maharishi Dayanand Saraswati - the founder of Arya Samaj. The ad did not explain much but associated Dharampalji's great belief in Dayanand Saraswati. What all marketers do to peddle a masala!!!

But the poor marketer has learnt from our politicians that one can create a unique magical equation by adding marketing to religion.  

A quick Google search revealed that Dharampalji has contributed "20-25 lac rupees" for the construction of a yet incomplete Satyarth Prakash Stambha and a Navlakha Mahal in Udaipur. And the project faces many roadblocks from Govt clearance to lack of funds. 

But it won't be long before some clever marketing suit in MDH arrogates Arya Samaj to itself! After all Arya Samaj also literally means Society of Nobles. That will be the day when the terms marketing and politics would be used interchangeably.