Even if (and it is big 'if') for a moment, I were to accede that his demands are legitimate, and also his reasons, intentions and methodology; even then I find myself feeling increasingly aloof to the whole issue. Perhaps, there is a sense of reverse-flippancy. As in even if the Baba solves this crisis, then yes, we would have less corruption, more money flowing through the system (gushing like the Ganges, in fact), and ultimately, more equality, less poverty and so on; but what would he really have accomplished? What about the things that really matter? The intangible and the pertinent: Why are we here? Where do we go? Don't know about you but I prefer my Babas answering those questions instead.
PS: The whole 'doing away with the higher denomination notes' argument seemed extremely environmentally-challenged
Sunday, June 12, 2011
The Mystery of CID
(ref: CID, TV series, Sony- India, B.P. Singh)
Q: why haven't we been able to stop watching it for over thirteen years now?
For the longest running series on Indian television, it is glaringly a counterpoint to what good programming should be. After all, it has:-
a) a permanently scowling and none too pleasant, protagonist, supported by an utterly fungible crowd
b) inane, bordering on the ridiculous, storylines
c) generic, uninspired dialogue that has more of a penchant for the campy than the witty
d) perennially tacky sets (the forensics corner for eg., displays huge blow ups of male anatomy, firearm of the week, and other such incongruous travesties and monstrosities)
And then you think of PGW. The reason why we love Wodehouse is not because we want to be intellectually challenged, expunged, staggered, moved, or quenched, but because sometimes, we just want to be comforted. This, more or less, is the same reason why we keep watching CID as well.
It has become like old winter tatters, comfortable solely on account of their familiarity; a portal to the past, to unhurried times when as Lennon said once, everything was right. And therefore, we continue to take vicarious pleasure in watching ACP Pradyuman autocratically order his crew around, while himself contributing precious little, we simply can't get enough of the regurgitated Daya-Abhijeet SMS jokes, we smile at ourselves for enjoying Fredericks' antics who is really a clown but for the suit, and even after thirteen years, we find that we willingly gloss over the abject ineptness of the show and suspend and distend our collective disbelief, just because as people, we're so bad at letting go. Maybe there's a bigger point in that.
Q: why haven't we been able to stop watching it for over thirteen years now?
For the longest running series on Indian television, it is glaringly a counterpoint to what good programming should be. After all, it has:-
a) a permanently scowling and none too pleasant, protagonist, supported by an utterly fungible crowd
b) inane, bordering on the ridiculous, storylines
c) generic, uninspired dialogue that has more of a penchant for the campy than the witty
d) perennially tacky sets (the forensics corner for eg., displays huge blow ups of male anatomy, firearm of the week, and other such incongruous travesties and monstrosities)
And then you think of PGW. The reason why we love Wodehouse is not because we want to be intellectually challenged, expunged, staggered, moved, or quenched, but because sometimes, we just want to be comforted. This, more or less, is the same reason why we keep watching CID as well.
It has become like old winter tatters, comfortable solely on account of their familiarity; a portal to the past, to unhurried times when as Lennon said once, everything was right. And therefore, we continue to take vicarious pleasure in watching ACP Pradyuman autocratically order his crew around, while himself contributing precious little, we simply can't get enough of the regurgitated Daya-Abhijeet SMS jokes, we smile at ourselves for enjoying Fredericks' antics who is really a clown but for the suit, and even after thirteen years, we find that we willingly gloss over the abject ineptness of the show and suspend and distend our collective disbelief, just because as people, we're so bad at letting go. Maybe there's a bigger point in that.
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