One evening I was browsing a
novel in my room when I heard a familiar voice asking my wife, 'Is the Saheb at
home?' I came down recognizing the voice and the demeanour and paused to slow
down as I saw four others with Gopal, my best friend and worst critic who was
also an open minded extrovert serving as resident editor of a prominent
national daily . After the general bonhomie, tea and wife made pakodas, Gopal suddenly asked me:
Why don't you join politics? I could sense alertness in the ears and eagerness
in the eyes of the by now no more strangers four and tried to gauge the
seriousness of the question. I smiled and said,' I don't mind joining politics
but who will take me? 'The by now familiar strangers identified themselves and
one of them, one Radhakanta Mohapatra
said, in a sober voice: 'There are people to take you into their party with open
arms. You are a man with an immaculate reputation as knowledgeable, articulate
and your ability to charm an audience with your oratorical powers are well
known. If you simply say 'Yes', Mr -( he gave the name of a national leader) will
speak to you over phone. I sensed the seriousness and even the purposefulness in
the intonation and body language of Mr Mohapatra and said, ' I am 45 now. I admit yes I have some
sound reputation and above average qualities. But I have a family and except
the job I hold I do not have any other resources... Another slightly elder to all
of us in the strangers group spoke a dialogue chopper - you will get five times
your salary plus car and house.
I felt like giving a loud guffaw
but restrained myself. I said, gentlemen, politics is an art of nation
building. Throughout civilization we have put codes against insecurity,
indiscipline and distrust. He who lived in an area of his birth called it his
own for fear of losing it to others who have strayed into his area. Suspicion
and fear of other men was more than this distrust of animals. He had to fight
for survival against hunger, sickness, and yes, death. Some godmen came up to
comfort man and secure his life in this lifespan of his, in whichever part of
the world he lived in. They comforted him saying, life is temporary there is
permanent joy and peace after death in that 'Unreturned World.' they advised
and propagated love, devotion and
surrender to the unseen forces. Then came the physically powerful and intellectually
very clever people . They became chieftains, captains and formed teams of men
to expand their territory and framed rules for men under their control to keep
them restrained and loyal... Gopal this time gave a real guffaw saying, O' the professor has
started his lecture... The others too laughed. I felt embarrassed. Gopal said,
' why don't you say what these people have asked ? You should join politics.'
The senior man said, ' yes Sir,
intellectuals like you must come to politics. You now see Sir, most politicians
are using muscle and money power and exploit people. I stopped him and said,
'Intellectuals demand mostly two things: Freedom and space. They don't covet
positions or money but they must have operational freedom of the mind.' He
said, 'Yes Sir, you will definitely get that freedom but you have to work
within the framework of our Ideology.'
That's very tempting but what is
ideology of your party? He paused for three breaths and said: 'You know it Sir
. We believe in justice for everyone, equality of opportunity and universal coexistence.'
'Why do you have reservations then? I
asked, ' By giving reservations and doles you are in a way killing the spirit
of a man. He becomes a psychic cripple. That's why he forms a group and claims
identity and as the economy grows he demands a larger share of that economy without contributing anything.
His initiatives and innovative thinking
get stilted. He prefers to remain as a pressure group. Is that not injustice to the other low income groups who
strive and struggle for their own place in the history?'
'You are right Sir but politics
has its own limitations.
What limitations? Your limitation
is the vision you have been perpetuating for your hold on the people. If
Kashmir is on the boil for 70 years it is because we don't want to solve the
problems. if you want me in politics first of all grow out of your radical innocence. I am not a superman,
no god, but I think man must be free to create his own opportunities. The
political masters ought to create that atmosphere and run the state as
referee,. Sorry I can't join because I am a misfit...
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