SANDEEP AND FRIENDS

THE THREE TEMPESTS

By SANDEEP SRIVASTAVA

JAYA, MAYA, MAMATA – all ends in the beginning! Where their names end, the English alphabet begins. They are brands on the Indian political market, wooed by the coalition-wise and feared by their foes.

Maya, like Michelangelo, believes the greatness of human soul lies in their statues, and she would have easily turned Greater Noida into a Second Rome but for the Supreme Court. Mamata, like James Watt, believes in the power of the (political) steam engine that took her all the way from New Delhi to the Writer’s Building. Jaya, like all Hollywood and Bollywood stars, believes in the power of acting, acting her role to win political Oscars.

Unpredictability is the hallmark of the three brands, but there is no denying that they are the voice of the people. Crowd management is their forte, and they devastate the fortresses of their foes, turning them into desolate places apt for the political foxes and hyenas to howl.

Ambition often gets the better of the three, and a streak of megalomania is visible in their style and diction. Modesty may prevent their expressing the prime ministerial dreams openly but they love war bugles and the trappings of power. Jaya’s wish list, asking for the scalp of Chidambaram, Dayanidhi Maran and Rajapaksa, is in keeping with her brand image – governance by caprice.

It may be ironical to suggest that what Pakistan polity misses is the Brand Caprice. Margaret Thatcher, Angela Merkel and the invincible Indira Gandhi emerged as Saviors of their democracies when men messed up matters. Had Pakistan allowed women to take their rightful place coming out of the purdha, its democracy would not have been at the mercy of generals and, worse still, the jihadis!