FROST/NIXON….AN INDIAN POLITICAL DREAM..!

I am not a very big fan of movies that create a stir in the Oscars. They are, well, in general, boring (a term often used by youth like me for MEANINGFUL movies!!). But, this year, Frost/Nixon was an exception. Not that it was a technically superior movie like The Dark Knight, but the fact it showed the most serious political crisis USA has ever faced with so much clarity and aplomb, is exemplary. The movie made me think that can a journalist ever nail a politician like this in India? And more importantly can you ever see regretful expression on an Indian politician?

Search your GK books, Newspapers and of course You Tube videos, and recall one incident when an Indian politician confessed his crime in public and sought redemption. They are always so proud and upbeat about their criminal "Achievements" that a confession seems like a distant dream. Nixon was a big political failure. He, much like George W. Bush, faced a lot of criticism at home and in the rest of the world for imposing the Vietnam War on USA. But the Watergate incident proved the last nail in his political career and he had to resign. After his resignation he was pardoned for all his felonies by his successor. Under normal, or Indian, circumstances this could have been a dream come true for him and before you could realize, he would have been in active politics again! But here was a guy who still stood by of what he did and even though he wanted to make a comeback, he wanted to come off all clean, not judicially but in the eyes of fellow Americans. When Frost made him realize the gravity of his crime he was full of sorrow. He felt that he let his country and the whole political system down. More importantly he realized he let so many young Americans down, who would now not enter politics, thinking it's so corrupt. I am not trying to portray him as a Fallen Hero but it is this ruefulness that I find so missing from Indian Politics. There are 125 MPs in the current Parliament with criminal charges. And what is being done? There are cases from 1992 which are still pending and the accused are running the country. They claim public support. Who are the people supporting them? How many voters are actually aware that the "Neta" from their constituency is accused of grave criminal charges like mass murder, rioting and, worst of all, rape? Nixon's deeds were actually nothing as compared to these people.

When does a person confess? When, in that particular moment, he realizes that he has reached his lowest point. Indian politicians are so abysmal that it would take those a million years to reach their personal lows.

Let's see it from the point of view of journalism. Indian media,(I only refer to the print media as electronic media is just news hungry and meaningless), is quite unbiased. Lately, one can see the urge in the media to prove itself The Fifth Pillar of democracy. There are campaigns to highlight the importance of voting and the participation of youth in politics ("I Swear" campaign by The Times of India shows promise). The other campaigns like "Jago Re", "The Consortium of Pub Going Loose and Forward Women "and the idea of "Negative Voting" is getting a lot more print space then they used to. But does any one journalist or a newspaper or a TV channel has the courage like David Frost to confront a politician in public where you question him only about his wrong doings giving him no respite? Let's bring the worst out of them in full view of people who matter, at least in every five years! But it cannot be done. How long would that journo live or that newspaper would run after that? What happened to "Tehelka.com" is a very good example. A brave attempt reached its grave in no time!

It's rather easy to finish an article with a ray of hope and clichés like silver lining of the cloud or the night is darkest just before the dawn etc. But sadly there isn't any hope, or at least yours truly can't see it. Till then let's just pray that Frost/Nixon's DVDs reach our politicians and media persons before the polls and they decide for themselves.

Amen!

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