Every day, the aam aadmi of India struggles against the ills of corruption, poor governance, pollution, a dysfunctional educational system, and more. The aam aadmi, who is at the receiving end of it all, feels betrayed and abandoned by the powers that be.
With tongue-in-cheek cartoons, illustrations, prose and poetry, this book highlights the plight of the citizens of this country. The citizens want a better India, but what will that India look like?
With just the right touch of humour, Suraj 'Eskay' Sriram gives us his take on the present and his vision of the future.
Suraj 'Eskay' Sriram currently stays in India and his editorial cartoons are published every week in Banker & Tradesman, a leading business newspaper published in Boston. He is also the author of Indira Gandhi: The Final Chapter. Earlier he was a freelance editorial cartoonist for the Sunday Express and Blitz. He went to USA in 1985 where he worked as a freelance cartoonist and taught at the Rhode Island School of Design. He is a member of the National Cartoonists Society of America and has received awards from the New England Press Association.
More than five decades ago, as a young cadet in the National Defence Academy, I had often marched to the beat of the military band playing the inspiring music set to the lyrics of 'Saare jahan se achcha, Hindostan hamara. I remember the overwhelming sense of pride and patriotism that swelled in me as I swung my arms and dug my heels, marching in formation on the parade ground. I felt proud of my country then and I feel proud of it today.
I'm proud that our land gave us Mahatma Gandhi-a beacon of hope for the oppressed, not only here in India but throughout the world. Then there was Indira Gandhi who made us proud by showing the world she was no pushover leader of a developing country. I remember Mark Twain, who in his own inimitable style, gave us reasons to be proud of our rich heritage. There are numerous scientists, engineers, doctors, writers, artists, industrialists and many others who, over the years, have truly reflected the greatness of our country.
For me today, the greatness of India lies in the way its enlightened citizens interact with each other. Despite the diversity in language. religion, dress, food habits, customs, and physical appearance, we make every effort to remain a unified country. This remarkable ability to remain united, despite internal and external divisive forces trying to destroy our unity, has often baffled many outsiders.
For us Indians, our unity in diversity also affords us the chance to savour limitless varieties of food, dress in a whole range of exotic outfits, and be exposed to different genres of music. Not surprisingly, girls in the south wear salwar kameez and people in the north eat idli and sambhar. Rasgullas are enjoyed as a lip-smacking dessert everywhere. Dhokla is often found on dining tables across the country. Bollywood has ensured that whether it is the bhangra dance, the qawwali songs, or Sufi music-they are enjoyed by one and all. Movies centred on characters from different communities spread the message of tolerance and unity. Sure, over the years we've had a few hiccups, but we have survived the misguided attempts of some communal separatist elements that threatened our unity. Past leaders of the country showed determination and resolve and dealt with these evil forces in a firm manner and thereby preserved our unity. These were my thoughts and views when I left the country about three decades ago.
Back now in India, the news that I see on TV or read in the papers is a bit disturbing. Something is amiss. It appears that people in power in every sector of governance, have failed to exploit the great potential of the nation by their ineptitude, ignorance, indifference, and dishonesty. Apart from their failures on the economic front, the country's leadership has allowed communal and divisive political entities to rear their ugly head.
Leaders of some ragtag political outfits are openly preaching hate among communities and thereby threatening the unity of the country.
On my return to India in 2005, after having spent about twenty years abroad in the US, I was amazed to see the phenomenal changes that had taken place in the country since my departure in 1985. Glitzy malls. imposing high-rise offices and flats, upscale hotels and restaurants, and vast networks of flyovers were everywhere. Luxury cars on the roads were dime a dozen. Everyone on the road, or in a car, or in a shopping centre, was moving around with a cell phone glued to the ear. WOW! Had India changed or what!
As a political cartoonist, one is conditioned to look beyond the obvious. As I once again settled in the country, I sensed that beneath the external sheen that blinded the senses, lurked a dark secret. The spotlight of 'India Shinning' shone only on a privileged few. The greatness the country bragged about as 'Mera Bharat Mahan' was a selective slogan. Life for a vast majority of the Indian population was still a struggle against corruption, poor living conditions, a degraded environment, galloping inflation, and a host of other ills. Most of these problems were a direct result of ill-conceived and often divisive policies, coupled with poor governance and abysmal administration at all levels.
Though I don't qualify as a typical aam aadmi, or 'mango people' as some would prefer to call that section of the population, my years of being a cartoonist have conditioned my thought process in a manner that I am able to see life through the eyes of the real aam aadmi.
After seven years of observing and experiencing life in urban India, I felt a sort of compulsion to share my thoughts with the reading public. Hence this book.
India is a complex country. The resolution of the diverse problems the aam aadmi faces is a daunting challenge.
In this book, I have tried to highlight those issues that have had a negative impact on my adjustment back into the country after an extended absence. Some things made me angry, while some hurt my conscience. I felt the country had been hijacked by politicians. bureaucrats, law enforcement agencies, builders, and others of their ilk. Enormous power and authority, whether constitutional or not, had been usurped by these people and the common man was at their mercy.
The democratic institutions of the world's largest democracy had been twisted and perverted. The evolution of 'dynasties' and vote banks have had a direct impact on the electoral process, giving rise to election victories of known criminals and local goons. They in turn corrupt the babus, cops, developers, and builders to an extent that the quartet pretty much own the country and the souls of its hapless citizens.
"
Hindu (935)
Agriculture (118)
Ancient (1086)
Archaeology (753)
Architecture (563)
Art & Culture (910)
Biography (702)
Buddhist (544)
Cookery (167)
Emperor & Queen (565)
Islam (242)
Jainism (307)
Literary (896)
Mahatma Gandhi (372)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist