THE GREAT INDIAN CIRCUS
Who said there is an absence of any wave in this election? The poll pundits? Well, don’t believe them. Nothing can be farther from the truth, if one were to believe one’s eyes. In reality, never has the country witnessed so much waves. I mean, how can one say so, when every politician, and sometimes even their relatives and aides, irrespective of political affiliation, have made waving to the crowds a national habit? Barring the NSG and the other security guards, everyone on stage is waving to the crowds. The crowds in return wave back, though there is no way of knowing if they are waving to the leaders in joy or are waving them away.
For starters, we are sure the voters would have seen photographs of Sonia’s campaign. When the Congress first invited her and when she refused, begged her to take the plunge, they just hoped that the lady’s mere presence is enough for the party to ride to power. The lady did oblige them, though only at her own convenience and choosing. The Congressmen, then did not have an inkling that they were in fact buying a package deal: a family pack. Now the entire family is on stage, yes, waving to the crowds.
The Sonia wave is characteristic. While the left hand holds the same place over her head, the other hand is ever waving, right from the time she starts ascending the steps to the podium till she disembarks from it. She also waves during her speech, that is, whenever she is not apologising.
Of course, Priyanka herself is a wave. The teeny-boopers who throng her trail would stand testimony to it. And the portrait of a waving Priyanka is certain to become the future mascot of the Youth Congress, In Sriperumbudur, when, bowing to Thangkabalu’s request she spoke a few words in Tamil, and then waved, the crowd went into raptures. Apparently, emboldened by her debut in waving, she has now made it a permanent feature of her campaign. And the crowds seem to love it. They wave back even if she is just batting a fly.
In sharp contrast is Rahul’s wave. Like his father he appears to be a reluctant entrant into the world of the possible. His half-hearted wave is barely noticeable, and even then he looks embarrassed and shy. He is either constrained by a sprained shoulder muscle or probably thinks it is too presumptuous to wave at the crowds. If the former is the case, he has to better see a doctor and meanwhile, use the other hand. In case his line of thinking is as mentioned second, he can better quit and leave the waving to the rest of the family by waving goodbye to politics.
But Robert Vadra is a different kettle of fish. Just in case you are not abreast of national developments, he happens to be the son-in-law of Sonia and the better half of Priyanka which explains his presence on stage. He is a master waver and waves with a gusto, like a seaman marooned in midsea, waving at every passing ship. It beats one why he is waving at. Probably he had spotted some old acquaintance of his in the crowd and is waving to catch attention. But yet, some in the crowd, especially in the front rows who are invariably Congress workers, wave back. After all, it pays to be courteous to Priyanka.
The AIADMK-BJP combine’s poll launch at the Marina was also a demonstration of the fast that the ‘wave’ has come of age, as if in answer to the stringent criticism that their’s is an alliance of disparate elements. The leaders of the Front stood to attention on the dais and waved unitedly to the crowd, probably to prove that they were all on the same wave length. The shores of Bay of Bengal did come alive in response, convincing the BJP stalwarts that they might have at last got a foothold in the Dravidian land.
The above mentioned two Fronts, appear to have made the most of the wave. The third Front, with several Fronts within it, but ironically called the United Front, is yet to witness even ripple, leave alone a wave. In any case, its leaders do not seem to believe in the importance of waving. They would rather prefer, when together on stage, to hold another’s hands and raise them up above their heads, in an apparent demonstration of solidarity. But one cannot be faulted for mistaking their gesture and associating it with the prayer of ‘surrender’ to the Lord of the Seven Hills!
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