Movies, golf kit and $5-trillion dream

Rajbir Deswal 

My apologies at the outset for having contributed to the now-withdrawn observation of Ravi Shankar Prasad’s wanton remark, suggesting the negation of the economic slowdown, saying three movies collected Rs 120 crore. Why am I apologising on behalf of the minister? Well, I was the one who went for a movie that day, verily and not vicariously, contributing to the argument. 

Certain generalisations are hard to sell, while certain others are lapped up by the receivers with aplomb. I am reminded of the scene in Sholay, when Amitabh Bachchan speaks of the qualities of ‘head and heart’ of his buddy Dharmendra to bring home the point of his naivety and worthiness to the redoubtable Mausiji. In the Rs 120-crore argument, Mausiji symbolises the public, who is sought to be fooled! Ravi Shankar stopped just at a point before Lenin, when the latter said, ‘A lie told often enough becomes the truth.’

No, no, no! I am not saying that Ravi Shankar told a lie. Well, only politicians can adopt such a course of argument. It’s election time in Haryana and I can’t stop myself from referring to similar historical burlesque quoted in a vein, akin. Mani Ram Bagri, who was known for his wit, scoffed at Bansi Lal’s claims of bringing water from the Bhakra to the tail-end of fields in the state. At a public meeting, he proclaimed to the innocent Haryanvis, ‘Brothers and sisters! The water that Bansi Lal brought for your fields has all the electricity taken out of it at the Bhakra Dam, and all that you have is  foka pani (useless water)!’ Not to be outwitted, Bansi Lal controverted, ‘Let Mani Ram Bagri touch the electricity wires and know for himself if the electricity had been taken out of the water or not!’

Even if Ravi Shankar wanted to hard-sell his argument, he was well within his right to do so, since politicians know how to twist facts and influence their constituency. 

I again recall a reference from Haryana politicians and their ‘argument-vending technique’. The tau of Haryana, Devi Lal, was then carrying out his ‘nyay yuddh’ against Indira Gandhi. His appeal among the common masses, and his grip on their collective psyche was quintessential. He had his supporters believe that there was a huge note-vending machine in New Delhi and what he had simply to do, if voted to power, was to turn the machine towards their state, to have enough finances for agricultural development. Obviously, his word was final and the argument was lapped up with no questions asked. 

Well, the day I saw that movie and contributed to the Rs 120-crore kitty, being indicative of a ‘recovering economy’, I had also bought the same day a golf-kit trolley — a fact, which if Ravi Shankar had known, he would have indicated to the fulfilment of the ‘$5-trillion economy’.