Remember the film
‘Lagaan’? The landmark film about how a bunch of ordinary Indian villagers led by
the inspirational Bhuvan defeats the British commanding officer, Captain Andrew
Russell’s team in a cricket match and wins a three-year waiver of taxes for the province.
The villagers had absolutely no clue about the game of cricket, but Bhuvan
accepted the challenge on the behalf of the province as he knew there was no
other alternative.
His unilateral
decision irked many village elders who thought they could still get the tax
waiver through conventional methods. They chided Bhuvan for being naive to
accept an impossible task and parted ways with him. However, Bhuvan stood firm
on his decision. He initially found only five people willing to join him, but remained
undeterred and unfazed. In his effort to prepare the villagers for the match, Bhuvan
got help from people who had confidence in him and who too felt that the villagers
deserved one last chance.
The British team had
proper cricket bats, gloves and pads but the villagers’ accessories were primitive
in quality, made from indigenous materials and nowhere as good in
comparison. But it was the best the villagers could manage with their meagre resources.
The British soldiers were more adept at cricket and regularly played the game
for recreation. So the match certainly appeared to be a 'no contest'. But
what the villagers lacked in resources, knowledge, skill and experience, they
vowed to make up with determination, courage and spirit. They were mindful of the
consequences of losing the match – paying thrice the amount of taxes – and also knew that nobody would be able bear that burden. With time, many villagers who had parted ways with
Bhuvan gradually began to extend support. Many people from nearby villages also
followed suit. Within weeks, Bhuvan’s small team had developed a huge support
base and became a mass movement.
Meanwhile, Captain
Russell came to know that the villagers were making decent progress in their
preparations and wondered if there was a cause to worry. Yet, he refused to believe
that a bunch of amateurs could even put up a decent fight – forget winning – at a
game he knew very well and they didn't. His supreme confidence did not allow him
to think of the possibility of a defeat and he rested easy.
On match day,
thousands of people turned up to watch the spectacle. Most were convinced that
the villagers had no realistic chance of winning, but wanted to cheer and support
the team for their serious attempt for the public interest. After all, they too would benefit
from the three year waiver of taxes. They had hope in their hearts and prayers
on their lips.
Till this point, the
plot of ‘Lagaan’ bears an uncanny and striking resemblance to the emergence of the
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The non-political movement ‘India against Corruption’ led
by Anna Hazare (village elders in
Lagaan) for a Jan Lokpal Bill (waiver
of taxes) drew a response from the ruling UPA Government (Captain Russell) that they should
join politics instead of criticising politicians (challenge to defeat
the British team in a cricket match). Arvind Kejriwal (Bhuvan) accepted the challenge
and floated the AAP (villagers’ cricket
team) comprising ordinary citizens. In course of time, support poured
in from thousands of citizens located in India and abroad (mass support to Bhuvan). The villagers in the movie
correspond to the hapless and helpless Indian citizens who always vote hoping for a good and efficient government,
but are disappointed every time. Isn't it remarkable how perfectly it all fits?
But that's not all. There
are couple of scenes in ‘Lagaan’ which perfectly represent the situation in
which the AAP and its leaders presently find themselves.
i. In the first over, as the batsman plays the ball towards Bhuvan at cover point, all other fielders run helter-skelter
to chase the ball, creating confusion and chaos. Bhuvan, the captain and the
most sensible of them, quickly sizes up the situation and warns that only the
fielder closest to the ball should attempt to chase or stop it.
ii. While batting, Bhuvan plays an
irresponsible shot in a moment of madness and just manages to survive. He then
realises that he has accepted the challenge on behalf of the entire province
and there is no second chance and all will be finished if they lose the match.
That thought settles him down as he goes on to play responsibly, scores the
runs, stays on till the end and guides his team to victory.
Movies are always distant from reality and have an element of a fairy tale or happy ending. Lagaan is no exception either, as the lowly villagers’ team defeats the British soldiers, something which may not happen in real life. The victory of Bhuvan’s team can be compared with AAP’s performance in the Delhi assembly elections. But this is where the resemblance ends, because the cricket match triumph marked the end of the movie, whereas the AAP’s story has just begun and is unfolding with every passing day.
These days, Arvind
Kejriwal and AAP is getting a lot of criticism – and rightly so – for being ‘men
in hurry’ and for their ‘arrogant’, ‘instant justice’, ‘street justice’ and ‘power
to the people’ approach to governance and administration. Their misplaced
enthusiasm and eagerness to do too much in too little time is causing lot of
distress to the ‘aam aadmi’ who looked upto AAP as a viable alternative to
provide a government and administration that is compassionate to citizens. Contrasting
views aired by AAP spokespersons have also not helped matters. The AAP
government’s approach towards fulfilling electoral promises can be best
described by the word ‘frenzy’,
meaning a state or period of uncontrolled excitement or wild behaviour.
But why are they
acting in a frenzied manner? One reason is that they are still ‘political novices’
and ‘inexperienced administrators’ as their political opponents call them. They
need to calm down, think through and take informed decisions. There need not be in a tearing hurry as the public is not going to ask for their
report card in such a short time. The other possible reason is their apprehension
that survival of their government is at the Congress’ mercy, which holds
the lifeline of outside support. So the AAP seems to be trying to achieve as much as they can before the Congress topples their government. But even if the Congress
withdraws support and their government collapses, AAP has nothing to worry. The
Congress will be answerable to the people for foisting another election on them
and the AAP can hope for a clear majority in the next elections. Admittedly,
that is more of wishful thinking without much conviction or logical reasoning,
but sadly today, the AAP seems to be working overtime only to justify the
Congress pulling down their government. AAP needs to get its act together and
make this work for the people who have reposed so much faith in them, so that
the AAP model can be replicated in other States of India as well.
The AAP should therefore
quickly realise that they are under constant close scrutiny from the people,
media and their political opponents in whatever they do. So like Bhuvan did in
‘Lagaan’, Arvind Kejriwal should immediately size up the situation before it
goes out of hand, issue stern warnings and instructions and take steps to put
the AAP’s house in order. AAP should embrace humility and simplicity, avoid
flip-flops, think long-term and avoid short-cuts, set the right priorities and
have well defined policies in place on various issues. They should also get the right
people for the right responsibilities. In short, AAP should actually put their
heads down, start showing performance on the ground and stay away from
histrionics and public relations gimmicks, which it is sadly being associated
with. Their work should speak instead of the party leaders.
Lastly, the AAP
should not forget that people from all walks of life have joined them, including
some high profile executives who sacrificed their promising careers and well paying jobs.
So if the AAP turns out to be a failed experiment, citizens would certainly
be wary of joining or supporting any such movement, at least in the near
future. Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP will have to do a lot of explaining to the
country, as a failed AAP will leave the country in the hands of the same
political parties who have governed less and ruled more and have cared more for
personal affluence and less for national development. And yes, the AAP may never
get a second chance, after having recklessly blown up the first one.
