Skip to main content

Politics Of Pretensions

It started out as a passion. Spurred on by the awe-inspiring sacrifices of a few, it became an obsession to many.  Those flocking to make capital out of its success, turned it into a matter of fashion. Today, the movement is lost in a quagmire of pretensions.

Guess who I am talking about!

***
'Pretension of governance' claimed another casualty in the recent election. To all and sundry, the reasons were amply clear! Yet, its leaders continue to wag their tongues like magic wands, as if to wish away the dread and disappointment.

Do they expect the setback to be a set-up for a comeback?

***

The prime time screens of some of our TV news channels resemble stamp albums. Shuffling the obtrusive panellists around is an anchor in one channel who keeps putting his foot in every mouth including his own! Recently, citing the lowest and highest ages of the ministry as 38 and 74, he stated: The average age of the cabinet in that case, must lie somewhere between!

I never knew it. Did you?

   'The only good in pretending is the fun 
we get out of fooling ourselves that we fool somebody.'
Booth Tarkington

Comments

Anna Schafer said…
Excellent post.I want to thank you for this informative read, I really appreciate sharing this great post.Keep up your work
Andrés Roemer
D R Nayar said…
Thanks Masood for taking time to read my post. There are many websites on the topic you mentioned. No specific recommendation from me. Cheers

Popular posts from this blog

Above And Beyond Words...

Five years of silence! The world around me kept shouting, shrieking and screaming.  In the mad race to be heard, decency and dignity gracefully withdrew; I too.  If you find me back, thank the 15,000 odd visitors who viewed my blog, even when I wasn't updating it. During this period (COVID-19 included), I never felt fed up, forlorn or forsaken.  Keeping me confident and cheerful was music.  Every genre, irrespective of its land or language, engaged me.  There was much to explore; much more to learn and experience. An incident of over 25 years, comes to mind.  I was at a trade show in Delhi.  Hearing a Ghazal on the public address system, I asked the hostess in my company’s stall about that album.  She turned to her friend and quipped: ''Hey look.... Who's talking about Ghazals?'' The sarcasm was evident, but not surprising.  India being incredibly diverse, such perceptions based on ignorance do exist.  Few people know, fewer even b...

Real Science With A Rational Philosophy*

When I was a school kid, while eating fish one night, a thorn got stuck in my throat.  Nothing could dislodge it.  Panic-stricken, I ran to my grandfather who said: “Take this medicine and go to sleep. By morning, you will be alright.”  I was.  That was my first experience of Homeopathy. Years later, I underwent a minor surgery for a sebaceous cyst.  It reappeared, and had to be operated again.  The persistent cyst returned.  Once again, ''sugar coated pills'' came to my help.  On hearing this, the surgeon commented: “Nothing but placebo.''  I quipped: “If that's so doctor, next time, give me a bottle of placebo!” One reason for discounting Homeopathy, lies in the perception that its micro-diluted medicines are too weak to heal.  Another, is the practice of treating the same disease with different medicines of different strengths.  The lack of documented therapeutic proof is yet another reason for flak. Homeopathy propounds that mo...

If It's Wednesday, This Must Be...*

None of us are alone. Something or someone always keeps us company.  Few stay on to ruin our happiness; few others take away happiness as they leave.  The one that I cherish steers clear of both. Those were the days when Television, Mobile Phone or the Social Media weren't there to disturb or distract us.  We had ample time to stay engaged. In between, we tuned in to the radio to unwind.  The programmes were entertaining and diverting.  One perfect example was the 'Binaca Geetmala'. Many in today's generation might wonder, what's so special about 'Binaca Geetmala'.  This was the programme that introduced us to the melodious world of Hindi film songs.  We heard the best of songs in a weekly countdown format.  We also learnt about the geniuses who created them.  Such was its mass appeal that the raging linguistic differences prevailing in certain parts of India were forgotten.  Slowly and steadily, 'Binaca Geetmala', a habit by then, was b...