The title of this blog might not be familiar with many of my friends but just for them, this is the same title as the movie directed by Satyajit Ray. It literally means "In the land of diamond king". When we were growing up this movie appealed to us in a way like any other fairly tale had. Now that we are able to see and conceive the world around us this movie had unfolded a new meaning and dimension before us. The greatness of Satyajit Ray was that his movies transcended the boundary of time and today when we look around the political scenario it looks like the movie being played in front of our eyes.
The story is set in a fairy land which is known to be rich and famous as it has diamond mines called Hirak Rajya (Land of Diamonds). The main protagonist of the movie Goopy and Bagha are bored with their lives as crown prince’s of Shundi and Halla gets a chance to visit Hirak Rajya. On reaching there they realize that the king is a tyrant. Diamonds and riches get pent up in his treasuries, while his subjects starve and suffer. Those who protest are taken care of in the 'Jantarmantar', a chamber for brainwashing devised by a famous scientist who is sponsored by the King. The only enemy the king has in his land is Udayan Pandit. He is a school teacher and, more than that, he is a believer of values and who speaks his mind freely in public. Now through various struggles Udayan along with Goopy and Bagha manages to dethrone the kind and brainwash him to such an extent that in the last scene he is seen to bring his own statue down.
We as Indians harp about our erstwhile culture, history and growth story but inside the story is same, rich becoming richer, poor becoming poorer. Citizens can’t raise their voice. Those who protest are either killed or silenced with muscle power. May be there is few people who gather strength to protect against the government but that never bulges into a movement to dethrone the ruler. People are brainwashed during election time and then for the next five year they pay heavy price for that brain washing.
The past three years when the country was trying to prevent itself from economic collapse it came across the biggest scams of the millennium. If that wasn’t enough,the decision of the central government on key issues were so lame duck that now the country is liming towards self destruction.
A few of the decisions in the last few months were so baffling that I am yet to find any logical explanation to them:
The past three years when the country was trying to prevent itself from economic collapse it came across the biggest scams of the millennium. If that wasn’t enough,the decision of the central government on key issues were so lame duck that now the country is liming towards self destruction.
A few of the decisions in the last few months were so baffling that I am yet to find any logical explanation to them:
1) A cameraman caught few ministers watching porn in assembly - Result: media is now banned from entering assembly.
2) There is a rise of crime against women in Gurgaon - Result: Women are advised not to venture out after 8:00pm
3) Indian railways needs fund to modernize and improve its infrastructure and the obvious choice is raising the fare - Result: The coalition partner destabilize the government.
The greatest difference between movies and real life is that, in movies the ending always makes the audience happy. We see the Hirok Raja after being brainwashed in his own machine bringing down his own statue and ending the tyrant rule. When will this happen in real life? A country with so much potential is being slowly consumed in the smoke of the fire which is self ignited. I have merely found some striking similarity between my childhood fairy tale story and the rule that we are witnessing now. And like that fairy tale story I want the tyrant rule to end. When will this happen?
