Pakistan Would Not Have Been Born

On the eve of the Republic Day Celebrations, the bone of contention keeps coming on the mind that what would have happened if persons like Sonia Gandhi had been at the helm of affairs at the time of India's Independence. Wouldn't she welcome Jinnah to become India's Prime Minister to save India from being divided and rescued us from the agony, dismay and horror of breaking the country into three pieces. Happening so, Pakistan would not have born.

In reality, this didn't happen 61 years back. Nehrus and Patels did not have such generosity to invite their erstwhile fellow Congressman Mohd. Ali Jinnah and ask him to rule the united India. Had that been done, no British acumen could have broken apart the country during the historic moment. But that did not happen, and Pakistan had been born with an unquenchable hatred feeling for India.

Allowing Jinnah to become the first Prime Minister of India may perhaps sound ridiculous for many. But an independent and intellectual thought to this may find few takers, if not all. Most Muslims and Pakistanis in particular, still conceive candidly that the Hindus would never have given up leadership to a Muslim ever for a combined India by the sheer majority of population. In that scenario, the Indian Constitution would have been written in a more diligent way to win the hearts of all sections of the society. The head of the government, the Prime Minister would be rotating. The head of the state, the President and the head of the judiciary, the Chief Justice of Supreme court would have more powers and also rotate to accommodate different groups. Had it been so, its people would have been contented with its independence, and India would have become more powerful, self-sufficient and independent than any other nation in the world. We would have thus seen an equal representation of all society in every field which would have been a yardstick for other nations of the world.

If that had happened, the subcontinent, a single nation would have been a terror free, economic and military super power, decisive and more respected throughout the world by the end of eighties, which at present is not. It would then surely keep an edge over China, our irrepressible neighbour, from all fronts because of its democratic lineage and western linguistic advantage.

Slumdog Millionaire

Just before the release of the film Slumdog Millionaire on the soil of its making, a bunch of good news relating to the movie has followed in with cheers and joy. Firstly it has bagged the Golden Globe Award for the film, its director, other members and our own A.R. Rahman. We had not even digested the pleasures when the news of nominations for Oscar Awards have arrived with not one or two, but a spectacular ten nominations for Slumdog Millionaire. Composer Rahman accounts for three of them. This is too much of asking for anything.  It is simply ecstatic, this has made us speechless and on hearing the news it had taken most of our's breath away. Now, it's difficult to say, what would happen to us when Rahman would advance on the stage to accept the Academy Award for himself. Till the Awards are announced a couple of weeks from now, the Indian people may have to hold their breath and await with folded palms.

It is indeed a moment for taking pride alongwith the team led by Danny Boyle for the film. We have never experienced the sweetness of an Oscar before, except that of lone Bhanu Athaya for the film Gandhi. We wish to taste every bit of the cherished moment that is attached with Slumdog.

It does not astonish us anymore when the debates have begun on an issue whether the film Slumdog Millionaire is selling India's poverty to the western world. What really astonishes us is that the initiatives of the debate has been started by none other than Bollywood's megastar Amitabh Bachchan? What really inspired him suddenly to take the plunge? He is a person who never criticises other's film, we are rather used to hear good words from him all the time. He is decent, professional and has never ever been heard him insulting any one. However, this comment of Bachchan for the film Slumdog Millionaire has indeed dismayed us for not any one reason, but for many.

Firstly, the film showing the poverty of India is not anew to anyone. What would rather attract the westerners is the fact that the talents can also be found from the debris of poverty. The spirit and liveliness of children who barely fill up their belly, would indeed amaze the prosperous and opulent. If the film could bag the Oscar, the people from all over the world would invariably visit India to have a glance at those underprivileged people alongside their visit to the elegant Taj Mahal. They would then understand what India really means.  This country is a mixture of heaven and earth where the extreme rich and utter impoverishment live together.  Here one could see the elegant Taj Mahal, the picturesque Five Star Hotels surrounded by poverty and meagerness developing in the vast slums. As it more sounds like a festival in the offing, it would be appreciable if all of us, including Mr. Bachchan, join the cavalcade rather than disrupt the avalanche of accolades it would receive.