In childhood, I had read a story. A father, son and donkey were going to the nearby village. The donkey was quite healthy and strong, so both father and son were riding on his back. Some people saw them and sarcastically remarked, “Look at the cruel fellows, they have absolutely no pity and consideration for the poor creature who might soon collapse under the weight of son and father duo in this hot weather.”
With this criticism, the father got down to walk on foot and told his son to continue to ride on donkey’s back. Soon they met a small group of passersby who made another bitter remark, “Look at the selfish son! His old father is walking on foot under scorching heat and the shameless fellow is enjoying fun of the donkey ride.” Hearing this son got down and told his father that he better sit on the back of the donkey for the rest of the journey.
Soon they met another passerby who remarked with sarcasm, “Look at the foolhardy and arrogant father! His son of such a tender age is forced to walk on foot while he is cozying on the back of the animal shamelessly.” Hearing this, the father got down and after some discussion both of them decided to walk for the remaining journey. Needless to mention, soon they found another bunch of hooligans ridiculing them, “Look at the fools, despite owning a healthy and sturdy donkey, they are walking on foot.”
When I look around, I found many self-styled author columnists, analysts and critics in print and electronic media as also on internet, particularly active on political issues. Of course, many people find political events and gossips far more spicy and entertaining. I find it quite amusing that some of them have such a deep insight and are even capable of reading inner thoughts or minds of political leadership, foresee events and make accurate conjectures(!). Thanks to this their inborn talent, one can have the luxary or opportunity of knowing graphic details and commentary on even the most private and restricted events and meetings held within closed walls as nothing can escape their hawkish eyes and ears.
They can see (or create in own imaginations!) rift among top political leadership which the common man is unable to do, they know better how to proceed on bilateral relationship with neighboring countries, they know better what the government should do or not do, they are capable of drafting the development agenda, they can so easily detect every mistake or faulty decision of the new government, and so on so forth. In short they are capable of doing everything except perhaps to seek people’s mandate and take responsibility on themselves. They will criticize Prime Minister for exercising too much control and watch over the party and colleagues and then they will also blame him for not immediately making his stand clear on every event or allegedly irresponsible remarks of any party functionery or legislature somewhere putting secularism in peril.
I wonder if a person has got so much of talent, should he (or she) not utilize it for some creative writing or work for which there is no dearth of subjects, instead of useless criticism and worthy than you approach all the time. Would it not be wise to allow the representatives of people in the new government to work for some reasonable time before resorting to criticism or deriving hasty conclusions which these days is being done so often by media men and individual authors? I still remember the economic initiatives and reforms taken by Mr Narsimha Rao government in the early nineties of previous century started showing positive results somewhere only around mid-nineties.
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