THE NEW TOOLS OF COMMON MAN’S
SYMBOLISM IN THE INDIAN DEMOCRACY
Broom, the universal cleansing machine, was universally so
understated (until now, at least in India). Even if the changing times
brought to its contour the obvious advancements and the technological avatars,
the mentality around the broom remained symbolically broom-type only.
The stereotyping can be understood by the fact that
Wikipedia gives a well populated list of use of broom in cultural context and supports
it with use of broom in witchcraft wizardry.
See, even Harry Potter, the hugely successful, iconic hero,
having a global fan-following, creating the richest female author of the world,
from scratch, even he could not change the perception. The Harry Potter Broom
is listed on eBay and Amazon and returns with a number of links on the magical
broomstick/broom used by the wizard boy on hitting it on Google and yet, the
mighty broom has remained grossly understated.
The situation had become so hopeless, like the degradation
of Indian politics that the broom proponents had abandoned their fight. Now,
only a miracle could have revived the hope to start the efforts again, only a
radical step could have rekindled the fire.
We cannot comment on the situation globally, in our
limited capacity to get clear of the clutter in an age of information chaos,
but, sure we can think on what is happening in India.
And that miracle happened in India;
that radical step was taken in India.
It began in the name of the Aam Aadmi, the common man of India (if not
with him in entirety, but, at least, it looked ‘intended’ to go beyond the mere
the symbolism being practiced until now).
It began with a new political entrant in India, assembled mostly from
apolitical names, the Aam Aadmi Party and its very special ‘Aam Aadmi’ (‘the’
common man) Arvind Kejriwal who ‘adopted’ broom as his party’s symbol.
He insisted he would get the universally functional broom
its rightful due by using it metaphorically to cleanse the Indian politics, to
sweep the System, to uproot it, or to remove the weeds.
And the journey on the path to fight for the rightful due
has got its fighting verve with AAP emerging as an ‘Aam Aadmi’ metaphor
threatening the established political masters.
So we had broom visibility as a protest tool against the
System; so, we had some other political claimants claiming their right on
‘broom’ as their political symbol; so we had a major e-commerce site listing
broom on its trading platform; so we have discourses on broom as an empowering
metaphor of democracy now.
And it has emboldened the Indian Democracy this time to
use the broom more effectively to correct its associates (claimed and natural)
it seems. Its message to Mr. Kejriwal to use the broom to clean his own house
also tells us so.
Now, it is to be seen if Mr. Kejriwal reads the writing on
the wall.
The broom is now getting its proper due, thanks to the
machinations of the Indian politics that is, thankfully, not self-evolving this
time.
Next in the line:
MUFFLER: NEW TOOL OF COMMON MAN’S SYMBOLISM