In times when farmers
in Maharashtra suffer from the aftermath of a severe drought, ostentatious
displays of wealth by politicians in the state remind me of a certain Madame
Marie Antoinette, Queen of France. She was of course beheaded, but what about
her vain Indian counterparts?
Many political representatives, especially from Maharashtra are
demonstrating unabashed displays of wealth, inherited or otherwise, while the
state’s farmers battle against all the odds, natural and man-made to merely
survive. This has also shown s time and again, the widening gap between the
haves of the state and the have nots, and if we believe the texts on economics,
we will be silent witnesses to increased crime, a direct consequence of this
gap…what’s more, if the situation gets out of hand, we might even witness a
revolution akin to those taken place in other parts of the world.
Crores spent on vanity and luxury; on being in the news, on
and by those who don’t need to; when on the other hand there are projects and
people in dire need of these funds for living a better life…better, but still
modest. What is more had those funds really made a difference; this political
populace would have secured a loyal vote bank. What a shame! Strategy lost for
vanity!
Going back in times of the French Revolution, which took
place when the French monarchy was abound in excesses, surrounded by a land in
despair, when Marie Antoinette’s extravagance, gambling and excessive spending
on fashion and make up became an eye sore to the point of being dubbed as
‘Madame Deficit’; when amongst other charges, she was put on trial for treason
and theft, and beheaded at the guillotine; and she had not even said her
infamous line on eating cakes. It took place because the people wanted monarchy
to be abolished, because the farmers were displeased with the way the government
and the king worked. The king at that time controlled the farmers, had charged
unfair taxes and it is also said, forced them to fight in low ranks of the army. They were also forced to pay or give money or food and other valuables to often more than one Lord,
who owned the land they worked on or lived on, or even just lived near.
The truest characters of ignorance are vanity and pride and
arrogance, said Samuel Butler. I will add here, those ignorant, and intoxicated
with power, shall one day fall and how, if they do not reign in their
narcissism.
Coming back to Maharashtra and our political
representatives, their jarring demonstrations of richness, their need for
attention to get covered in media and otherwise (which can be seen from really distasteful
photographs on birthday posters) and their hunger for legal and illegal power make
me wonder if these people think that they are above the law of the land and the
needs and conditions that the general public live in. If so it is time for them,
especially those in key states plagued with serious social issues to open their
school history text and read it well to avoid similar follies as in past.
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**Please Note
Images are taken from the public domain. Some images are edited to prevent shutting down of my blog, even though we believe in freedom of speech and thought.
*** References
Some material referenced from this page: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090427122217AAye4kx
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