Window Seat | Mrinal Chatterjee 19.4.20
Appropriation of Icons
April 14th was Baba Saheb Ambedkar's 129th birthday and by the afternoon I was reading rich tributes paid to him by different political parties. I was amazed at the blatant attempt by different political parties to appropriate Baba Saheb as either their own or aligned to their ideology.
Cambridge
Dictionary defines the word appropriation as the act of taking something for
your own use, usually without permission.
"Political icons are easily appropriated. This is more so the case for figures who have such widespread, almost universal resonance, that their mere invocation can bestow some level of acceptability", wrote Ali Khan Mahmudabad, who teaches history and political science at Ashoka University in Outlook (29 April 2016).
"Political icons are easily appropriated. This is more so the case for figures who have such widespread, almost universal resonance, that their mere invocation can bestow some level of acceptability", wrote Ali Khan Mahmudabad, who teaches history and political science at Ashoka University in Outlook (29 April 2016).
Why is it being done? Perhaps one of the most obvious answers lies in
the fact that popular mass politics is not possible without invoking figures
that have left an indelible imprint on India's socio-political landscape. As
Garima Sharma writes in her article 'Indian Politics and the Appropriation of
the Past', "Since culture and history are an indispensable component of
nationhood and appeal to the collective consciousness of the mobilized people,
their infusion to contemporary discourses and ideas in politics and policy
lends acceptance, efficacy and legitimacy to current political ideas. Such
interactions between contemporary politics and symbolic history-culture
constitute a process through which history is not only brought to bear upon the
present but is also itself re-written and appropriated for the fulfilment of
current discourses. It also constitutes a process by which ‘national’ history
is sought to be defined and contemporary socio-cultural identities
shaped."
This tussle over the appropriation of national figures from
pre-independence India is not restricted to Ambedkar. Gandhi's legacy is also
laid claim to even by those who historically have been fundamentally opposed to
him. Bhagat Singh is also co-opted by an entire spectrum of politicians and
civil society organisations in which he is portrayed as everything from a
devout Sikh, to a militant Hindu nationalist, to a socialist revolutionary.
Corona Quote
Corona has brought gloom and despair
all over the world. However, a sense of humour helps to tide over testing times.
Here are some Corona twists to popular sayings. Enjoy.
1) Divided we live, United we die.
2) A sneeze, in time...infects nine.
3) All that sniffles has caught a
cold
4) Homestay is the best policy.
5) One man's mask is another man's
poison
6) When things get cough, the smart
get going.
7) An unmasked guy is the Covid's
workshop.
8) As you spray, so shall they reap.
9) Snot is weaker than sanitizer
10) Better to be rich and healthy
than poor and sick
11) Curiosity killed the doc.
12) Distancing is the best part of
Valour.
13) Don't count your chickens before
next May
14) Every crowd has a carrier lurking
15) Every cough has its spray.
16) A cough hits nine lives
17) Ignorance is a kiss
18) Necessity is the mother of
infection
19) Out at night is out of mind
20) Rome wasn't infected in a day
21) The grass is cleaner on your side
of the fence
22) There is no safety in numbers
23) When the cough is away, you can
come out and play.
24) When in Rome. die as the Romans
do
25) Cough goes around comes around.
26) When one door shuts, another door
shuts
27) You can have your covid and
spread it too
28) The road to hell is sprayed with
good infections
Tailpiece 1: Corona Time
Jyoti Basu's soul suddenly woke up
and found that all the factories in the whole world have closed down and bandh prevalent everywhere.
So, he called up Sitaram Yechury
and asked him whether the Left has come to power all over the world.
Tailpiece 2: Corona ki Davvai
Pakistan: Bhaijaan, humare liye davaai bhejo
India: Konsi?
Pakistan: Wohi difficult spelling wali davaai...
India: Konsi?
Pakistan: Hyder ki sexy gori queen
Tailpiece 2: Corona Gyan
Extract alcohol from hand sanitizer and lemon from Vim liquid.
And make ‘Quarantini’.
Cheers.
(Courtesy: Social Media)
***
Journalist
turned media academician Mrinal Chatterjee lives in Dhenkanal, Odisha. He has
recently edited a monograph titled
‘Jallianwala 101: Retrospect’. Should you want a free e-copy write to
him at mrinalchatterjee@ymail.com
***
No comments:
Post a Comment