Last month witnessed the unveiling of two small wonders in India. One has been revving its engine and kicking up a storm for quite some time.
The other, too, was seen firing on all cylinders. One is the snub-nosed small car Nano that has captured the fancy of a country of a billion people. The other ‘nano’ is the podgy young politician, Varun Gandhi who has invited the ire of modern Indians with his blasphemous remarks.
Nano means small in Gujarati, the language spoken by the forefathers of Ratan Tata, the chairman of the Tata group. In Gujarat, it is normal to hear a young one or the smallest child of the house being referred to as ‘nano’. Therefore it would not be out of turn to call Varun Gandhi the ‘nano’ of Indian politics. The Nano car is set to revolutionise the automobile industry with its promise of a decent and affordable means of personal transportation. It could soon prove to be the realisation of the dream of countless Indians who make both ends meet with sweat and toil-yes, all those teaming slumdogs who may never really be millionaires — of owning a mean machine on four wheels. With the kind of response the Nano bookings are showing, the sales of the car will be anything but small.
In English the prefix ‘nano’ is derived from the Greek ‘nanos’ which
means a dwarf.
The other ‘nano’, the otherwise tall and well-built Varun Gandhi was seen in a series of infamous rallies aimed at swaying the Hindu fanatic vote, in his loose boxy kurtas uttering things that sounded like Greek to many Indians. His was, indeed, the sort of catastrophic launch that goes crash boom bang even before it reaches a milestone of any kind. What he did manage to display with great success was that he is still a political midget, no matter what his familial credentials.
After all Varun comes from the legendary Nehru-Gandhi Dynasty that does not need any introduction in Indian politics. The family has dominated the political landscape of India for decades. Similarly, the Nano comes from the formidable Tata stables, a
conglomerate that has been instrumental in laying the foundation stone of corporate India.
The Nano uses the oldest marketing trick known to mankind, that of offering a product cheapest amongst its competitors. The other nano, Varun Gandhi unfortunately used the cheapest trick known to politicians, that of raking up age-old religious differences to market himself into the masses.
Both the Nano and the ‘nano’ invoked the wrath of two firebrand lady politicians, known more for their public rhetoric than any palpable political feats. The Nano was driven out of Singur by the fiery lady Mamta Banerjee for reasons best known to her. The ‘other nano’ was arrested at the behest of the firebrand lady Mayawati. The Nano was then given safe passage by Narendra Modi in Gujarat. The ‘other
nano’ is being given a clean chit by Advani topped with the ridiculous comparison that Varun reminds him of a young Vajpayee.
Tha Nano was an idea that emerged from the vision of the chairman of the Tata group, Ratan Tata. He has claimed in various interviews that he used to feel pained to see families of four or more perched precariously on top of a humble scooter navigating the pot-holed roads of Mumbai in the rainy season. He dreamt of providing a cheap, affordable car to the masses of India.
It is difficult to understand from where does Varun inherit the venom he spewed in his speeches. How can a young man who has a privileged background and has been educated in the best of schools and colleges harbour such regressive thoughts? If he thought that he could play that tiresome card of partisan politics and get away with it, he was absolutely wrong. Fortunately India is in no mood to give free rides to these dubious five-year-hitchhikers this time. When Indians look at the fraternity of politicians with contempt and derision, there is a ray of hope in the younger set entering the fray — Omar Abdullah, Milind Deora, Sachin Pilot, Naveen Jindal, Jyotiraditya Sindhia and Priya Dutt. We expect the new breed
of politicians to liberate and not smother our choices.
Varun Gandhi has ended up proving to be the enfant terrible of Indian politics, not the kind of launch his mother, the other bahu (daughter-in-law) Menaka Gandhi would have envisaged for him. Moreover, his shenanigans have had the opposite effect, that of making cousin Rahul Gandhi look shades better. It was only after Varun’s fiasco, that some voices in the Congress started promoting Rahul as a possible prime ministerial candidate. No one understands the adage — ‘make hay while the ‘son’ shines — better than Indian politicians. But many would still bet for the mellow and mild-mannered Manmohan Singh no matter how many trips he makes to 10 Janpath, as long as he takes mature decisions.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has released Varun with an undertaking for good behaviour in future. One got to see a new, improved and hopefully chastened Varun stepping out of jail. The BJP, keeping the larger interests of the party and the consensus of the general public in mind, has announced that he may campaign for them but he will not get a ticket from Pilibhit this time.
At the end of the day in a vast and secular country like India, with its values firmly rooted in democracy, it does not matter how big or small an idea is. It is the good or bad intent behind that idea that finally decides its success or doom.
Shivani Mohan is an India-based writer. She can be reached
at smshivanimohan@gmail.com
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