media after his release on bail from Arthur Road Prison in Mumbai,
Wednesday, September 12, 2012)
***
(Outraged, I recently begged Indian celebrity blogger, writer,
scriptwriter, producer, columnist, social & cultural critic, Ms.
Shobhaa De, to come out swinging on her blog--which is on my
blogroll--against the arrest of anti-corruption campaigner-cartoonist
Aseem Trivedi on sedition charges.
Those sedition charges stem from Trivedi changing last year in one
cartoon, as the BBC has it, the "customary three lions of India's
national emblem" into "three wolves, their teeth dripping blood, with
the message 'Long live corruption.'"
Another cartoon, adds the BBC reporting piece, "depicts the Indian
parliament as a giant toilet bowl."
Anyway, Shobhaa De was already planning to write about the hoo-haa on
her regular "Politically Incorrect" column in Times of India.
So, she tersely emailed me: "in my Sunday Times col. thanks de."
She also posted that column on her blog.
I must confess, I didn't anticipate she'd tackle the controversy from
this angle.)
(I reformat the text to suit my formatting on mobile phone.)
***
Curse of celebritydom
Shobhaa De
16 September 2012, 06:11 AM IST
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the ugh-est of them all?
That's the question Aseem Trivedi seems to ask in his latest cartoon.
Errr, Aseem? Yup. The same.
This is what happens when an utterly nonsensical sedition case is
filed against a cartoonist (high on
anger, low on talent) — it's called a one day phenomenon.
But here's the upside to the controversy.
The recent furor has drawn public attention to the growing antipathy
against the 'ugly politician'.
It sure looks like this is going to be the winter of our discontent.
First came the brutal attack on traffic cop Mohan Lal by a minister's
security personnel.
Lal's crime?
He had dared to stop the minister's convoy for jumping a red light.
Then came news of some obscure cartoonist's arrest in Mumbai.
In both these seemingly unrelated cases, the strident howls of protest
from the aam junta were similar in nature — they were more against the
abuse of power by the high and mighty than in support of
two wronged individuals.
The big question in both cases — how long before we move on?
Mohan Lal may end up nursing a bloodied and bulbous eye all by
himself, once the media pounces on an even grislier story.
After all, Mohan Lal has not announced his intentions of joining a
citizens' movement or turning into an activist .
There is nothing 'sensational' about Mohan Lal's predicament.
This beastly incident is just another tragic case of an earnest
government servant paying a huge price for doing what he's paid to —
his duty.
Congress minister Taj Moiuddin will carry on, unapologetic, unscathed
and unmoved.
His repeated chant that he doesn't have eyes at the back of his head,
will also be filed away indifferently and soon forgotten.
But what happens from this moment on to young Aseem Trivedi will be
far more interesting to
monitor.
Here's a likely scenario: as of now,
Aseem is the newest darling of the media.
He has been completely co-opted by those crying hoarse against an archaic law.
So far, it reads like a meaty story.
Aseem, with disheveled hair and
wearing the mandatory black kurta, lends himself perfectly to the
darkness of the moment , as he
plays to the gallery, spewing contempt and talking of freedom of expression.
He is also producing cartoons on command as apt photo-ops.
That is, when he isn't posing for shutter bugs, hugging well-known
people like Dr Binayak Sen.
Aseem's minders may have taken over his image building, going by how
swiftly he undertook an expeditious damage control
exercise when the Dalit heat was about to get to him.
Once out of jail, what did our cartoonist friend do — he rushed to
Buddh Vihar to pay his respects to Babasaheb Ambedkar, adding he had
the 'greatest respect" for the Dalit leader and the Constitution.
He also grabbed a quick lunch at
Mayank (India Against Corruption) Gandhi's office, before addressing a
packed press conference.
What does the future hold for disgruntled young people like Aseem when
they are suddenly
propelled into the limelight and converted into overnight martyrs?
What happens when an Aseem becomes a pivot, a symbol, even a hero?
Does collective anger find the outlet it seeks?
Or does the initial emotional outpouring get dissipated , leading to
absolutely nothing but a
few dramatic media clips?
Political parties are quick to swoop down on people like Aseem.
Any person who can grab headlines is worth courting . In such a
cynical scenario, someone like him is a catch.
So far, he has presented himself as a somewhat naïve but reasonably
sensitized young man, using
crude cartoons to express his disillusionment.
His life has undergone a 360-degrees change after the misplaced
sedition charge.
He is now owned by the media.
He is hot property.
He will make it to international publications and global channels.
For a short while at least, Aseem will gobble up publicity and share
front page space with movie
stars and sports heroes.
Someone smart will ask him to walk the ramp— for a cause, of course.
He will be wooed to play showstopper during the unending Fashion Weeks.
Reality shows will chase him.
He may enter the Big Boss house.
Get a publishing deal.
His career as a budding cartoonist may end abruptly.
But so what? For another 15 minutes, or perhaps 15 days, Aseem will be
hailed as a bona fide celebrity, a star.
The ravenous media monster isn't done with him yet.
And yes,he also draws cartoons for a living.
(Source: blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/shobhaadeblog/entry/curse-of-celebritydom)
(Source: shobhaade.blogspot.com/2012/09/aseem-trivedi-one-day-wonder.html?m=1)
***
(PHOTO CREDITS: Via: timesofindia.com)
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