Who is ruling India? This question ‘was answered several times not only in these columns but we have brought out a booklet itself on the subject (Dalit Sahitya Academy 1982). That means our readers know the answer. But a funny interview made us to reopen and reiterate the subject.
No less a person than a Union Cabinet Minister in charge of the TV expressing his helplessness in controlling the TV programme made us laugh. His frank admission that the govt. is helpless (Times of India June 3) once again proves our point that India is fast collapsing and every part of its body has stopped functioning. The Minister says that he doesn’t like the TV news, current affairs, and TV serials and films either. That is a devastating comment on the TV by its own boss, But he is helpless though he is the govt, All his suggestions to the Dordarshan officials have been rejected, he says P. Upendra, the Andhra Pradesh Telugu Desam representative in the Union Cabinet, an upper caste Khamma and a confidant of, N.T. Rama Rao, throws up his hand and confesses that he is helpless and cant repair the TV. Shocking confession. TV programs are stupid, cheap, and silly. This writer never Sees the TV but missed nothing in life. Many thinking people have also said this, but like Upendra they are all helpless.
Upendra confessions of failure is very significant. Because he is the govt. and in any country it is the govt. that, governs the country. India cannot be an exception. If so, why Upendra can’t mend his own dept.? The constitution of India lays down the three wings of the State the legislature, executive and the judiciary. Since ours is a parliamentary system of govt., the Union Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister is the govt. and this govt. will rule the country as long as it ‘enjoys the confidence of the elected legislature. This procedure is Simple. And as per this constitution, the people voted the V.P. Singh govt. to power and this govt. 4s empowered to rule the country. But is the V.P.Singh govt. ruling India? No. V.P. Singh govt. may be the govt. in power but it has no power to rule. This is the paradox of India perhaps the only case of its kind in the world because of its dual social system.
Minister’s orders disobeyed:
Upendra’s interview clearly says that he is helpless and he is no’ able to rule. Please read his own words. “As regards serials, I must’ say my choice is very limited. All the serials that you see now were selected in the past at the dictates of the then political masters, I was told. It will be three or four years before we finish with them. I had ordered a review of these serials, with the instruction that the names of the people on the review panel not be publicised. But contrary to my instructions, the names were publicised.”
“I’m not very happy with the current affairs programmes either. In the eyes of many, current affairs is only contacting five six people in their drawing rooms, and assemble their off the cuff remarks. There is not an on the spot visual anywhere. The subjects too are so hackneyed they don’t generate any interest among the viewers. And when we volunteer to suggest subject at times, they take so much time to produce the programmes that the topicality is gone.”
“I suggested small clips on how inconsiderate we are towards each other. Again, nothing has been done. I also suggested programmes on our cultural heritage, but they’re yet to come. So I’m disappointed. As for news, I admit it can improve. It has fallen into a routine. I’ve told them that it should be more imaginative and interesting.”
Then he criticize his own top officials of the TV and says that they don’t obey his orders. Look at the state to which we have been pushed to TV in India is the most important media and also the most influential media. That is why everybody wants to get into the TV. Though it is a govt. controlled media it is fully used to entertain the ruling class of India and: also those wanting to remain as its slaves. The ruling class heart is in TV look at the two TV serials, Ramayan and Mahabharat. These two epics are not part of Indian history. No school history textbook has any reference to Rama or Krishna. But they were serialised every Sunday morning and through that they mesmerised the people selling the brahmanical religious values. By this the ruling class achieved two things. The ruling class got good entertainment and the slaves were made better slaves. During Sunday mornings until this TV serial is finished the entire country comes to a standstill. See the hold of the idiot box. The damage done to the society is enormous but the ruling class wants it,
Eternal entertainment:
‘So, how can Upendra stop something which is serving the ruling class? TV, whether it is the national hookup or the regional has remained as the close preserve of the ruling class. And what the ruling class in India wants is entertainment and eternal entertainment. This ruling class has so much of leisure that it has to seek refuge in such cheap cinema, music, dance shows, and make believe stories to get rid of its boredom. TV does not supply things which will/improve our knowledge, let alone wisdom. Some useless “information” is given and this information is called “knowledge”. But information is not knowledge. So the TV supplies films, music, dance sports and all sorts of gutter stuff to kill the ruling class boredom, Religion is reduced to superstition and that is supplied in plenty. So much so, Indian TV has become positively dangerous to our mind, particularly young minds, but we are all helpless because the ruling class wants this stuff.
Upendra may not like the TV serials, films, news bulletin etc. but the ruling class likes it, and the Doordarshan officials, who belong to the same class caste interests, are there to serve the same class caste and not the dictates of the govt. The govt. is there to meet the expenditure of all these exercises. That is all.
Because in India, the govt. does not rule India. India is ruled by its ruling class. And this ruling class controls the govt. This is the simple truth and if Upendra does not know it, we can’t help it. His own party leader, N.T. Rama Rao, was beaten up right inside the Hyderabad secretariat by the govt. servants when he refused to meet their demands,
Chaos in education: We will give a better example to further strengthen our argument: take the case of the country’s education system. As a newspaper reporter this writer has reported speeches and statements of many Prime Ministers, Union Education Ministers, Presidents of India, Vice Cancellers, Chief Ministers and many other VIPs, Almost every thinking citizen of India has expressed disgust over the existing education system that is aimed at converting a slave into a better slave. Even the latest much publicised move the Rajiv Gandhi govt. for a “National Education Plan” could not take off because the ruling class in the govt. sabotaged it. And the person who prepared the plan, Narasinha Rao, kept quiet. Education is expected to lead us to enlightment. But in India, our education system instead of enlightening us, it is killing our very power of inquiry and independent thinking. In fact, all the troubles of the country are created by the “educated” people. Corruption, price rice, unemployment, tax evasion, traffic violations and such economic crimes, environmental pollution are the handiwork of “educated” people. The govt. servants are “educated” and it is in this sector that we find the worst anti socials.
All these are the products of our education system. This system instead of making us more human it is turning us into anti-humans. We can give hundreds of example to prove that our existing education system is antihuman and has to be discarded lock, stock and barrel. (Education: One for the slaves and other for the slave owners”, DV ‘Aug. 1 1989 p 56).
Different Presidents and Prime Ministers of India have said it but they have also said that they are powerless to change it. If the presidents and Prime Ministers of India are powerless, who has the power in India? The power in India is with the ruling class. And the ruling class wants the existing education system to continue. Because this system is serving the ruling class to earn without doing any work and preparing the slaves to be better slaves of the ruling class. ‘That is why the “educated” Scheduled castes, tribes, backward castes and religious minorities are more timid and tame. The revolt in the countryside and cities are mostly led by the “uneducated” who are more revolutionary. The violated welling people are more honest because they are either less “educated” or “uneducated”. Par Sites mostly live in cities and it is in these cities the main education factories are located. Patnaiks’ helplessness:
Orissa Janata Dal chief minister “total system of administrations is set: with corruption: He felt that the moral of the entire’ officialdom is ruined. “Hindustan times June 4). This is also a devastating comment by the topmost boss of a State on his own govt. Many other CMs have also said the same thing about the corruption in their States. Corruption is killing us. One corrupt fellow is calling the other fellow as corrupt. It is dog eating dog. How quickly within 43 years we have ceased to be humans, the ruling class must think. It is not possible to change the TV programmes or the education system or any other existing socioeconomic system of the country because the ruling class wants it. Neither Upendra nor his govt. is capable of changing this ruling class because the moment the very thought comes, let alone doing anything to change it, they will be changed. India is ruled not by its govt. but by its ruling class.
DV has come Delhi to put some sanity into the minds of the enlightened section of the ruling class and also to tell the ruled that it is not proper to keep our brains in some” body else’s ‘ fridge!’ Meanwhile, both the rulers and ruled should note that a merge change of TV programmes and such cosmetic changes will not bring any change in the socioeconomic system. What we need is a Revolution which will demolish our existing false values we should work towards such a Revolution. And here Ambedkar Three commandments come to our rescue: Educate Agitate organise.
(Dalit Voice)
Article extracted from this publication >> July 27, 1990
