The Red world order

Socialism looked like such a distant dream…yet again.

I was watching Hararon Khwahishen Aisi the other day, in which the son of a rich retires judge tries to lift the red brigade after seeing the agonizing condition of the fellow countrymen. He later succumbs to other pressures and drops the idea all together. And like all rich brats—who can take a chance in life because they were born with a silver spoon and have a solid support system—changes his course of action. It is not his fault if by then it was all over for his beloved (he said so) and another fellow student.

Why does socialism seem like the artwork of some rich spoilt brats—who basically have nothing else to do to get ends meet since all their needs are already taken care of? They, then, go about bragging socialism to the down-trodden, who feel food about this new found idea of equality nonsense.

Just an example. In a scene in the same movie, a comrade sings praises about socialism and tells people how Hitler was also a socialist. Suddenly, someone from the audience asks a fellow sitting alongside—Yo Hitler kaun se (Who is Hitler?)— and , in reply, the other one says—Pata nai bhaya, mhare gaon mein to koi na se (I don’t know, no one from my village).

Another, more real-life example. Just a few days ago, I saw Brinda Karat stepping out of her car to address an election campaign. I wonder how much her driver could relate to this so-called equality.

Well, to be honest, socialism has found some kind of success. Maoists in a little known village called Lalgarh in West Bengal, are running parallel governance and one, which seems to do better than the actual government. They are running hospitals and people in the area are flocking there because they know they will get a better and cheaper treatment over there. To the contrary, the government-run health centres in the area are lying vacant in absence of doctors and medical equipment.

But the irony is that these Maoists have been declared outlaws and are called naxals by the fellow comrades in the Communist government of West Bengal.

Wonder how long this socialism will go? Any suggestions???