Category Archives: india
Has Anna Hazare Lost His Relevance…Already?
2011: How It Was
Rewind to about 8 months ago and you will see that this nation was in an uproar about corruption in government. All because of one simple man, Anna Hazare. With his actions – including his fast unto death – and aided ably by the incompetence of the ruling party, he soared as a hero in the country’s collective imagination.
I remember how exciting it was to feel the pulse of people who were protesting with him. There was an unhampered enthusiasm among the people as they fought this war against corruption. I also remember writing about it more than once, since there was so much to capture. To me, it represented one of those movements that happen so rarely that you felt lucky to be a part of it, even if just as a witness. I still feel this way.
Then, There Were the Odd Cynics (Realists?)
In addition, I remember sharing my excitement with one particular person -a middle-aged corporate executive who has lived in India all his life and one who was obviously a hardened veteran. This was at the height of the Jan Lokpal movement. I remember clearly what he said – “Corruption go away because of Anna Hazare? No, that will never happen. Not in this country.”
I remember thinking to myself, “What a cynic! Of course, there will be change”.
Today, I sit here and wonder whether I was the naive one.
Anna Hazare is still very much around but I am just not sure how relevant he is anymore to a discussion and decision on a national level anti-corruption bill. He continues to be a respected and revered figure. But I don’t know who listens to what he says about this. And it’s difficult to pin down whether enough people here really care anymore that corruption needs to be rooted out with a strong set of laws.
The media appears to be be giving Anna some polite coverage in the back pages, every now and again. But then the media is all about stories that sell and it appears that this story has petered out. Lately, there’s been more talk about local murder and mayhem – Bollywood style.
How is This Even Possible?
It was mere months ago that the nation appeared to rally together for Anna Hazare and his inspiring movement, with the media helping spread that notion, every step of the way. Are memories really so short and emotions so transient?
This is so very sad since India badly needs a strong anti-corruption crusader who won’t say die. He would not be needed if the government was taking adequate actions on its own. But, we know it’s not. That’s a bit like asking the fox to guard the hen house.
Here are some random thoughts that occur to me at this turn of events (or rather non-events). They’re more questions than answers unfortunately:
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In these intervening months, Anna Hazare has been raising his voice against state-level corruption and non-corruption related activities (unfortunately, I don’t remember most of them) – has he been diluting his bigger efforts towards a nation-wide Jan Lokpal bill?
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People have returned to their everyday lives after the energizing activist movements of last year. They seem to have stopped listening to what Anna and his team have to say. Another compelling clarion call is needed.
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Perhaps, Anna is just waiting for the government to act on all their commitments…but what if it doesn’t? What happens then? Does he have another silver bullet he can use?
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Movements like these take time. Whether you are talking about India’s independence struggle or that of the U.S. Civil Rights movement – those efforts took many years, from concept and vision to reality. This one, while not of the same scope, will be a long process too, so maybe I am simply seeing a temporary lull? Let’s hope so!
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What will revive the movement again and build momentum like it once had? (It seems like that is what made the government begin to act on this front). I’m afraid that I’m stumped on this.
Can I help the conclusion that I have arrived at? That, at least for the time being, Anna Hazare’s words and actions don’t seem to matter much to the majority of people. Or even to a minority.
Let’s score another one for disappointment and discouragement about this country. 😦
As I close on that downer note, I am promising myself right now that I will actively seek out an uplifting, positive topic that I can think about soon. I need that!
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Photo credits:
Anna Hazare supporters: By Hariya1234 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
Newspapers: By Ganesh Dhamodkar (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons
Fifty Shades of …..WHAT?
The Book
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L.James.
If you’re a reader, I assume you have heard of this bestselling book. If you’re a woman reader and have not heard of it, which cave have you been hiding in?
It appears to have taken the world by storm. And, not to be left behind, it’s therefore taken the media – including mainstream media – by storm. Now, there’s even a trilogy.
The most popular description assigned to it is, get this, “mommy porn“. Partly because of this ascription, and partly because of the media storm, everyone appears to be reading it.
For example, here’s how an honest-to-goodness reader review from Amazon begins:
“First, a disclaimer. I am a male senior citizen, a semi-retired gynecologist whose customary literary fare is spy novels and military techno-thrillers. I have never read a romance before, except perhaps for junior high’s “A Tale of Two Cities” (or was that a classic?) But after the recent hullabaloo over James’ “Fifty Shades,” I opted to give the genre a glance.”
Huh?
The Buzz
Then, there’s The Daily Beast who had a feature article titled 50 Shades of Grey Speed Reed: The 14 Naughtiest Bits. Bet you clicked on that link! 🙂
Apparently for all those women who have been avid Mills & Boon and Harlequin romance fans, this book ups the ante quite a bit. It’s an erotic thriller that goes beyond its tamer sister books.
I say ‘apparently’ because I have not picked up my copy yet. Not because I don’t want to…I have to find out what all these other readers find so interesting – but because my Kindle is overloaded and still has more than a few interesting books in the queue. Plus, this is one way to keep this post G-rated (okay, PG). 🙂
The video below is a short interview by ABC news of author E.L. James, who apparently had no idea she would launch such a storm.
Here’s something from the NY Times that makes you wonder what there is about this book that has created this buzz; the article goes on to take a stab at why this book has become so popular in spite of the glut:
Sex is a hard sell. It’s a great commodity, except that the market is glutted. In an age when almost all forms of erotica and pornography are available at any time, anywhere, on cable television, on the Internet and even on a smartphone, it’s almost impossible to find a fresh way to be risqué.
One of the best articles I found on the book was this one: A Closer Look at “Mommy Porn”. A couple of excerpts that might interest you:
That sex sells, even to women, should not, in 2012, come as a surprise. Yet something about this publishing phenomenon seems to have gotten under our culture’s skin. What’s different about Fifty Shades of Grey? It’s kinky.
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What shocks the media is not that women are paying to read about a naïve college student submitting to a relative stranger; it’s that women–even adult, married women with children–are jonesing to read about sex at all.
So depending on which side of the debate (there is debate about this book, trust me) you are on – these little tidbits either intrigued you enough to get your own copy or turned you off adequately so you never want to see the book. That’s what makes life interesting….all this variety. 😉
But Why?
The theories so far about why this series of books has become such a rage include:
- Very smart and successful use of viral marketing to get the word out
- Rise in popularity of female erotica
- The discreet nature of e-reading devices (no kidding!) whose use is growing by leaps and bounds.
The Exciting New World of Books!
By far the most interesting part of this whole phenomenon to me has been how this trilogy of books was published. This is the new world of publishing (what Seth Godin has been saying and writing about for a few years now).
The novel was released as an e-book and a print-on-demand paperback by a virtual publisher based in Australia (the author lives in London). They used blogs around the world to spread the word. It truly was viral marketing at it’s best. The publisher, The Writers’ Coffee Shop had a restricted marketing budget and relied largely on these book blogs for early publicity, with sales of the novel boosted by word of mouth recommendations.
Where is it today?
- It topped the NY Times bestseller list on e-book downloads alone.
- It is the number one best seller in UK.
- Its initial success prompted a traditional publisher (Vintage) to pick it up and publish it as of this month – that’s the version you will see today on Amazon et al.
- The movie rights have been sold to Universal.
Not bad for such a modest beginning, and the new age of publishing. Methinks this will lead to a lot more confidence and increased adoption of e-publishing. Some time back Seth Godin had written the following:
Who will save us?
Who will save book publishing?
What will save the newspapers?
What means ‘save’?
If by save you mean, “what will keep things just as they are?” then the answer is nothing will. It’s over.
Are the traditional publishers worried yet or will they continue to fight the tide?
Leaving that question aside, for the rest of us, whether we are writers or creators, whether we are aspiring writers or creators and whether we are readers or consumers, these are exciting times indeed. It’s a time to celebrate!
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The Yin and Yang of Life Anywhere 