Ek Tha Tiger !

The one thing that fascinates me the most about a leader is his/her mass appeal! And today Balasaheb Thackeray emerged as the most popular political leader of India going by the throng of people – 2 million! – which converged at the Shivaji Park in Bombay for his funeral. The congruence of such a large gathering, walking alongside his carriage – hearse – in the procession was unprecedented! Watching his cortege move from his residence Matoshree to Sena Bhavan and then to the cremation site – Shivaji Park – alongwith a moving sea of mourners in an almost shutdown megapolis made this popular-powerful yet controversial politician seem larger than life, in his death!

Numerous mundane thoughts crossed my minds while watching his televised funeral. Firstly, that if Balasaheb was so loved by all in Bombay and Maharashtra, then why did the same public brought his party into power only once in its more than four decades of existence? Though Shiv Sena has been winning Mumbai Municipal elections consistently, why couldn’t Maharashtrians trust him with their fate when it came to state administration? And, how could he sustain his powers on Mumbai for so long? Also, if Bal Thackeray was such an immensely important political leader – which he was – then why was Media’s attention more on other mainstream national politicians than him, except for interviewing him once in a while whenever any controversy erupted due to his hard-line stance. The fact that he had receded into his den – where would a tiger live! – and secluded himself from active public life having handed over the party reins to his son Uddhav couldn’t be the case for Media’s limited interest in him. Recently, we had seen his nephew Raj hogging the Media limelight much more than both father and son combined.

Being blessed with a strongly fierce and proud personality, why did he restrict his patriotic pride primarily towards his own community – Marathi Manoos? I wonder if he realized that his brand of politics with a strong dose of nationalistic pride bordering on the verge of fundamentalism couldn’t succeed at the national level.   

This however doesn't say in least bit that Balasaheb’s influence over life and lives in Mumbai – for him Bombay was always Mumbai – had diminished, though it had dimmed lately no doubt. He remained as significant and relevant as ever. However, the junta of Bombay and Maharashtra appeared to have moved on from his divisive politics as they didn’t see it yielding anything for improving their livelihood. But perhaps he had stayed in their hearts and minds and souls too as it were reflected in the crying faces of millions across the city today.      

And also in the live coverage of his funeral procession by the Indian Media. Frankly, I was a bit surprised. To hear all participants including the television anchors wax eloquent about the great personality that Balasaheb was made me a bit uncomfortable. There was of course no doubt that for any political leader to have such a large followers base could only be a dream, still seeing journalists come together to eulogize him sounded deliberately biased – as if they had been given the duty to lionize him in his death! All of a sudden his fundamentalist politics and his controversial tenure as a strong regional politician became irrelevant. Everybody was singing praises of him; there were anecdotes and personal interactions and experiences being shared with the television viewers. Perhaps they wanted to stay connected with the current mood of the crowd and remain on the right side of the popular tide! Otherwise, except for mentioning it as a passing remark, not even a single person on various TV panels questioned Balasaheb’s admiration of Adolf Hitler. In no country on this Earth, certainly not in a functioning democracy, could a political leader – howsoever popular – could get away with his pro-Hitler remarks! And our esteemed Media chose to willfully ignore those oft repeated dangerously deep words of Bal Thackeray.

Watching Balasaheb’s body being consigned to flames and millions of his followers weeping inconsolably, I wished I had a chance to meet him in person – a desire which surfaced only today – and ask him: “Why do you admire Adolf Hitler? And what do you think of Hitler’s ethnic cleansing and killing of 6 million Jews?” … Now that he has left his earthly adobe and joined Hitler’s soul in God’s paradise, would he ask his Hero that “Why did he do what he did?”

There were many more thoughts clouding my mind: that witnessing millions converge and cry for him, how would he be feeling now? That would the other political leaders present at his funeral be feeling jealous of Balasaheb’s unmatched popularity? And, importantly, would they be learning a lesson of two from his life – and death - about mass politics? Most significantly, what would the people be feeling out there? Would they be able to sustain their feeling of loss for long? How long? Would the public support Uddhav in the same manner? Or will they prefer the firebrand Raj to the cooler cousin? Or will both the brothers join hands and make their political base stronger in absence of the towering presence of Balasaheb? Were all people in the crowd Marathis? Or were there South Indians and Muslims and Biharis who have been at the receiving end of Shiv Sena’s divisive politics at various stages of state’s politics? And if all twenty lakhs were Marathis – middle class Marathis – then how many were left at home to watch his last journey on TV? Could Biharis have come out in grief over Balasaheb’s death and with their great gesture won over the Shiv Sainiks forever? Will both the younger scions of Thackeray clan rethink their political philosophy and make it more inclusive and take all Mumbaikars along, irrespective of their state of birth and in turn start a new era for Shiv Sena in state politics? Would they be thinking of expanding their base to national level by cashing upon the massive support shown by the people of India towards Balasaheb in their hours of personal loss? Will the grieving youngest generation of Thackerays – Aditya included – take the lead in taking Shiv Sena beyond the boundaries of Maharashtra?

Well, my thoughts continued streaming in …     

Another aspect which fascinates me about a mass leader is his/her thought process: I wonder what could be going in his/her mind seeing the supporters surround in massive numbers? I am sure Balasaheb too would have felt overwhelmed seeing his followers follow him to his funeral pyre and cry for him. In fact, India as a whole felt the loss. Because it is not at all easy being a mass leader for long and Balasaheb seemed to thrash all possible theories about sustaining mass support today. May he rest in peace :)

Balasaheb Thackeray will live in stories of India as “Ek Tha Tiger”!