WHEN FOLLOWERS MESS IT ALL UP

Assuming that Gumnami Baba was Netaji in a newer incarnation and witnessing the widespread tendency to hijack civilised discourse about him on either side of the fence, one hopes that dominant description of Netaji in his Gumnami Baba descent does not deflect from the delicacy of his personality as well and the exquisite culture that was his adornment ever. Therein devotees ever fail, in their bid to heighten public adulation about their hero and master, and therein, so often, lies the seed of authoritarian decadence of disciples ever tending to dictate terms to all and sundry, as if it is their birthright to infringe upon others' free thinking and deliberated judgement, as they forcefully attempt to convert others to their viewpoint. This, of course, stems from a terrible sense of insecurity born out of fanatical adulation of the leader and mock-adherence to his message as such, for followers who have sacrificed propriety to programme are culpable to this righteous offence so often.

This inability to communicate at a human level on a democratic civilised basis is the antithesis of the way one's views ought to be aired and, more often than not, disenchants the common man from lending an attentive ear to what is being told. In an age of instant responses tolerance levels are ever on the decline and effective communication demands utmost civility towards the audience instead of intolerant diatribes hurled at dissenters under the slightest pretext. Antagonism scarce endears people; it drives them away.

For a movement to build up, it is not good enough for gimmicks to abound to draw in the throng, but it requires an intelligentsia, curious and critical, though, not necessarily unhealthily carping, and a fund of spiritual strength to draw from to keep the energy of the movement flowing along higher channels for the commonweal. Thus, may it be stressed with utmost seriousness that those who are over-zealous about centenarian Netaji and wish to drive into the heads of dullards the fruits of their fantastic discoveries, may well opt to be a trifle prudent about their cerebral cleansing programme of antagonists in discourse or in debate. This will be to their advantage in the long run for it will induce widespread public sympathy for their cause as opposed to the apathy otherwise or positive antipathy to their every move.

It must be remembered that, although, rationality is merely a rough tool for apprehension of the secrets of this universe and is bound to give way along the ascending spiral of understanding to higher modes of cogitation and perception thereof, yet, it is the best tool for the beginner in thinking and cannot quite be relinquished to suit someone else's irrational thrusts. I rest my case here. Jai Hind!