Two reformers came into prominence in India in 2006. The first one is Arvind Kejriwal, a real person. The second one is Munnabhai, a fictional character and the central protagonist of Rajkumar Hirani’s Bollywood hit, Lage Raho Munnabhai. The first one I met in person and the second one I have seen on the screen. The two reformers targeted India’s corrupt bureaucracy and illegal acts of rich and powerful, respectively. Both have been very successful. Arvind received 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Award (Asian equivalent of Noble prize) for his work. The movie, Munnabhai is a big commercial success in India and abroad. It received rave reviews and is all set to receive big awards.
Arvind Kejriwal, from a small village in Rajasthan, was educated in one of the premier technology institutes (IIT, Kharaghpur). He worked for a few years in India’s Internal Revenue Service, got frustrated with the level of corruption in that agency, and became a social activist and crusader of greater transparency in Government. He is recognized as one of the three key authors of the “Right To Information” (RTI) Act, enacted over a year ago by the Government of India. Using the power of the new law and activism of his followers and members of Parivartan (an NGO he founded), Arvind has been successful in attacking corruption in Government offices.
Munnabhai, on the other hand, is a gangster from the big city, Mumbai. He was forced (by his love for Jhanvi) to study the life and works of Mahatma Gandhi. During this period, a “chemical locha” in his bheja (brain) transforms him and prompts him to follow Gandhigiri - principles of Ahimsa and Satyagraha. This movie generated a renewed interest in Gandhi all over India among the young and old. Books on Gandhi started selling like hot cakes, followed by reports of people adopting Munnabhai’s innovative ways to solve their problems. Dozens of people in Lucknow marched to the office of the district administrator to give him roses after he reportedly criticized the Gandhigiri of some student protesters. In Hyderabad, Shweta Polanki dumped her boyfriend when he made hissing noises to catch the waiter’s attention at a restaurant. This phenomenon has attained such a status that Chris Lydon of NPR station at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell chose Munnabhai’s Gandhigiri as the topic of one hour radio show. (http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/ros/open_source_061127.mp3)
It remains to be seen which of the two approaches will have lasting impact. Arvind’s approach to bring transparency to the functioning of government bureaucracy creates a new law and new bureaucracy (Offices of Public Information). His approach believes in changing one wing of government by another wing and by spreading public awareness and activism. Munnabhai’s approach is to affect the change by spreading love and happiness, and without violent confrontations. The mantra of new Gandhigiri is, “Be the change you want to see in the world”. Based on the news reports, it appears that Munnabhai’s approach is more easily adopted by the people.
Both approaches have a role to play in transforming Indian society.
Lage raho Arvind bhai………
Lagaye rakho Gandhigiri…………
posted by Govinda Bhisetti @ 6:28 PM
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