The iconic and ever-popular common man created by the very
talented cartoonist R.K.Laxman is synonymous with the Indian tamasha. Clad in a
dhoti and a coat with his satchel, the common man represents the, well the
common man of India. Roaming around the country with nothing but his simplicity
and obvious silence, he remains as a witness to almost everything that plays
out on the Indian screen. Now normally, we all find ourselves standing in his
shoes at some point or the other. Be it the 2G scam or the price rise. But have
you noticed that the common man’s dhoti is becoming very dirty as the days pass
by? You could say owing to excessive travel to be a part of all the events
happening around the country, he just doesn’t have the time to clean up. Or
even better, you could point the finger at the increasing prices. But what
really dirtied his dhoti? Or should I say “who” dirtied his dhoti? Is it
because of the paan and gutka-chewing community out there who exhibit their
spitting abilities at every nook and corner? Or is it a gift of the vehicles on
the road? Anyways, the point to be noted here is that his dhoti which is supposed
to be clean and white is now discolored and stained and dirty. Maybe someone
should recommend him packets of surf excel. But he may revert saying that “daag
acche hain”. The stains would stand as a
proof of all the allegations, scams, controversies and happiness in our
country. True. But the common man is symbolized with his clean and simple
attire. Can we really afford to get him dirty? No matter what, his perfect
white dhoti represents our country’s diligence and commitment and probably
integrity. It represents the ever popular silence of the common man at various
heart-wrenching situations. It tells us that although we all vaunt about
everything else on this planet, we become regressive when it comes to our own
issues. He says that it becomes very hard to discern the matters out of the
entangled mesh. Days are turning perfunctory. Can I take the liberty of saying
that the recent outburst of various scams across the government maligned his
dhoti or could I say that vidya dirtied his dhoti with the help of her dirty
picture?? Hard to tell. It’s as if no one ever paid attention to this serious
issue. After all, the common man was created as an insignia for the people of India.
For me it’s the mark of the impending
doom. The dirty dhoti even by its simplicity and insignificance foretells that
we are growing nonchalant and vulnerable by the day. Let’s not get the common
man’s dhoti any dirtier. Let’s all take up the role of all the possible washing
powders and clean up our act. Let’s return the dhoti to its original immaculate
form. Let’s all put a smile on R.K.Laxman’s effort. Common man, here we come!!
Dhoti is so dirty now that the only fear now it has is that it may come down.........
ReplyDeleteyes..very true..
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