In the autumn of 2007, a stubbled SRK thundered on-screen, “Is game me chhake nahi hote.” (There are no sixes in this game. Pun intended, as ‘chhake’, meaning a sixer in cricketing lexicon is also a clichéd defamatory allusion to transgenders). That famous scene from the movie Chak de! India was (and still is) a resounding riposte to a deluge of diabolical, dichotomous state of affairs that soak our conscious, subconscious and unconscious collective spaces. It took on gender bias, it attacked the gaping disconnect between India’s national sport and nation’s favourite sport, in the process underlining the brewing mutual dissent between the rag-tags and the rich, but what is of crucial subtle importance is the venue where this battle takes place; the McDonalds. In an almost muted backdrop, it sent out a deafening message- India had arrived, and so did the big stores with bigger names. The movie that deservingly earned critical and commercial acclaim was sandwiched between Indian cricket team’s dismal show in World Cup, its incredulous conquest of the T20 World Cup and the appointment of Ms. Pratibha Devisingh Patil as the first woman President of the Union of India. If ‘flux’ needed a formidable, concrete expression, year 2007 served as an apt articulation.
The inception of this transition, however, dates back to tumultuous 90’s, when economic reforms, almost alarmingly, aligned with the ascent of a certain fuzzy- haired cherub, answering to the name of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. Nineties was also the time when a relentlessly restive dimpled dude from Delhi redefined the way a generation would fall and rise in love. Shahrukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar and the economic reforms checked-in almost simultaneously, and the imperious impact the trio had in our mundane businesses of life has spawned over two decades.
The socio-political churn had initiated in the latter half of eighties itself with Bofors deal and Shah Bano case rocking the ruling Congress. An enterprising Rajiv Gandhi had taken baby steps towards market deregulation, as the Telecom sector was gradually opening up to the international markets. Around same time, in the winters of 1989, a 16-year 205 days old Sachin Tendulkar had smashed the reputation of Abdul Qadir, and as he took guard in his blood stained shirt after being hit by a fierce Waqar Yunus snorter, he unwittingly encapsulated a resilient, perseverant nation itching to get out of its cocoon.
In came the nineties and with it ushered in an era of high hopes and heightened border tensions while Balkanisation of Soviet Union promised to alter the world order. As the proxy war along the LoC gained marauding momentum, a horrific suicide attack claimed Rajiv Gandhi in Sriperimbadur. His cremation was broadcast live on national television and even as the nation mourned the demise of its beloved Gandhi, the sight of a young, bespectacled Rahul consoling Sonia- she did her best trying to conceal her emotions behind the dark glasses- was unmistakable. Soon enough, Congress roared back to power and PV Narsimha Rao sworned in as the Prime Minister. His illustrious colleague, the silent and genial former Deputy Chairperson of Planning Commission and former governer of RBI, Manmohan Singh became the Finance Minister of country.
The same year, in Manchester, a barely adult Sachin scored his first Test century to save the game for India in conditions that test the best in business. Cricketing circles were agog with young exploits of a precocious talent. A prodigy had arrived, and with it arrived the famous reforms. Battling balance for payment crisis, Manmohan Singh in a memorable budget session, opened the markets to foreign investors. As expected, brickbats outnumbered the bouquets, but the economist remained unmoved. Markets were deregulated in a phased manner and GDP projections gradually began to swell. On celluloid, the Indian youth was confused. As languid, listless sessions of frustration caused by poverty and unemployment began to lose purpose and pragmatism, college romance appeared the perennial antidote. The much tried and tested coy rich girl meets poor righteous boy rhetoric needed revision too, and then it happened. When SRK crooned ‘Deewana’ with his biker gang in 1992, the country stopped to stare the ordinary boy with extraordinary verve. His hair going haywire, his energy running wild, he walked away with his lady with defiance only he could match. He was not a representation, he ‘was’ the Indian youth; desperate to dream and determined to realise the perceived effrontery. His infectious smile, his contagious vitality and his endless exuberance were to become the neo plus ultra expressions of independence for the entire generation. With Babri Masjid and the ensuing communal clashes transpiring the same year, it was perhaps poetic justice that an unobtrusive ‘minority’ walked into a majority of our hearts.
Soon however, the Indian economy’s surge was stymied with serial bomb blasts in Bombay. As many as 13 coordinated explosives ripped through country’s financial capital, and the toll was human, psychological and financial. It established Bombay as a soft terror target. It also established Bombay’s ‘spirit’ as the ultimate essential essence of India’s defiance, deference and perseverance. In years to come, the spirit would become a ubiquitous smokescreen of institutional apathy and organised misgovernance. Far away from national turmoil, in scenic Eden Park at Auckland, Sachin Tendulkar opened the innings for the first time in his career. He raced to a 43-ball 82 to turn gamble into gift. As India found an opener, the cricketing world stared in shock and awe at the legend in making. The other social game changer, Shah Rukh Khan didn’t disappoint either. After characteristically stammering his way to banks and trophies post Baazigar and Darr, in came his memorable magnum opus; Yash Raj’s DDLJ came, saw and conquered a generation, making Raj Malhotra an indelible entity. As love began to force itself out of the closet, SRK became its touchstone. Every girl wanted a Raj, every boy wanted to become Raj. He was the perfect son, the perfect love, the perfect friend. His imperfections made him all the more perfect. He was unabashedly fallible; hence real. He was mush, in flesh and blood. When he smiled and asked his lady if she had heard of him when he knew she hasn’t seen him ever, he made sure his name was remembered. He was an embodiment of an India waiting to assert its aspirations, waiting to be heard.
Meanwhile, Zee TV made foray in Indian markets, setting a precedent for Rupert Murdoch’s Star TV and the rest. Channel [V] and MTV arrived too, evincing consternation among right wing consortium and excitement among the youth. Amidst the reigning transitional trance, Mr. Sukhram (then Union Telecom Minister) and Mr. Jyoti Basu (then West Bengal Chief Minister) spoke to each other over a mobile phone. It was country’s first conversation on a mobile phone; an elite wonder that was to become an omnipresent orphan in years to follow. As Alisha Chenoy crooned ‘’Made in India”, India granted MFN status to Pakistan and Sachin Tendulkar became the highest run getter in the World Cup hosted in subcontinent. A year later, India celebrated 50 years of independence, sparking a slew of nationwide celebrations. AR Rahman, a reclusive musician known till then for his scores in ‘Roja’ and ‘Bombay’, burst into national consciousness with a passionate, youthful rendition of Vande Maatram, much to the dismay of fundamentalists. The same year, India’s first multiplex, PVR Anupam opened in New Delhi and SRK’s DTPH opened to a rapturous applause. Sachin Tendulkar, in the meantime was already raking up top slots in various ODI rankings.
Come 1998 and India flexed its nuclear muscle in Pokharan. When Mr. AB Vajpayee announced the success of the tests, the boisterous applause in the press conference was an apt reflection of coalesced national emotion. Though a shocked West hurriedly imposed a barrage of sanctions resulting in a Sensex slip, India’s stocks as an emerging nuclear power soared. On the cricketing turf, there were explosions of a different kind. Sachin Tendulkar decimated the aura of great Shane Warne in what was termed as one of the greatest cricketing duels ever. Match after match, innings after innings, Sachin danced down the track, stamping his authority over the spin legend, who candidly admitted to having nightmares of being hit by a marauding Tendulkar. The Australian media called him Master Blaster, the Indian fans went berserk and the bowlers across the globe stared in horrified disbelief as the annihilation culminated in the iconic ‘sandstorm’ innings in Sharjah. He carried his form in the World Cup held next year and scored an emotional 140 after returning from his father’s cremation, and even as country converged to congratulate the heroic selflessness, a secluded town called Kargil assumed vital importance. It was war, our third with Pakistan, and though we reclaimed our lost ground, the 3-month long Operation Vijay witnessed unprecedented casualties on both sides. General Parvez Musharraf soon became Pakistan’s 10th President through a bloodless coup. It was a time fraught with turbulence and preoccupied with scepticism. The peace process had effectively derailed and cross border confidence lied mangled- Kandhar hijack exacerbated the matters-even as the common unifier SRK delivered a love laced megalomania-KKHH.
Year 1999 also witnessed the memorable Pakistan’s tour of India where Sachin, battling back spasms scored an iconic 139 in Chennai Test in a losing cause. Chennai crowd stood up to applaud the victorious Pakistanis and the sight of touring party taking a victory lap at Chepuk went way beyond cricketing rivalry. As a portent for long dispensed peace process to resuscitate itself, the year ended with a host of hopes. India entered the new millennium as a nation waiting to rewrite a few ground rules. Karnam Malleshwari won bronze in Sydney Olympics while India clean swept all the international beauty pageants. Indian women were breaking glass ceilings, and breaking them fast. The first two years recorded poor agricultural output and the economy grew by 5.4% in 2001, about a percentage point less than anticipated by the 9th 5-year plan (1997-2002). The global economic condition was no better in the wake of 9/11 and though India’s growth rate was among the highest in the world in current fiscal, the general mood in the country was dour, thanks to match fixing scandals, failed Agra Summit and 9/11. The same year, armed terrorists attacked the Parliament, leading to passionate nationalist outpour across the country. Operation Parakram ensued and troops were mobilised as India and Pakistan almost ended up in warzone. The requisite dollop of love was provided by SRK, who, by then had become India’s global ambassador of love and hope. With K3G, he lent a renewed relevance to the idea of family, a concept that was increasingly beginning to lose its lustre. Devdas became India’s choice for Oscars next year even as the cricket team won an emotional NatWest final and the economy began to look upwards. Sachin joined the party next year and single-handedly took India to World Cup finals.
As the country neared polls, the phenomenon of India Shining began to gain momentum. It happily coincided with Sachin’s memorable 241* in Sydney and when SRK said “Main Hu Naa,”a hysterical, doting nation believed. GDP grew by about 8%, agricultural output soared and investors’ confidence swelled. Whether it translated to real time grassroots growth is a subject open to debate, but India had begun to register itself in global consciousness. Meanwhile, hounded by his Tennis elbow, Sachin cut down on cricket while SRK’s troubled back landed him on surgeon’s table. The Indo-Pak ties however, began to show signs of improvement. Indian cricket team toured Pakistan for the first time since Sachin’s debut in international cricket even as SRK’s ‘Veer Zaara’, a tale of cross border love, roared its way to box office success. SRK capped a glorious year with stirring ‘Swades’ that unabashedly talked about two veritable Indias, and when RTI came in as a unilateral expression of our plural democracy, popular democratic symbolism reached its melting point. NREGA followed and so did RTE. We, the people suddenly stood fortified.
India toured Australia in 2007 and the acerbic ‘monkeygate’ opened the floodgates for nationalist fervour across the country that was sauntering on a feel good highway post India’s T20 triumph and SRK’s OSO. Sensex breached 17000 -mark and India lifted the CB Series, thanks to Sachin’s memorable innings in both the finals. The latter half of 2008 however, witnessed a huge slump in global economic growth, thanks to the sub-prime crisis in the US. India wasn’t immune to slowdown either. The dastardly Mumbai attacks of 26/11 further drove away the investors, who post political turmoil following nuclear deal and cash for votes were already wary of investing in India. Though economy remained fairly stable as compared to trends of meltdown elsewhere, jargons like recession, layoffs, pink slips et al found their way in everyday correspondence. Sachin Tendulkar meanwhile went past Brian Lara to become the highest run scorer in Test match cricket and after a match winning century against England in India’s first game post 26/11, an emotional Tendulkar promptly declared the innings to the people of India.
The Indo-Pak ties since then have remained largely suspended. However post the ebb in relentless war- mongering rhetoric, conditions are beginning to appear conducive for a consolidated anti-terror dialogue with Pakistan. The recent meeting of Commerce Ministers from both sides to revise trade relations and visa regimes, coming as it did on the heels of Foreign Secretaries’ and Foreign Ministers’ meet can be seen as a step in right direction. The regional and economic developments post- 26/11 are yet to assume a final form and cannot be seen in isolation. National economy presently is going through an interesting phase. Trying desperately to wriggle itself out of a series of repercussions generated by 2G scam, inflation, interest rate hikes, FDI conundrum, global oil crisis and Eurozone meltdown, the economy is expected to grow at 6.9% in current fiscal, a far cry from PM’s prediction of 8%. The recent Q3 growth stood at 6.1%, lowest in about 3 years. Calls of reforms, economic, social and legal have been emanating from various vociferous quarters. The phenomenon of Anna Hazare and his Lokpal, though open to interpretations and discussions has found resonance with the aspirations and anticipations of majority of our population. A renewed, revitalised higher judiciary with its no-nonsense approach (often criticised as judicial overreach) has struck a chord with people too. Post decriminalising homosexuality and taking a tough stance on the issues of black money and institutional corruption, Justice Kapadia led Supreme Court of India is slowly but surely shrugging its bureaucratic back-pack.
Politically too, the country is passing through a period of intrigue. The young, bespectacled Rahul Gandhi we saw in 1991 has grown into a debonair, articulate man that Congress trusts, more than the man himself, to lead them to glory. Post Assembly elections, the flavour of national politics is bound to change. Will Rahul be the harbinger of that transition is a prospect worth pondering over. The two ambassadors of global India, Sachin and SRK aren’t having a smooth ride either. Post RaOne, a valiant experiment that didn’t yield desired inference, SRK’s growth trajectory seems to have hit a snag (at least that’s what his critics claim). Likewise with Sachin, the expectations of that elusive hundredth hundred, many believe have bogged him down. The true character of champions however, is known to assert itself in atrabilious hours. For men who own enviable mastery over the science of silencing cynics, it should not be long before a decisive, deafening retort unravels itself. The intricate linkage of growth stories of Sachin, SRK and India over the past two decades smack of glorious, sinister coincidence observed rarely on the global turf. If Arab Spring and Anna Hazare movements are assumed as benchmarks, the coming years could well belong to the masses. With political elite losing purpose and pragmatism, reigning dynamics could well be rewritten. Internationally, India’s stature as an emerging economic powerhouse has been in an upwardly mobile mode for sometime now and US’ consternation over India’s stand on Iran only adds credence to its growing stocks.
These are changing times, fraught with immense fortitude and frothing with astounding ardour. 10 years of persistence of resistance, 20 years of remarkable oversight, reinvigorated judiciary, articulate civil society, overflowing diaspora, talent pool that remains largely untapped, perennial penury, institutional usury, interesting icons, dynamics in transit, corruption in unison…these indeed are interesting times. The ambassadors of global India might revolve and/or evolve, but to unearth a parallel projectile running with the rise of a nation with an uncanny, unseen symmetry as this might be a gargantuan task in totality. For a country whose sense and Sensex, aspirations and inspirations and moods and melodies are largely defined, and to an extent designed by two men of mind numbing repute, these certainly are interesting times.
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