Maal Hai?

‘MAAL HAI?’

By – Pamarty Venkataramana

‘Maal hai?’ 

This is the Uber topic nowadays.

As we all know,the heat of television talk shows fries viewers’ souls and roasts all brains.

India today has grown : by talk-shows and mock-trials.

I used to gloat in the pre-internet days of how I had won a dozen rolling-shields and large silver cups on having stood first in every moot court competition at all stages, all three years of it, while at the Law College.

But, today’s television-anchors lay claim to higher fame with perhaps just a mass-communication degree and turning mass,en masse’ as the ‘know-alls and be-alls’ of our constitutional-democracy.

They lay siege to peoples’ lives, national events and even begin to both excommunicate as well as crucify anyone who rubs them on the wrong side or wakes up on the wrong side of the bed.

‘Maal hai?’

To the old Antonio and the eternal Romeo on the streets of high life, this little phrase pregnant with meaning only meant if there were easy preys for the stalking. Or, lazy bones who seek to be preyed upon.

To the Vijay Malya and the Nirav Modi, it meant a rhetorical query as to whether there was a friendly, susceptible banker on the verge of retirement, who could be seduced by a calendar-girl and blindly sanction huge ‘free loans’ to avoid interest -payments on larger-loans already disbursed by their haloed ilk.

Beyond any scrutiny.

To the Dope addicts, it still means if the substance of unnatural bliss,be it cannabis or hashish; opium or synthetic narcotic drugs-of one kind or the other is being peddled to help the prisoned-mindset escape the reality of this harsh ‘big-fish-eat-small-fish’ world!

However, what bigger dope has modern Indian nation doled out to its citizens other than ‘celluloid maal’ ?!

Cinematic reality depicting ‘good-wins-over-bad’ and realistic depiction of a wicked world holding sway over even Constitutional dictates and Religious edicts is the ‘maal’ marketed so ably by both creative film-makers as well as stereotyped political-bands of ‘leaders’. 

The dacoits and highway-bandits of yore have been shamed by the ‘social thugs’ of today.

‘ Maal’ to the spouse of a corrupt bureaucrat would mean and weigh in terms of gold ornaments, silver cutlery and cupboards filled with wads of currency-notes.

To the rag-pickers on streets, it means a huge trash can and to a goat-herd, the goats are his mobile ‘bank-on-wheels’.

Hence and therefore, it is to be seen and understood that ‘Maal’ to the beholder is to be perceived as his or her mind’s eye sees!

The Governor of the Reserve Bank views ‘maal’ in a way different from what the poor lass compromised on a casting-couch or in a film-set comes to depend upon for survival.

All the self-righteous vilification of unknown prey of the known drug-lords of Bollywood-mafia does not make the ones who pontificate from television-studio cameras holier, though!

This is the only response a fashionable text such as –  ‘whatsup dude?’ question can pose . It ought to tickle the senses. Of both sensible ad well senseless folks. 

May media not mess with destiny of the ill-fated ones – be they the ‘culprits’  or the ‘scapegoats’. 

This is the only underlining factor of ‘Human rights’ which even ‘prisoners of war’ and ‘ mad men’ enjoy under the protection of Law.

Witch-hunting is an activity of witches(not of saints manning the fourth estate).

So, please do not abrogate peace.

Do not abduct decency.

Do not be bothered about something which the Bodies enjoined with duties of investigation and repair are carrying out.

Do not mess with societal mores.

The more the ‘maal’ involved; the more the ferocity of the bloodhounds of media it appears to be. Ominous.

To say in the least. Such a trend is but bound to rebound on the perpetrators of ‘bow-bow’ and ‘wow-wow’ journalism.

Whose ‘maal’ is it anyway?

Whose life is it ?

Who are you?

We, the people must look up only towards the Legislature, the Executive and the Judiciary and goad up these Institutions to quickly rise up to their constitutional duties and responsibilities.

For, any other pillar annoited or bandied about is but an extra-constitutional authority- be it a makeshift court set up in the jungles by so called Naxalites or be it a plush TV-channel manned by a motley group enjoying political patronage.

‘Malum hai?’

Err, not – ‘ maal hai?’

Satyamewa Jayatey. Truth alone Triumphs.