Zarvan
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This has got to be the longest running free show in the world. Barring a pause in 1971, this incredible live performance, featuring tall, dark and handsome superheroes, and a few amazing superheroines, lasts for under half an hour, but every minute is spellbinding. The cast changes periodically, and the script gets tweaked, but that doesn’t take away from the drama in which characters from two neighbouring countries come together every evening and indulge in theatrics so over-the-top, that you ask yourself: is this for real?
Welcome to the ultimate Theatre of the Absurd! There are moments when people in the audience burst into tears between clapping non-stop for the players strutting down the long stage. There are incredulous, derisive laughs.
There are two producers to thank for this wonderful show — the government of India and the government of Pakistan. I caught the show at Wagah, but I am told the one at Ferozpur is equally dramatic. I was fortunate to meet the dynamic BSF honcho, Sudeep Kumar, “director” of the India show. Just 15 minutes with this fine gentleman provided an excellent overview of the ground realities. Having spent close to 13 years in J&K, Sudeep has pretty much seen and done it all. Born to a Punjabi Hindu father and a Sikh mother, his understanding of local and global issues is exemplary. While we spoke over kadak chai in a neat tent, he was very clear about the raison d’etre of the daily Beating the Retreat ceremony at Wagah. “It is important to remind ourselves about the idea of our great nation. What may appear to be an exaggerated show of synthetically manufactured patriotism, is in fact, a very carefully thought-through exercise that reinforces loyalty and generates a strong emotional connect with citizens, who come in droves to share it.” He talked about today’s India being “less docile” and sending out a strong international message. “Psychological warfare is also important,” he stressed.
WAG-AAH: Behind the braggadocio, there is immense tragedy and pathos
As a citizen, this is how I felt: the thrill began at the mere thought of witnessing the ritual, especially since the current “relationship status” with Pakistan can be termed dodgy at best. I have crossed the Wagah border a few times on foot. But this was an entirely different experience, in terms of scale. India is in the process of building a large amphitheatre. The stands were overflowing on the night of Guru Purab, when tourists from across the world had come to pay their respects at Harmandir Sahib. I heard loudspeakers blaring Bollywood songs with patriotic lyrics and groaned, no, no, no, why can’t the authorities get the fauji band back? But the crowds were roaring, and soon we were all dancing. It was a strange high. Oddly enough, there was not a single man among dozens of joyful female dancers of all ages. Two hundred snipers were positioned strategically, while a strapping young man ran up and down, urging the crowds to shout ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’. Sudeep referred to him affectionately as the BSF “DJ”. And then came the anticipated moment, but with a twist. The first persons to smartly march down the “ramp” were two young women, perfectly in step, and looking just fabulous! The crowd roared still louder. And the roaring didn’t stop till the heartbreaking bugle call… and an eerie, sudden stillness descended on both sides of the border.
Behind the braggadocio, there is immense tragedy and pathos, as the two flags are lowered. At one point, they intersect and cross each other, and it makes you ask a thousand questions, though you know there are no convincing answers. Jallianwala Bagh is a few kilometres away. At the Golden Temple, there is no atonement for the storming of the Akhal Takht during the horrific gun battle in 1984 that left 83 dead and 249 injured during Operation Bluestar. Grief and tears define a few square kilometres of this historic piece of land. When the people are there, shivering slightly in the crisp winter air, the goosebumps have little to do with the weather.
Later, driving back to catch the supermoon rising over the magnificent Golden Temple, Sudeep Kumar’s words come back to haunt me. Some might cynically dismiss the whole thing as a jingoistic charade. But let me tell you, the purity of that ceremony as the sun sets on another troubled day — not just for India, but the world — is so powerful, that something stirs and changes within.
I like to call it patriotism. There is despair. But more than that, there is hope.
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatime...wagah-ceremony-is-not-jingoism-it-is-emotion/
Welcome to the ultimate Theatre of the Absurd! There are moments when people in the audience burst into tears between clapping non-stop for the players strutting down the long stage. There are incredulous, derisive laughs.
There are two producers to thank for this wonderful show — the government of India and the government of Pakistan. I caught the show at Wagah, but I am told the one at Ferozpur is equally dramatic. I was fortunate to meet the dynamic BSF honcho, Sudeep Kumar, “director” of the India show. Just 15 minutes with this fine gentleman provided an excellent overview of the ground realities. Having spent close to 13 years in J&K, Sudeep has pretty much seen and done it all. Born to a Punjabi Hindu father and a Sikh mother, his understanding of local and global issues is exemplary. While we spoke over kadak chai in a neat tent, he was very clear about the raison d’etre of the daily Beating the Retreat ceremony at Wagah. “It is important to remind ourselves about the idea of our great nation. What may appear to be an exaggerated show of synthetically manufactured patriotism, is in fact, a very carefully thought-through exercise that reinforces loyalty and generates a strong emotional connect with citizens, who come in droves to share it.” He talked about today’s India being “less docile” and sending out a strong international message. “Psychological warfare is also important,” he stressed.
WAG-AAH: Behind the braggadocio, there is immense tragedy and pathos
As a citizen, this is how I felt: the thrill began at the mere thought of witnessing the ritual, especially since the current “relationship status” with Pakistan can be termed dodgy at best. I have crossed the Wagah border a few times on foot. But this was an entirely different experience, in terms of scale. India is in the process of building a large amphitheatre. The stands were overflowing on the night of Guru Purab, when tourists from across the world had come to pay their respects at Harmandir Sahib. I heard loudspeakers blaring Bollywood songs with patriotic lyrics and groaned, no, no, no, why can’t the authorities get the fauji band back? But the crowds were roaring, and soon we were all dancing. It was a strange high. Oddly enough, there was not a single man among dozens of joyful female dancers of all ages. Two hundred snipers were positioned strategically, while a strapping young man ran up and down, urging the crowds to shout ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’. Sudeep referred to him affectionately as the BSF “DJ”. And then came the anticipated moment, but with a twist. The first persons to smartly march down the “ramp” were two young women, perfectly in step, and looking just fabulous! The crowd roared still louder. And the roaring didn’t stop till the heartbreaking bugle call… and an eerie, sudden stillness descended on both sides of the border.
Behind the braggadocio, there is immense tragedy and pathos, as the two flags are lowered. At one point, they intersect and cross each other, and it makes you ask a thousand questions, though you know there are no convincing answers. Jallianwala Bagh is a few kilometres away. At the Golden Temple, there is no atonement for the storming of the Akhal Takht during the horrific gun battle in 1984 that left 83 dead and 249 injured during Operation Bluestar. Grief and tears define a few square kilometres of this historic piece of land. When the people are there, shivering slightly in the crisp winter air, the goosebumps have little to do with the weather.
Later, driving back to catch the supermoon rising over the magnificent Golden Temple, Sudeep Kumar’s words come back to haunt me. Some might cynically dismiss the whole thing as a jingoistic charade. But let me tell you, the purity of that ceremony as the sun sets on another troubled day — not just for India, but the world — is so powerful, that something stirs and changes within.
I like to call it patriotism. There is despair. But more than that, there is hope.
DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.
http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatime...wagah-ceremony-is-not-jingoism-it-is-emotion/
