Spectacle first, substance later

Sound and light show at Red Fort, Delhi. Representation pic

I spent much of the last month upset with a few people on Twitter. I no longer use the platform, for reasons that don't need getting into, but the things they were saying on it made their way through to me via friends who kept sharing screengrabs on WhatsApp. The people who annoyed me were those who were complaining about a sound and light show initiated by the government at an important historical site in North India. I don't want to give those naysayers more attention than they deserve by mentioning the site in question. I decided to try and understand the source of their angst before dismissing it outright instead.

Why do we get so upset when the government tries to rewrite history every other month or so? Yes, it may be a sign of deep insecurity, and a reminder that a significant number of people in Parliament are intellectually and morally bankrupt, but that is no reason for us to get offended about these little things. Why should something as innocuous as a sound and light show hurt us when it's obvious that the government wants us to be happy rather than miserable about a dark chapter? Sound and light shows exist only because they bring smiles to people's faces. Are those offended people against the idea of happiness?

Here's a fact: bad things happen in all countries. There are wars and natural disasters, the odd genocide or two, even healthy flirtations with fascism that outlast their welcome. India has had more than its fair share of these things, but it's safe to assume we have managed to survive with much of our good humour intact. Even fascism isn't all that bad, if one goes by what television channels and most of our English-language newspapers have to say. I understand that they may not have a choice because businesses need more advertising revenue from governments and fewer raids by the income tax department, but so many NRIs tell us how good things are in India too, which probably means they are. Everyone knows NRIs never lie.

What we need to understand is that bad things shouldn't be remembered longer than they need to. Every tragedy has a lifespan, and spending time mourning starts to get tiring after the first couple of decades or so. We are all aware of the warning that history tends to repeat itself, and that acts of remembrance are necessary for all kinds of reasons, but I fail to understand how commemorating a tragedy that only upsets us can contribute towards the healing process in any way. It's why I commend the government for its bold new approach of opting for spectacle over substance. What we need is more noise and a little less navel-gazing; more bling, less brooding; more masala, less meditation. You probably get the picture.

Governments the world over need to spend less time on governance and more time on public relations, the way our current elected representatives do so well. They need to learn from us and transform the saddest episodes in their own pasts into transformative occasions with help from the right event managers. The United States of America would do well to stop focusing on the sadness of September 11 and turn the World Trade Centre memorial into something a little more joyful, like a carnival ground or even a circus. I'm pretty sure it's what our government would do if given a chance.

We shouldn't be upset when a site that has stood witness to tragedy is turned into a place filled with lasers and smoke machines. We should applaud it, because it shows how committed our politicians are to whitewashing every hint of melancholy from our lives and bringing us all closer to the "Happy Days" they promised us years ago.

In fact, I propose a separate department of celebration - chaired by the son or daughter of a prominent politician, the way so many national sports bodies operate - to focus solely on converting the most depressing sites across India into places of joy. I foresee juggers outside the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, and a ferris wheel at Raj Ghat. Cynics will rage about how this is disrespectful, but I will urge them to look at the bright side.

I hope the government can take some time from important tasks such as the renovation of our Parliament buildings and focus on the creation of this department instead. It should be taxpayer-funded, of course, because isn't everything?

When he isn't ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He tweets @lindsaypereira
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The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.