The
fiasco with David Guetta has left me disturbed, disgusted and, once again, brimming
with a simmering rage.
India
is a totally schizophrenic country. It is also full of the most venal citizens
you could find anywhere on earth. And, unfortunately, unless you have the
blessings of the highest and most powerful in the land, you are going nowhere.
Now
having set the tone let me explain why I am so upset.
Schizophrenia,
unfortunately has taken over our lives. On the one hand you have our Prime
Minister saying that we should become digital in our payments, he has attempted
– whatever your point of view may be – to use the cliché “cleanse our country
of black money’. These are bold, dramatic and forward looking steps. At the
same time, you have calls for Prohibition which are calls from the Dark Ages. I
really cannot get this. Prohibition? When there is empirical data to show how
Prohibition increases crime?
Another
instance of schizophrenia is the reporting of the demonetization and its after
effects. Initially, there was confusion, and then there was gloom and doom
with, our ex-Prime Minister - most unfortunately being paraded by the
disgusting Congress High Command - saying that demonetization would result in a
2% GDP fall. The data released now shows a robust tax collection on 15th
December [after demonetization and the 3rd installment of Advance
Tax] and rather healthy industrial production figures. To add to the madness,
this morning [Sunday 15th January] the papers reported a higher than
normal sale of alcohol including Country Liquor on 31st December.
Higher Country Liquor sales!! The poor buy this. Demonetization is supposed to
have crippled them! Sorry, for me the numbers and the gloom and doom reports
just don’t add up.
Now
let us come to David Guetta. I do not condone what happened in Bangalore on New
Year’s Eve. Everyone, especially the social media devotees i.e. the
intellectuals, the liberals the Lefties [many fall in this category] were
frothing at the mouth. Harsh comments were made by them – correctly but
harshly. The doltish bureaucracy, presumably prompted by their masters the Mantri’s, spouted absolute rubbish
instead of making placatory statements. An unholy mess. However, the social
media devotees were on a winning streak. The bureaucrats had made a real cock
up. Score - 1 – Nil in favour of the social media devotees.
Less
than 2 weeks after this sordid mess, David Guetta is parachuted in to perform a
gig in Bangalore. The bureaucrats now sense victory. They close ranks and cite
law and order as a reason to not grant permissions to the David Guetta gig.
Score - Social Media Devotees 1 – Bureaucrats 1.
What
I am laboring to tell you out is that this is not a point scoring game. This is
so much more. Should the bureaucracy be so petty and sensitive to the
criticism, most justified I thought, and simply not grant permissions?
Egotistical.
Sticking
with David Guetta and turning to our fair city Mumbai. The gig was to be held
at the Race Course. The venue was changed to the Bandra Kurla Complex. This was
cancelled only to be rescheduled to Sunday morning. The Municipal Corporation
stated that some previous dues were not paid hence they cancelled. The Mumbai
Police stated that permission was applied at too late a stage hence they could
not grant permission. Yes of course
permissions were applied for late...remember, the venue was shifted by the
Municipal Corporation 2 days before the event hence the organisers could only
apply for permission a day before the event!!!
You
will remember the cancellation of the New Years Eve party by the Bombay
Gymkhana. This happened at the very last minute. I know for a fact that 600
chickens, 70 kgs of lamb along with other perishables all went to waste. The band
hired to play on the evening, the caterer the decorator all had to be paid.
Just the financial loss to the Bombay Gymkhana was easily in the region of 30
plus lakhs. The reason for the cancellation? The Municipal Corporation said
that they could not give any permission until the Collector of Mumbai granted
his NOC.
Come to the reported demand by the Municipal Corporation
from the organizers of the Mumbai Marathon of some INR 5 Crores or INR 50
million at the last moment. This claim is for a security deposit and for
permission to place advertisements along the route. The Municipal Commissioner
has been quoted as stating
“Earlier
the charges were levied considering the social causes but with the event
becoming highly commercialised, the new charges are as per our commercial rates.”
“We have no objection to
the event taking place as we have already granted them permission. But if the
advertisement charges are not paid before the event, we will take action under
the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act and the Defacement of Property Act.”
Please
do take note of the threatening language.
Let
me explain the similarity with these three. David Guetta has performed in
Mumbai several times in the past. The Bombay Gymkhana has been holding New
Years Eve parties ever since I can remember. This is the 15th
edition of the Mumbai Marathon. None of these are first time events. They are not
only repeats but multiple repeats. Leave longevity and repeats aside for the
moment. Surely the authorities have a set of or a list of requirements or
permissions that have to be obtained before holding such events. I realize that
in India everything is much more devious and detailed and laborious than
anywhere else save possibly in Africa. Nothing is a single window clearance. I
grant that. However, would it not be obvious that whatever is the list, there
should be a list? And should that list not be the same over the years? And if
there are additional requirements or some deletions having regard to the
changing times, should not the list be updated? Unfortunately, the answer to
all these questions is “no”. Why should this be the case? Is this the venal
people, meaning the organizers, trying to make a buck or take a short cut? Is
this the corrupt venal egotistical bureaucrat? Is this just schizophrenia with
one person saying “Make in India” and the bureaucrat saying “I will fuck you if
you come to India”?
I
have no idea. I just am very angry.
While
I hate to write this, because I believe that image cannot be everything, can
you imagine what India’s image would be among the world of international musicians?
David Guetta is no lightweight, from what I read he earns in excess of USD 35
million a years, travels on a private jet and charges USD 350,000 to 500,000
for a gig. I assume he would talk about the madness he has been subjected to.
Now,
you may very well say that, we in India, and by that I mean the bureaucrat, the
politician and every neighborhood lout, has a biased attitude to Western Pop
Music and “culture”. Yes and no. Schizophrenia at work coupled with my theory
of unless you have the blessings of the highest and most powerful in the land,
you are going nowhere. Let me explain.
You
will no doubt recall the Coldplay concert in Mumbai on 19th November 2016 –
after demonetization. Pop music, Western culture all on shameless display. This
was a concert organized under the banner Global Citizen Festival. Every vapid
Bollywood wannabe attended. To name a few - Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra,
Ayushmann Khurrana, Alia Bhatt and Sonam Kapoor. Ananya Birla, daughter of
Kumarmangalam Birla even sang a song. Leave aside Jay Z or Coldplay, our Prime
Minister Narendra Modi appeared on screen and made a speech. So obviously
Western Culture had got nothing to do with it. No this is not about the rights
and wrongs of Modi. The question is, if Modi was making a speech, could any, I
mean any, Municipal Corporation, or two bit Collector or halfwit Police
Commissioner ever have stopped this concert? Absolutely no way Jignesh! It had
the support of the highest in the land. No one will fuck about.
On
the point of the Global Citizen Festival. How many of you will recall Narendra
Modi speaking at a concert in 2014 in Central Park New York with Hugh Jackman
by his side? Many. How many will recall him saying “May the force be with you”?
Many. But how many of you will recall that the concert in Central Park was also
by this strange organization – Global Citizen?
So
I ask, after writing all this. What is wrong with us? Why do we have to be such
numbskulls, why do we have to be so venal, vindictive, egotistical and paranoid
about ourselves? Why do we all have no sense of responsibility and
accountability? Unless someone else is taking the rap, we will not do anything.
Now
you know why I am so angry.
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