Anna-na Republic

Anna-na Republic and the three fruit salad

The ubiquitous Banana has been a favourite fruit punch for a lot of us. It is a much maligned, much beaten, much eaten and much poetically – or politically – described fruit. A simple definition normally relates to it being a sweet fruit and in certain instances, the starchy plantains. And, as one may have noticed, they can also come in a variety of sizes and colours when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red. It probably has its own national colour! Because, one can easily see the green in plantains with the white inner sides. And we just spoke of a red Banana. Is there a saffron one? One wonders! Notwithstanding the hues that it can take, it most important contribution is to add fibre to the fabric of our constitution – and I mean our physical one and not necessarily the one that was written when we were delivered as a Republic in 1950. Other than that it has such an important role to play in the social fabric of many nations. For the South Indians auspicious functions will definitely see the Banana getting prominence. For many others, it can range from a source of slap stick comedy to the poetic going bananas. Along with the Mangoes and Jackfruit, it can surely be the Holy Trinity and indeed an ingredient to a cynical view to what they can do to us!

Coming back to the recent role the Banana has begun playing in our society. These fruits have not been spared when they apply to certain cerebral capacity of individuals. In fact the Mango, I presume is far more maligned when it is applied to the intellectual prowess of certain people, than the Banana. Do I hear my Tamil friends getting ready to dismiss a lot in our political spectrum as Manga madayans? I shall leave the Jackfruit to its mercy! Now, we are indeed a Republic of certain repute with a constitution delivering certain fundamental rights on to us. Earlier I did mention the Bananas as a source of fibre to the fabric of our bodily constitution. So was the intent of the Constitution of our Republic to the fabric of our nation. We are certainly known as the Republic of India.

Why am I now rambling on about the Banana and the Republic we are? Because, we looked up to the upholders of our constitution to do just that – uphold the values and sacred rights there in. Have they done that? So many our institutions representing the three pillars have abdicated most if not all of those responsibilities that they were bestowed with. The only silver lining in the recent times is the Judiciary ­– in spite of a spate of scandals of a corrupt hue. What does a Republic do in such situations? Other than going Bananas! The Judiciary, Legislative and the Executive arms – which can be likened to a three-fruit salad much like the Holy Trinity of the Banana, Mango and Jackfruit I mentioned earlier – needs some garnishing up. Two of the three fruits have reached a state of rapid atrophy and the third just managing to stay afloat. A now-normal daily wrestling witnessed in Legislative fruit, near inert response from the Executive fruit, and potentially overpowering taste of the Judiciary fruit, needs overhaul. Add to that the garnishing like Civil society and the Elected Representatives clash. Or the Electable versus the Unelectable soup. What do we get? A scene where we have the clash of titanic proportions. Between the Civil and not-so-civil Society. And in between the crevice you see Anna Hazare who propounds fasting as the remedy for cleansing this messy three-fruit salad. Fasting is indeed good for health, good for a systemic cleansing and bodes well for purging the toxin – but for a body that understands the benefits of such fasting. Fruits like the Banana, the Mango and the Jackfruit – when in sublime symphony – can deliver that cleansing – without losing the fibre that binds the fabric of our constitution.

Now here we are at a crucial time for our three fruit salad Republic – which should ideally be a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch (or Anarchy in our present condition). You and I need to make the decision – to choose between a putrefying banana republic – which is a regressive politically unstable country propped up by a small, self-selected, wealthy, corrupt mafia - and Anna Hazare and his ilk in the civil society. Otherwise we will be left with transitioning from a banana republic to a Anna-na Republic with nothing noteworthy in between. Choose your fruits intelligently!