ANTIQUES SHOPS

Age at times facilitates fantasy. Many mighty ones in their ripe age have subjected themselves to the crack of a leather whip, only to convulse in sublime pleasure.

While it celebrated the 'discipline' of its cadres all along, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) seems to be willingly submitting itself to the lashes of a dominant Narendra Modi, who is perennially in the quest of power. What emerged after the recent National Executive of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Mumbai can at best be described as Risk Aware Consensual Kink (RACK), and it continues.

For the ripe ones in the Sangh, it is no surprise that Modi, the quintessential autocrat, has the power as well as the tendency to outgrow the limits set for him. Therefore, in his coronation lies the risk of obliteration for the body that created him. Yet, the lure of power is too great to let go.

The quasi-führer that the RSS had found in Modi is capable of forging columns of followers who would idolise him and carry out his diktats in toto, no matter how much the formation is out of sync with India's democratic values. Modi has been a man of his own throughout his career and there is no reason to believe that there would be any occasion in future for him to be otherwise.

Preaching nationalistic values, the Sangh is now all set to present the nation with a leader, whose leadership demands absolute subjugation and zero dissent, in sharp contrast to the only BJP PM in history - Atal Behari Vajpayee. Modi is not the statesman Vajpayee was. He is petty, parochial and extremely vindictive.

The treatment meted out to his former colleague, Sanjay Joshi, is a case in point. Joshi, by any standards, is no match for Modi in terms of power or stature. But it took nothing less than his resignation to make the sulking Modi attend the crucial national executive meeting of the BJP.

If Joshi's head wasn't good enough, Modi then went on to cut his legs by making him fly to Lucknow from Mumbai instead of travelling through Gujarat by train as was scheduled.

The Sangh remained a mute spectator to Joshi's humiliation, even though the RSS mouthpiece Panchajanya later criticised Modi for his small-mindedness.

The brazen show of intolerance from someone who is poised to claim the top job of the country may come as a shock to many, but this is what Narendra Modi is. He does not forget and never forgives.

The wily strategists of the RSS have taken a calculated risk. UPA-2 has cleared the ground for the BJP by blaming all its failures on its coalition dharma.

Urban India has been given to understand that the principal malady that plagues the government today is its coalition compulsions. Time is ripe for the national parties to go it alone.

A coalition can be conjured up later, if need be. Anointing Modi therefore is a clear indicator that RSS feels that the BJP should go on its own steam.

Modi, if successful in conjuring up the numbers for the party all by himself will surely claim the premiership, which he should in such a scenario. In any other eventuality, one can always look for a Prime Minister who is more acceptable to the allies.

But till that happens, many within the BJP will live with the fear that their identity will be lost and their voices strangulated. Power games have their powerful rules.

Keshubhai camp bats for CM's enemies

The rift between Narendra Modi and LK Advani has percolated to the state level with Patel patriarch Keshubhai picking up the gauntlet. For the octogenarians, this is a fight to the finish. Ever since he was unceremoniously ousted from the party, Keshubhai had refrained from politics barring a brief attempt to stir up a resistance against Modi ahead of the 2007 assembly elections. This time, Bapa (as he is popularly known) is more determined.

Not content with inciting the Patels against Modi, Bapa has also taken his fight to Delhi. Sources close to him say that Bapa is scheduled to meet Advani during his trip to Delhi.

Through his public association with Modi's former aide Gordhan Zadafia, who is also a Leuva Patel, Keshubhai has legitimised the latter's claim to the leadership of the community. What is interesting in the entire development is that while BJP had mounted pressure on Keshubhai to soften his stand against Modi in 2007, the party high command has reportedly not done so this time.

The Patel camp is also projecting Sanjay Joshi as a victim of Modi's vindictiveness. Joshi on his part commands enormous affection from many muted BJP workers, who still feel that he was framed in the CD scandal. Erosion of the Patel vote bank on one hand and resurrecting a counter edifice like Joshi are certainly not developments that Modi would be happy about, especially at a time when he is close to becoming the BJP's PM candidate.

End of melody in the Kutch desert

Surando is dying. A rare, indigenous five-stringed wooden instrument carved to resemble a peacock and playable only by a select few capable of harnessing its melodic sound in Kutch is now gathering dust as there is only one man left, who can play it.

Historically, the instrument was played by cattle herders. Later, it found a place in the celebrations of Kutchhi society, particularly the Fakirani Jats - the smallest of the three sub-groups within Jats.

The only remaining Surando artist, Osman Jat has been forced to resort to other forms of livelihood, as his music does not provide him with sufficient income.

With no support system to fall back upon, Osman Jat is not even in a position to pass the tradition on to the next generation. Years of suffering seem to have broken the spirit of the man. "We have been trying to revive the tradition and encourage him to teach others, but he does not seem interested any more," says Ismail Para, the President of Soor Vani, an umbrella organisation that has been working towards reviving traditional Kutchhi music.

-- The pride of Gujarat, the Asiatic lions have a thing or two to teach their human counterparts in the state. Recently, two young males took over a big pride of lions in Gir sanctuary, defeating the aging dominant male. But as opposed to the tradition of banishing the old king from his pride, the victors retained him with care. "When we went there, the two were close to the dying old lion and were taking care of him," said Chief Conservator of Gir, RL Meena. "Lions display regal grace. And when they take over through natural succession, without violence, they give the elder males their share of respect," he added.