SHUBHAM BASU

Amar Singh, a flag bearer of Samajwadi Party slow-gunned ‘cycle par mohar lagao’. Inspite of hailing from Lucknow, I noticed him late one morning when he bailed Amitabh Bachchan out. I would almost always notice Subroto Roy for establishing ‘Sahara’ and the black and white culture. Here is what I thought about these people.

—1995

Amar Singh- ‘Pukka’ politician and a negative one for his affiliation with Mulayam Singh Yadav

Amitabh Bachchan- Superstar who carved his style with gems and stones

Subroto Roy- A ‘pukka’ businessman whose house I loved for all the creepers along the high walls

How has the perception changed over the last fifteen years?

—2010

Amar Singh- I had no idea that his affiliation with Amitabh Bachchan could bear any inkling for art as well. After he quit SP, he is now working in some films as well, one Malayalam, one Hindi and one Bengali, his deep rooted desire to be in art is only surfacing. He might be one of those cases who always wanted to be an artist in films but ended up being a political artist for some kind of a quick payoff, only around people who are not regarded well around the educated class (and yes I mean the likes of Mulayam Singh).

Amitabh Bachchan- still growing strong and experimenting often with movies like ‘King Lear.’

Subroto Roy- His acumen seems to have eroded. The old dog seems to be full of tricks that worked only two decades back. He couldn’t keep up his airlines. His recent acquisition of an IPL team could only be a saving grace. But still he is only trying to imitate what Modi did successfully. He might have entered too late.

—Generalizing

My own perception seems to have changed about a lot of things. For instance, I saw myself living in USA after getting into an IIT. I did both but returned to my motherland. I wanted to be working with an investment bank. Did that and quit as well. I entered IT-BHU in 1998 and graduate in 2002. Ever since the journey lasted until 2007 when I returned to India to be walking on a path I had never even dreamed of until then. My vision for life had changed after 2007 and now as I stand here I feel that I don’t yet know myself properly. I used to hate socializing until sometime back, now I adore conversing with people. I am discovering myself every moment like water flowing down the Himalayas finding it’s way into the oceans. Even the conviction that ‘I know myself well’ is only a delusion, for the reference point changes every moment. Every moment something new is opening up inside me in the process of transaction with the outside world. I doubt if Nelson Mandela even after being put into quarantine for 27 years could say that there weren’t discoveries indoors (within himself). He interacted with silence and darkness.

Given now that I myself seem to have made such a long journey so far, tantamount to a reversal in polarity, how can I be so sure about my opinion of others?

Why should I then stick to my perceptions about Mulayam Singh, or Mayawati or whoever I don’t bear high opinions for? It’s highly likely that I am wrong, they are not what it seems. Like Amar Singh, a Mulayam might be a musician at heart, or Mayawati might be a poet in her mind. They seem to have hammered certain opinions about themselves, some were intentional, and some weren’t. They didn’t even want to correct the not intended ones as long as the overall package was serving the purpose. However at some point of time when the artist in each one of us seems to turn and kick for want of birth, a new Amar Singh is welcomed by the world.

I for myself refuse to take things for face value, for more often than not, what’s inside is always warm and lovable. Eventually in the world that seems to be running by opinionated machinery, there lies in each of us a human that wants to be loved and adored.

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