The present election is different in many respects. The impact of globalization is felt, the market economy has started taking root, the cell phones has become the biggest communicator, letters have been substituted by emails, and posters have become more or less redundant because of TV. The enhanced visibility of any party, its campaigners and its contribution to the country - are like an open book because of TV. All the political parties are trying to prove that the colour what they represent is not true, left is actually slightly right, the right is towards left, secular is the buzzword, and probably it will remain a word only and less practiced.
The result of this TV culture is entry of men and women from film and TV serials either for campaigning or as candidate. These folks act as crowd pullers and often as a comic interlude (usually unintended…).
The parties are vying with each other to showcase these catches. One such lady, I won’t name her, has been going through the campaign trail to various nearby villages. She wanted to impress the village folks as gaon ki gori as she has acted in many film as village bahu and she knows the chores of the village women. She was as usual followed by all the leading TV reporters with their cameramen on tow. She came across a dairy firm and immediately she got down on her knees in front of an animal and started milking. This was meant to impress the villagers and the TV folks. The villagers were amused and she looked at the reporters and asked them, “Aren’t you surprised to see me milking? I have been doing it regularly in my films.” One TV reporter replied,“Yes, ma’am we are very much surprised as the animal which you are milking is not a cow but a bull.”
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