I have the latest issue of the ‘Outlook’ magazine lying next to my bed and it asks a pertinent question on its year end cover – Was 2008 India’s ‘annus horibilis’? It’s a question that occurred to yours truly sometime around Diwali, when in a moment of somber reflection, memories of the previous ten months came flitting by. A year that even till then, had been a blood soaked one. A year that had seen multiple bomb blasts (worryingly most of them caused by home grown terrorists), had seen reverse terrorism by a section of the Hindu right, had witnessed brazen vandalization of churches and attacks on its faithful across Orissa and Karnataka, had given enough perceived reasons for the majority to doubt the minority, had seen politics plumb to newer depths with wads of notes being placed on Parliament’s table and had brought with it the final nail in the coffin of the once glorious and golden national sport of hockey.

At that moment of reflection, I quickly dismissed the thought. We had seen worse and we had overcome it. During my own cognitive lifetime, 1992, the spring of 2002 and the summer of 2000 had been much more depressing times on account of different reasons. But as Mumbai singed, struggled and wept my heart sank with it. Those four helpless days of end November, while not shaking my faith in the structures bestowed upon us by the founding fathers, made me question to a great extent our honesty and sincerity in preserving and improving them. We might be a nation of young people, with a fast growing economy and skilled population, with a mostly tolerant and cordial multi-cultural society but, and this is a significant but, if we are not honest towards our nation and our ideals we will be like a beautifully dressed ship standing in the middle of the ocean with no fuel to propel us towards safer shores; sitting still and vulnerable to plunder of every passing pirate.

So was 2008 India’s year of horror and will 2009 with its promise of continuing economic downturn, a divided polity, unending terror, troublesome and failed neighbors be year of horror raised to the power two?

No, says the ever erudite and balanced Ramachandra Guha in the middle of the ‘Outlook’ issue. No, if you lived through 1948 (the year of Gandhi’s death, Kashmir war and continuing displacement of partition in a new, uncertain nation) or through 1984 (the real annus horibilis if you ask me – Sikh terror, Operation Bluestar, Punjab under martial law, Indira Gandhi’ death, massive riots in Delhi and the Bhopal gas tragedy – a black year of death). With not much to be optimistic about as we turn gingerly into 2009, here’s to the one hope we can all carry – maybe 2009 will not be a 1984, maybe it will not even be a 2008; perhaps this nation will once again summon reserves of resolve that it did after the gloomy winters of 1984 and 1992. Despite the pessimism that surrounds us, yours truly is glad to be coming to you at the end of 2008 and not 1984.

There is no point to a year end post if I don’t subject you to a year end list, and you are perfectly excused if you want to put on your parachute and jump out of this web page now. Still I shall continue with my list, biased towards a natural Indian perspective, but still containing some global names and achievements. If you are still reading, then you may agree or disagree – either way you are perfectly entitled to add/ delete to or modify this list.

Event and person of the year: On a slightly cold early winter morning, change came to America. As Barack Obama accepted his victory in front of a packed Chicago park, the world watched, many with hope, some with uncertainty and some with disillusionment. No one backed him when in January he pitted himself against the might of the Clinton machine. Obama’s achievement was not that he won or for that matter that he won as a black man, but in the fact that he won by remaining honest to his beliefs and ideology. It is a fact which you realize after reading his brilliant book ‘The Audacity of Hope’. Throughout his campaign, Obama never shied away from confronting the tricky, thorny issues that define the fault lines of America today. When faced with embarrassing comments made by his black pastor about 9/11, Obama gave perhaps the best speech of his entire campaign. In an honest appraisal of America’s doubts he talked of how blacks still faced subtle economic and political resistance, of how the nation had still not pulled them out of their ghettos; but was balanced enough to point out that if his elderly grandmother felt uncomfortable when walking across two young black men on the street, then there had to be something wrong with the way they conducted themselves. He did not back down from questioning the commitment of young black fathers who abandon their kids and called for more responsibility to be taken by the community (you almost wish someone would cajole the Indian Muslim community the same way). Often accused of talking down to the blacks, Obama won neither because or despite his racial color. He won because he represented a fresh, honest and balanced face to America. There is much he stands to lose. Cynicism can quickly replace hope; events can quickly overwhelm individuals and Obama faces a Mt.Everest of problems on hand. The world watches as Obama sizes up the peak – the price of disillusionment will be high.

Worst call of the year: Political analysts might debate if John McCain’s presidency bid would have turned out differently had he not picked Sarah Palin as his running mate. One thing though, seems sure, McCain would have commanded a lot more respect and maybe even votes had the bimbo from Alaksa stayed as far away from his campaign as Anchorage is from New York. As the pitbull turned hockey mom slipped from one embarrassment to another, America found a reason to laugh amidst the economic gloom. The much proclaimed ‘Palin Effect’ did come, but in a direction reverse than that in which it was supposed to go. Now she wants to run for President in 2012. I can’t wait for the jokes to begin. Palin confirmed that age old adism – style without substance never sells.

Political coup of the year: No, this isn’t a military coup – it’s a coup that Manmohan Singh managed to pull off (with some help from another Singh) despite all the odds against him. When it seemed that the nuclear deal’s death was a ‘done deal’, Singh cocked a snook at the outdated Marxists, gave Prakash Karat a convenient goodbye and showed remarkable political acumen to bail his government out with considerable ease. Akshay Kumar acted in the movie but this year clearly there was another Singh who was King.

Gaffe of the year: I am spoilt for choice for this category. Not to be biased towards anyone’s propensity towards idiocity, it is fair that it should be shared by all the deserving. Simi Garewal for making us realize that our slums are mini-Pakistan, Narendra Modi for standing outside the battlefield of Oberoi Trident in Mumbai and showering his state’s crores on slain policemen, Sarah Palin (again!) for all her utterances, Oscar Fernandes for justifying the lynching of a corporate CEO and Mukhtar Naqvi of the BJP for making us look at the powdered and lipstick bearing faces of the women protesting against terror on our streets.

Worst business decision of the year: Granted that we are in difficult economic times, yet Jet Airways’ decision to sack around 1500 employees in one go secretly and without any notice period was nothing but an invitation to trouble. That the sacked employees, large enough in numbers to get organized and be noticed, went straight to the North Indian hating Raj Thackeray did not make matters any easy for Jet chairman Naresh Goyal. Overnight, he had a change of heart, realizing that the employees were like ‘family’ and he had responsibility towards them. This father won’t be shedding any extra kilos in the near future.

Villain of the year: But for Mumbai on 26/11, this award would have gone hands down to Raj Thackeray. The North Indian hater ‘marathi manoos’ caused much agony to his home city of Mumbai, made his goons bash up poor taxi drivers and railway exam students, tore away Mumbai’s remaining claims of cosmopolitanism and even managed to get the Marathi middle class to theoretically back his arguments. He was upstaged by his own city. Mumbai’s date with terror made Raj cower in fear in his home (his Sena all withdrew into their rat holes) and brought a new villain to our front pages – Ajmal Kasab might be a young gun toting brainwashed terrorist but he is symptomatic of our western neighbor that has no clue as to where it is going. Like Kasab, Pakistan is flailing its tentacles in all directions, firing mindlessly, hoping to catch anyone who comes in the line of fire. Yours truly has been calling it a failed state since the turn of the century. 2008 was the year when the world discovered this truth. As world opinion turned against it, Pakistan began the year with uncertainty (in the aftermath of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination), elected a civilian government, saw the exit of a discredited dictator and installation of a discredited politician as President, endured bomb blasts caused by its own monsters and ended the year short of being officially classified as a rogue state. Pakistan though lives in denial – it still believes that it can use its home grown militants to achieve ‘strategic depth’ in Afghanistan and bleed India with thousand cuts. The army remains unrepentant and unwilling to acknowledge its lack of control, the ISI is still a state within a state and Pakistan has now turned in to a whore state – throw some billions at them and you can make them agree to do what you want. Like a prostitute, Pakistan can give you fake pleasure but not sincerity of purpose.

Movie of the year: Without a second thought it has to be ‘The Dark Knight’. A movie that turned the concept of superhero comic flicks on its head. The beginnings of shades of reality began with the new Toby Maguire Spiderman movies, was carried on by Chris Nolan’s ‘Batman Begins’ and finally came full circle with ‘The Dark Knight’. It was bleak, pessimistic, deep, and subtle with many layers of meaning and with surely one of the finest performances in a negative role in Hollywood history. How much did Heath Ledger’s premature death contribute to the movie’s success is a matter of speculation but Ledger is well on his way to a posthumous Oscar. The Knight acquires deeper significance in the environment of violence that we live in. In one of my favorite scenes from the movie, Batman’s butler Alfred narrates the tale of a Burmese thief of jewels who would hide in the jungles and steal valuables for pleasure. Alfred’s point being that some people are not after anything – they are in it for the sheer pleasure of anarchy they cause. When Batman asks as to how the Burmese thief was caught, Alfred nonchalantly replies that he wasn’t; the forest had to be burnt down. It illustrated the dilemmas that the protagonist of the movie and the world today face – whether the rules of civilization can be preserved in the fight against evil. The Joker calls upon people to spread anarchy, chaos, expect the unexpected and leave everything to random chance- see any resemblance with the mindless anarchy spread on our streets by gun wielding terrorists who want no money and no hostages? Like the Joker, they delight in seeing our disorder. The Dark Knight is perhaps then, a lot more relevant that what we might have thought it initially to be.

Failure of the year: The Australian cricket team. Ricky Ponting promised us new age cricket when he landed in India but instead oversaw the rise of a new age that promises to usher in an element of vulnerability in Australian cricket. After the disgrace of Sydney, Australia lost the off the field battle with the BCCI over the racism row and Ponting lost it on the field against a young gangly fast bowler from Delhi. Two consecutive lost tests at Perth, loss of their home one day series and a drubbing by an inspired Indian team – is it any wonder that Kevin Pietersen and England cant wait for the summer of 2009 to arrive and the Ashes to begin. The golden age of Aussie domination seems well and truly ‘over’.

Sporting moment of the year: In a year in which Indian cricket had much to cheer about and Indian hockey much to cry over, it is perhaps fitting that the list should recognize that one man who literally shot his nation to glory. Abhinav Bindra finally fulfilled his potential, shot a perfect round and in the terribly competitive world of shooting brought India its first individual Olympic gold. Whether this feat inspires more to emulate Bindra will depend upon whether Indian sports is governed by those who harbor love and affection for it. Indian sport can do with scheming Pawars and Dalmiyas but not with arrogant KPS Gills. Individually, MS Dhoni, Vishy Anand and Jeev Milkha Singh shined; Vijay Mallaya bought a sub standard team that gave a sub standard performance, both in F1 and IPL, Sachin Tendulkar exorcised ghosts of fourth innings failures, Virendra Sehwag found redemption, Saina Nehwal gained in stature and boxing promised current and future glory. But for the sheer weight of his achievement, Bindra upstaged them all. His victory was truly well its weight in gold.

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One of my favorite Calvin and Hobbes cartoons is the one in which a daydreaming Calvin is suddenly woken up in his Geography class by his teacher Miss Wormwood. Oblivious to her question, Calvin gets a shock when Wormwood screams at him, “Calvin! Pay Attention! Now what state do you live in?!” A puzzled Calvin immediately responds with glee “Denial”, much to the exasperation of the hapless Miss Wormwood. Viewing and hearing the events and happenings of the last few days, you would think everyone around is living in a state of denial. Everyone, except the man on the road. For long, it was the average Joe traveling on a local bus or a suburban train who bore the brunt of our violent urban upheavals. Then came the turn of the middle class salaried professional and employees, shaken out of their assured world of housing EMIs, car loans and daily grind of work emails. Now it’s the elite; the swish set who even take a coffee break in a five star hotel; people you would find making a beeline in their expensive luxury cars to grab a table at the latest gourmet sensation at the swankiest of five star hotels. Across the spectrum, all the three sets of people are angry. Angry at those all around them who live in a state of denial.

Our political establishment is the obvious target and this time they have taken it in the full, smack in the middle of the face. And of course, they haven’t done themselves any favors by completely refusing to recognize the magnitude of the events that has struck the nation. Perhaps it is a different world that they inhabit, insulated from the grime, dust and above all insecurities of life outside of security cordon. You only had to hear Narendra Modi, RR Patil, the Kerala CM and Mukhtar Naqvi to realize how trivial our concerns are for them and how condescending they think they are being when hear what we have to say. What Naqvi and the Kerala CM expressed was nothing short of ridicule against those demanding some answers from them. Of course, theirs is a state of denial which refuses to believe that not every family in India wants a political spectacle made out of the martyrdom of its son and that in a democracy people, irrespective of the cost of their lipstick brand, have a right to peaceful protests that raise questions.
Modi and Patil along with Vilasrao Deshmukh live in a world where the concept of ‘sensibility’ does not exist. For Modi, it is essential to prove that he is the martial answer for the effete Hindu religion against a marauding Islam that threatens to swamp India. Hence, there he was, with absolutely no business to be standing at an encounter site in another state, holding forth on how the treasury of his prosperous Gujarat will be opened for an officer whom he believed to be anti-national and anti-Hindu a few days ago. My suggestion at that point of time was that Modi should have been made some use of and ushered into the Oberoi Trident by the NSG. His self proclaimed ‘chhappan ki chaathi’ (chest with a size of 56) could have been utilized as a safety shield by the battling commandos and we would all have found out how martially gifted our latest prime ministerial aspirant actually is. Patil and Deshmukh have of course done an admirable job of shepherding Mumbai from one disaster to another – each time they have been Neros watching the spectacle of a burning Rome; be it the floods (an annual occurrence now), train blasts, Raj Thackeray’s violence or the latest terror strike. Not once, has either one of them made an effort to connect with those they govern and offered either an understanding of emotional upheaval or showed grace in their response to the situation in hand. Instead, we have witnessed statements dismissing the attack as any other and the conducting of guided tourist tours for the CM’s friends. Taking your actor son along to a terror site may not be improper, but in a city singing with anger and despair, it smacks of a complete inability to comprehend the nature of the event and its impact on those affected by it.

The Indian state lives in its own world of denials – a world whether words can substitute action, where loyalty commands a greater price in the market than competence, where it is believed by those running the reins of the establishment that setting up committees rather than acting on implementation of their recommendations is enough to take care of a charged public opinion. The State it seems in complete denial about any need for reform, blind to the deficiencies and inadequacies of its intelligence apparatus. Faced with an angered electorate, the State is extending a long rope for itself – it needs to act and let me repeat again ‘it needs to ACT’ before that rope turns into a noose around its neck.

Like India, Pakistan too has put on the blinds. We may deny our need to reform but our neighbor denies the dilemmas of its existence. And now its military ‘establishment’ refuses to accept the presence of the monsters crawling under its bed, monsters that may lash out at a passer by with their extended claws but which would not hesitate a moment to turn inward and search for prey. Pakistan is a nation that faces a deep internal catharsis, it has a frontier that it cannot govern, it has a government that cannot take any hard decisions and it has an army that is adamant on the fact that it can sleep with the tiger at home and let it hunt abroad. Simply put, the army refuses to acknowledge the extent of the threat, stressing that it still has control, that it can talk and temper its terror machine. It’s an army that is yet to lose faith in its Frankenstein. By the time it does, there may not be a nation left for the soldiers to defend. And the price will be paid by the larger neighborhood where the brimming cup of instability will overflow.

But while nations on our eastern and western frontiers sink into a quagmire we must not fail on two counts. The country is disturbed and impatient and demanding action. And the state, to ensure its legitimacy must give them the same. While it’s essential to handle both Pakistan and Bangladesh with deft diplomacy, we must urgently raise the heights of our walls even if our options are limited with respect to use of force beyond them. Internal security has been crying for reform for decades and we have paid a heavy price for our bureaucratic ignorance. We must not, any longer. This author does not need to draft a ‘to do’ list for the incumbents in power. Numerous committees, appointed by different governments, have submitted relevant recommendations. Those measures deserve a better place than a babu’s dust filled closet. They must, literally, see the light of the day.

Let this be a warning to the Indian state. The citizens may not want a military invasion of Pakistan, but they do crave for a sense of security, and even more than that for a sense of action and a certain degree of sensitivity towards their losses. Any State that fails to meet these expectations stands to lose its citizens’ loyalty and faith – the first step in turning a man into an anarchist is to make him believe that he has no stake in the system and that the system does not exist for him. We must not allow such a path to appear.

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