Gandhigiri and related aspirations:

Someone sent us this link and we were expected to be awed by the 'working phenomenon' that is Munnabhai. 'So soon?', I wondered. The movie is not even 3 weeks old and I have not even been revealing the plot to people afraid that I may not be able to do it justifiably.

http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/sep212006/national1813552006920.asp

(The following assumes you have read-up the page in the link.)

Gandhigiri is becoming fashionable now that the movie is still in the theaters. Let me correct myself there. Talking about Gandhigiri is becoming..blah…. There is a whale of difference which any anti-Gandhian too would see.

Khadi used to be fashionable too(still is? I can’t tell). Gandhigiri’s giving TRP to the news-starved TV broadcasters and to the gift-hamper-mongering radio stations in whatever little or big way it can; and no doubt well-deserved accolades to the director, producers and the unforgettable duo.

In any case, the Lawyer and Magistrate have only admired the unique way in which the inspiration from the movie was realized. Admiring any of us can do, because it will get us into conversations and get us audience for raving about the movie and the good-hearted-goons. I too have gotten excited ‘Oh did you see it? What did you think about it?’ responses on phone and outside it when I said I had just seen the LRMb movie (And before that ‘Oh really…you haven’t yet? Why not?’ ). But that’s where it stops.

Because the minute anyone is nice to someone who breaks the queue or jumps the line in traffic, spits outside your door (aah! this one's a classic from the movie), grabs a seat in the company bus, stamps your foot or leaves the used plate in the food-court table, she/he’s labeled a ‘Gandhi’. And that is not in the most admirable senses of the term. ‘Naïve’ will probably come close to what they mean. 'Jobless' will follow.

If you believe in the ‘Tipping Point’ theory by Malcolm Gladwell, it will do well to wait till the point is reached because then it will then become inevitable for us to join in.

By the way did I miss reading what the magistrate/Lawyer/police inspector plan to do to clean up their acts after being so pleasantly amazed at the ‘Munnabhai’ phenomenon, or did they not say anything about that? See what I mean? It's fashionanable to only talk about it.

Are there some places where Gandhigiri will not work? Like counter-terrorism for example?

As for me, I am not going to delve into thoughts of joining the bandwagon of Gandhigiri. Some things are best left to others, especially here; because if everyone becomes a Gandhi, life's small and big transactions will become easier for me to negotiate. But, if I started doing it myself... (No way! I need a two-minute nature break; even the thought of it is scary.)

OK I am back.I will wait for the Tipping Point to be reached. Hail Gladwell!