Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee could not have chosen a
more apt manner to celebrate the first anniversary of his
Government. Putting his best foot forward, he broke bread
with the residents of Sikheda, a village in UP's Ghaziabad
district; visited a Dalit household and accepted the Quran
from a Muslim woman sarpanch.
With the Prime Minister showing the right way, the official
Government function in the Capital overflowed with
celebrations of transborder amity, as the unthinkable
happened. The Pakistani crescent and star fluttered at a
Indian Government function at the Hauz Khas amphitheater,
as the background resounded with strains of "Yaaron yehi
dosti hain; kismat se jo miliein hain... ".
The Prime Minister partook the typical village fare of dal,
subzi and roti, served on leafs and earthen pots, with
Dalits, Muslims, OBCs. Mr Vajpayee sat on the floor
surrounded by his hosts and happily took a second helping.
Earlier, he was welcomed to Sikheda by Afrozi Begum, the
gram sarpanch, who presented him with a copy of the Quran.
After lunch, the Prime Minister visited the home of
Rameshwari, a Jatav Dalit, whose husband Murari Lal had
died of TB nine years ago. he accepted the fruits and
sweets offered by her and sanctioned Rs 25,000 each for
Rameswari's two daughter, from the Prime Minister's Relief
Fund. The assistance would be in the form of a fixed
deposit that would mature at the time of the girls'
marriage.
With the Tughlaq structure serving as a backdrop, Indian
heritage from the Mahabharat to the Lahore Declaration, was
showcased through a brilliant choreography and crisp
commentary by actor Om Puri, with a stress on the choice of
words and diction -- "Bharat mein rahenewale bhool gaye
Mahabharat of sabab..."
Called `Satyamev Jayate,' the show began with Ramdhari
Singh Dinakar's famous lines: "Tshama shobhti us bhujhang
ko jiske paas garal ho...". And there could not be a better
choice of words to underline India's policy in the
post-Pokhran era.
The need for strength coupled with wisdom was reiterated --
from the post-battle episode of the Mahabharata to
Chandragupta's coronation.
But what enthralled the audience and brought a lump in
their throats was the depiction of struggle of Bhagat Singh
and his comrades. Never before has this revolutionary been
given pride of place at a Government function. Bhagat
Singh's trial and the first-ever civil liberty struggle
within the precincts of the Lahore jail had people almost
in tears. There was hushed silence as trio -- Bhagat Singh,
Rajguru and Sukhdev -- were `hanged'.
However, the show was not without its political message.
Sutradhar (Om Puri)'s statement that the "desire of the
Mahatma to travel to Pakistan was fulfilled 51 years later,
when another leader took a bus to that country," sent the
message loud and clear.
And yo! a bus arrived on the stage. Actor-choreographer
Javed Jaffery and the famed Indian and Pakistan pop groups
-- Silk Route and Junoon stepped out. And ringing in the
amity message, they sang arm-in-arm. As Junoon's Salman put
it: "From Pakistan through Wagah, I have brought the
message of peace and friendship."
And in the end, the show depicted what Information and
Broadcasting Minister Pramod Mahajan had said at the
function's beginning. "There were hindrances throughout the
years but we have had achievements despite them."
The historic Lahore bus trip and Pokhran indeed are symbols
of the "Indian heritage of Shakti and Shanti."