War Room - Letter to Member of Parliament Mahua Moitra

Hi Mahua,

Your maiden speech in the Parliament made me sit up, as it did so many globally. It was profound, bold, and pinned the issue you were speaking on, the rise of fascism and the 7 signs that signal its growing presence.

Today, I am not talking about this. Much has been deliberated, tweeted, and shouted on all forums ground, air, and digital.

I want to congratulate you on your strategy – You planned it well as the link given states. It is a wonderful case study of what media, old and new, is all about and how to garner its power to our advantage. Today, it is all about Personal Branding, using digital media, where the War Room is digital and the last elections you won was actually fought on WhatsApp. 

Given the background of just after this resounding victory, BJP has had the 2^nd time around, the gossip, slandering and accusations going on from West Bengal and BJP, where media could have hourly discourses on who is right and who is wrong, your the speech brought a sudden shut-down of all such hitherto stone-hurling and shifted the world’s vision to a new platform, that being your powerful speech in the parliament. 

And you! As you yourself quoted in your interview that politics consists of the 3 'M's - Method, Myth - the hype around the person, so that everyone is talking about you, and Magic 

Internet channels went berserk and all platforms, including Social Media, Whatsapp were chockablock with that speech going viral.

So what was it that struck me most? That the old and forever relevant truth – you have only 30 seconds to make your impression, and then, either the audience is with you or they are switched out.  So, your speech managed to do just that. 

Second, a powerful voice, eloquent and clear, forceful even, you commanded attention, trust, and resounding applause on digital platforms. If it did not come at the parliament, where Lok Sabha TV captured the entire speech and the world saw it there and then, then, social media would not have gone berserk either, post the speech.

Suddenly, the whole world became engaged with who is Mahua Moitra? 

Imagine, using what the PM himself uses so efficiently, being adopted by MPs too to win elections! 

Hats off to the strategy – the first time is the do or die, 30 seconds to make your best impression! 

The rest falls into place automatically, doesn't it?







Note: Views expressed here are the author's only.  

Deepu Weds Kavita

Deepu with his mother, Nidra

I am not sure if one can call oneself fortunate or fastly aging if one gets to see the birth of a child and then be present at the wedding of that child as well.
A young girl came to our house in Bombay in the final years of my school days and continued to stay with us till she was nineteen or so. Then she returned to her village, in Nadia district about an hour’s journey from Sealdah in Kolkata. Her name is Nidra. During the years she lived with us in Bombay, she virtually became like my younger sister.

A couple of years after she returned to her village, we heard she had got married. Shortly we heard she had given birth to a son as well. But alas! No sooner had her husband heard that she was pregnant, he fled, leaving her to fend for herself and the baby. The baby was called Dipankar Mondol.

Not an uncommon thing here in the villages of Bengal but for us it was heart breaking. Naturally, we brought the mother and son back to our home in Bombay. For many years they lived with us, both in Bombay and Pune until, when he was around 15 years, both mother and son returned to their native village, to visit us during his holidays from school.

On February 10, 2009, Dipankar married Kavita, a girl living nearby in his village.

Kavita, in her bridal form

Sindur ceremony

Saat phera

“Mashi,” he had called me, “ ami beye korchi”. – Mashi, I am getting married.Naturally, I joined the elite borjatrik(people from the boy’s family) and introduced myself to the girl and her family as – “ Ami Deepur Mashi” – I am Deepu’s maternal aunt.

The wedding started at around 9pm and went on till after 2am the following day. The next morning, after a sleepless night, we arrived back to the boy’s house, since as a rule, marriages happen at the girl’s. I left for Kolkata after plates full of mishti and a sumptuous meal of maach bhaat complete with mishti paan.

Bringing the bride home......

.....even as the tuition classes go on.....

.......and others look on!

Pssst! …….and already the Tu Tu; Main main have begun as Nidra, whispered in my ear – “Dhoor! Ekdom bhalo lage na. Meyer data uchu….” – I don’t like it at all. The girl has buck teeth!

Oh Gawd! Not again!!