Is Marx laughing?

Came across this highly entertaining news article yesterday in the newspapers…

Marx gets Vatican thumbs up or here

 

So, Marx is under ‘review’ by the Church. As to whether he is an approved human being, I guess!!! approved to be given access by St Peter, no less. Well, well…i guess poor Karl has been waiting outside the pearly gates for too long…

The funny thing about the whole incident is the absurdity of it all. It would have been smashing to hear Marx’s comment on this. I am sure he would have had a sly comment up his sleeve.

So, the centre of manufacture of the ‘opium of the masses’ is getting soft towards its deviant child?

Here’s my take…Dangerous but dead men start to become more acceptable with years passing by, as their snarl and their bite become a blurry memory and lose their context for danger. Che Guevara T-shirts are tolerated on the streets of US forty years after his death, Stalin is being rehabilitated and who remembers Napoleon? Add to the fact that communism is ‘officially’ dead for the last decade and a half and Marx is becoming less of a danger for our minds (read the minds of the faithful). His sayings (like the one of religion being a opium for the masses) have slowly become mere dialogues, repeated as a matter of rote and as a sign of erudition rather than as an existential threat for religion.

Religion faces more of an existential threat from other quarters – quarters that Marx would have disapproved but which have equal efficacy in blunting the power of religion. It is that of unfettered technology and capitalism. People would rather grab for an i-pod or get moved by Xbox games than reach for a crucifix or a taabiz or be moved by chants. The holy see has more of a problem with abortions than with communal land holdings for now.

So, when Marx has ceased to be an ‘anathema’ to civilized world (as seen by the Church) and since paradoxically his popularity (Marx reinvented as Robin Hood) has soared in those very worlds with the disillusionment with the kind of materialistic capitalism let loose in the world, the Church finds wisdom in ‘rehabilitating’ him. Maybe the attempt is at positioning the church on the side of the common man.

But even so, it is a hilarious situation. Its funny how the world operates. Nothing ever remains constant. Not ideas, ideology nor words. Marx reinvented as the messiah. He would have laughed at the irony, I think. History being recycled as farce.

I think right now, Lenin must be squirming in Red Square. He fears he would be next!!!

del.icio.us Tags: Marxist,Vatican,Marx,Communism,opinion

King of Delhi roads – Lambo and Alto. The battle…

 

The grim reaper, as has been told to us repeatedly, is the great equalizer. Poems have been written about this final eraser of differences, philosophers have sustained themselves with writing dense tracts about the how in front of him, the king and the pauper alike look the same.

All this is fine. I realized something a couple of days back with the result that I would like to nominate the addition of Delhi roads to the list of the great equalizers.

Ill tell you how I came about to this realization. I was turning to drive down Lodhi road, in my workhorse – my Alto, when I see coming on to my side a sleek black Lamborghini, probably modelled on Batmobile for all that I know. You could hear and feel the power of its engine, which like a sleeping giant, was just waiting to wake up to flex itself. And all that I had on my side was the 800CC of pure layman engine.

Who in their right mind would even think of racing that monster? Well, considering that my sympathy always lies with the underdog and in this case, I was the underdog, I was game.

I am no fool however – I was game because I know that the modern city of Delhi with its modern roads was with me. And this is how the race went…

When Batmobile drew level with Alto, there were two vehicles in front of both of us and both of the drivers were of the thoughtful variety who seem to be driving on the roads looking for some unfathomable solution in life. Anyway, Batmobile and Alto were both of the minds that they had better things to do and needed to get ahead. Now Batman would be mortified to learn that drivers in Delhi driving parallel to each other give only that much space to allow a bug to get through, even after incessant honking. And the best insect to travel across Delhi roads is of course the Alto. So a horn blast and nudge and a swerve later, I was through the gap. Looking back, I see Batmobile still trying in vain to get its whole big ass bulk between the philosophizing cars. In the meantime, I was on my way. About ten seconds later, I look back and I see that the black bulk had finally broken through. Then it pressed its only advantage – its awe-inspiring engine. Within a second, Batmobile had grown from a dot in the rear-view mirror to a detailed study in engineering. Another second, it would have overtaken Alto and would have said an insouciant farewell to the red dot (my car is brick-red, you see).

Just at that moment, Delhi roads again came to the rescue of the underdog. Just in front of us was the ubiquitous tin-sheets-put-together-carrier-on-three-wheels. A little on the side was an Esteem parked on the side of the road. And there was only so much space on the side. I touched my finger slightly on the steering wheel and the whole small mass of Alto neatly fit into that space and out through the gap. Batmobile on the other hand had to hastily apply brakes and put to test its 200 to 0 Km/hr in one second claim. While it was trying to rally back, the red light in front had turned yellow, with a car in the right lane, waiting. Alto pushed through in the last moment (isn’t it a nice game all of us in Delhi play – beating the yellow light, what pleasure we get!!!) and was over the line just as the light turned red…

Now, navigating through another traffic mess ahead, I looked back. Batmobile, chastened in defeat, had settled into second place behind another car, as they all waited for the green light. Batmobile, the sleek black monster, in all its gleam, stood defeated by a better master – the roads of the capital.

I felt a little sorry for it. I mean Batmobile will attract the attention of all the starlets in the world and the drool of those who worship metallic lustre. But my good man, I am still reaching someplace faster than you!!!!

 

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