BENGALURU: The recent debacle surrounding Meghan Markle’s tumultuous relationship with the royal family of Britain seems to have sent shockwaves in the West. In a tell-all interview, the former actress and ex- duchess revealed that the royal household caused her great difficulty, and even expressed interest in the colour of her child’s skin. My first reaction to the entire debacle was – ‘Well, what did you expect?’. Please don’t get me wrong – I by no means condone the treatment that was meted out to Markle. But it was the royal family that was at the apex of colonialism, the cruellest phenomenon in the history of the world – one that led to a seemingly unrepairable inequality in the world. Surely such a family would not be an ultra-modern, liberal household?
Upon some research, I found that Britain’s monarch is not merely a rubber stamp. She is the commander of all armed forces, and can even dissolve the Parliament if she wishes to. She also rules over countries like Australia and New Zealand, and is not needed to pay any taxes (even though she does pay them). But most importantly, the Queen cannot be prosecuted, even if she were to commit a crime in public!
Thankfully, there are no kings and royal families in India anymore.
But we do have a celebrity culture, where film stars and cricketers are constantly tracked down by news agencies. With the advent of social media, these ‘modern royals of India’ are expected to be aware of political and social causes. They are questioned about their political choices, and trolled when they’re seen as unaware or ill-informed. In that sense, even the modern royals of India have been brought down to the realm of the public.
The obsession with the Queen is a strange phenomenon for me. Back in my childhood, it was Princess Diana who seemed to have stolen the hearts of the ladies at my home. Even though we knew nothing about her, the constant coverage in newspapers made it seem like she was a pioneer of sorts. It was only when I grew up that I understood that it was a pre-social media frenzy that constantly put her in the spot. It was like having a 100 million followers before the age of Instagram!
In India, we have carried forward the legacy of kingdoms into our politics. Second and third generations of politicians can be seen asking for votes, irrespective of the party they represent. While the ‘Grand Old Party’ is not as relevant as it once was, the ‘New Developed Party’ also has its fair share of dynasts. As of today, more than a tenth of our MPs come from political dynasties – even if their positions are not permanent, and depend upon the final will of the people. One, however, sometimes wonders – what would it be if we had a queen-like figure in India? What if the largest democracy in the world also had a central figure like the Queen? It makes for an interesting thought exercise.
Their image would be carefully curated and projected as larger-than-life. Their narrative would be filled with words like ‘service’ and ‘sacrifice’ to the nation. Their flaws would never be discussed, and a few dark chapters would never be brought up in public. There would be massive worshipping among media channels that constantly churn out stories about their perfection. That person would be hard to criticise, and any criticism would be seen as a form of treason or betrayal of the nation’s interests. Oh, wait!
(The author’s views are his own)