BENGALURU: It’s the season of coronations. Last weekend, we were riveted to the spectacle in London, where a new king ascended the throne, long after the sun set on the Empire. We, erstwhile subjects, unabashedly took in the sights and sounds, pomp and pageantry, hype and hoopla. It looked straight out of the fairytales we had lapped up in childhood.
There are, of course, two ways of looking at such events: as a crass display of aristocracy caught in a time warp, or as a respectful continuation of ancient traditions and rituals. Whatever the perspective, you have to give it to the British for event management. It was a once-in-a-lifetime event, streamed live, a royal tamasha for the people, by the people and of the people.
The subjects lined the streets to pay obeisance as the procession rolled by. Frankly, I enjoyed watching it, from the carriage to the bobbies to the regalia, right into the sombre precincts of Westminster, where the King was anointed, Queen consort, flaws and all.
Much closer home, almost in the next lane, in fact, another procession was in progress. The streets had been scrubbed, sanitised and barricaded, trees trimmed, and Black Cats had taken a position on rooftops. The city was ready for the rally of rallies; there were drums and dancers, lusty sloganeering and prostration as the procession sailed past, and the campaigner (in a different new headgear) waved vigorously at the crowds – a far cry from the stately regal march through the grey streets of London.
But the parallels are many: in democracy or monarchy, there is a ruler and the ruled, there is the benefactor and the genuflecting masses, and as is a tradition in our familial setup, the parent ensures the handover of legacy to the son/daughter. Almost like passing on the crown, sceptre and sword, along with the kingdom. Mufasa to Simba. The objectives are the same: power, domination, and supremacy.
With elections done and dusted, we are pumped up that our democracy is alive and vibrant, and eagerly await the coronation of our own local chieftain. There are many who would be king, though it is said that uneasy lies the head that wears the crown (those who saw Charles III under his decorated headgear will vouch for it). We are a worshipful country, we love our gods and kings, and this is our version of democracy.
God save the King! And God save our democracy!