CHENNAI: In Madurai’s sanguine chants, hoofbeats are barely muffled. The thunder of the cavalry and horse-drawn chariots flitting across the dusty lanes of Meenakshi’s empire, still echoes through time. The past reminds you of a job half done. When glimpses of a glorious past and the once-mighty civilisation look so overwhelming, everything around you pales in comparison, as if it is mocking the current mediocrity.
Yet, Tamil Nadu stands out in the crowd. The 11.19% real growth of the state economy is not given on a platter. It’s hard-earned. Between the floods, the pandemic, and the ‘Trump’, it’s something that the state has meticulously executed. The fact is that the second largest state economy after Maharashtra, now aiming to go past $1 trillion by 2030-2031, feeds all hungry school children with a sumptuous breakfast meal, and keeps a constant eye on the Gini coefficient, in search of the perfect equality. Of course, it is a work in progress. There is more to be done.
The present is being built brick by brick on the foundation of a powerful past.
Keezhadi, Adichanallur, and Sivagalai, where the past lay in a deep Rip Van Winkle slumber, are not just the relics of a bygone era. This is also a potential catalyst for a neo-Tamil renaissance. They may have ruthlessly throttled many a narrative linked to the Aryan dominance. But the near mundanity of the present continues to sneer at you.
As the election juggernaut rolls in, this duality is palpable everywhere. Nasik Dhols and blaring speakers can’t mask it. Caste arithmetic is at work, like never before, to earn a quick mandate. Beneath the complacency of the status quo, the discord can’t be dismissed casually as an Opposition narrative.
So, is there anti-incumbency? It need not always be an aversion towards the incumbents; it can also stem from the yearning for Amrit Kaal, a new, promised land. How can you blame someone who laps up the green pastures ‘sold’ on the other side of the fence, especially when the only option otherwise is to stay resigned to the slow grind of incremental growth?
Anti-incumbency can also be the ‘freedom’ available once in five years to undertake a trial and error in what they call the fest of democracy. An urge to bid goodbye to the old and herald the new. The new need not necessarily be better. It is just an experiment. But is the state ready to wallow in the promise of a golden era?
Money flows under the ‘vigilant’ eyes of the ECI. Do issues like corruption, dynastic politics, and nepotism ever come to the discussion table? Will those series of social welfare measures extend a helping hand to the ruling dispensation at least to blunt the burnout sentiments partly, and rein in the ‘Vijay factor’. Worry about the unknown rather than the one staring at you in the eye, they say. Are the Dalit and minority votes shifting base? Should VCK and NTK be fussed? Across the state, one thing is glaringly obvious: The two alliances led by DMK and AIADMK are leaving no stone unturned as the rivalry enters the last phase.
Will the vanquished share the hearty laugh of the conqueror? There are no clear answers yet. That means a real game of ‘Chaturanga’ is on.