Return of the Stained Saint

Swami Agnivesh plays it right on Big Boss

In one of the interviews Jyoti Basu gave towards the fag end of his career, he explained why the CPM Politburo’s not permitting him to be Prime Minister in 1996 was a mistake. He said large parts of the country and many Indians just didn’t know something called the Left existed and his prime ministership would have changed that. Soon after, Deve Gowda became Prime Minister, and while all of India still has no clue what he stands for, that such a man exists is known. For a politician, the greatest sorrow is not disgrace, but anonymity. And having tasted the spoils of the Anna revolution, it was a sorrow staring Agnivesh very strongly in the face.

Those who smirked at Agnivesh going on the Big Boss show got it wrong. Consider this: most of the participants themselves didn’t know who Agnivesh was when he entered the house and these were mostly regular middle, upper middle class city people who are supposed to be abreast of national events that affect them. But the truth is, even in this semi-elite category, only a few read a newspaper or watch a news channel.

Agnivesh was, at most, a hazy figure kicked out of the Anna movement. His involvement in issues like combating bonded labour, foeticide or brokering talks with Maoists was unknown to most Indians. It is still unknown after three days with Big Boss. But what is different is that now he’s a human being in blood, flesh, form, a name, and to a politician, that is nothing short of a coup.

He also managed his presence carefully. He did not badmouth Team Anna, he offered to clean the toilet, he played peace broker (a gimmick so obviously planned with the producers), and he even wept while going out. As a show, it was as good as it came. Astutely, Agnivesh knew when to
get out.

The show’s premise is that after sometime, your true character will emerge. Most who appear on it expecting an image makeover return showing a nasty side of themselves only their wives or husbands know of. Three days, however, is manageable.
A few more days and we might have seen a swami snapping and biting like everyone else.

About The Author

Madhavankutty Pillai

Madhavankutty Pillai has no specialisations whatsoever. He is among the last of the generalists. And also Open chief of bureau, Mumbai  

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