The global megalomaniac club just keeps growing

The global megalomaniac club just keeps growing

If global citizens were to host a Megalomaniac Contest, the jury would face a tough time picking a winner. There are so many worthy contenders across the seven seas! We are spoilt for choice, right here in India. And now, in Pakistan.

A friend shared a tantalising (Causing excitement, interest, and desire) video which she said was “100% genuine.” Ha! We know what ‘genuine’ means these days, right? The clip was shot in some unidentified pocket of Lahore right after Imran Khan’s victory. A bare-breasted woman is seen dancing to a song with lyrics that go, “Rok Sako Toh Rok Lo… Ab Dilli Aiyee Re.” Three hefty men in traditional pathan suits pour water over her as she strips further. A crowd (women included) leers approvingly at her highly provocative moves. I was most intrigued but hardly shocked. The mood has been established. And one more megalomaniac has pitched his tent across the border. Now, it’s a contest between which megalomaniac wins which round. For starters, the PM-designate of Pakistan has rudely disinvited his friends from India for the ‘austere’ swearing-in ceremony. This is no way to treat mehmaan, Mr Khan!

India has its own colourful gang of resident megalomaniacs. Mamata Banerjee, for instance. But let’s hand it to her — she has been very consistent with her behaviour. No point pretending to be humble and modest, as Didi must have sensibly decided aeons ago. And there she is — brazenly ruling the roost and decimating all opposition without blinking. Friends from Kolkata are not just speechless with what’s happening in their ‘cultured’ state, they are frozen with fright to utter a word against Didi, even in private. Some timidly justify her high-handedness saying, “She knows what’s good for the people.” Isn’t that the standard argument of tyrants?

The international scenario is equally riddled with personality politics. Though universally loathed, a recent international survey shows a huge boost in Donald Trump’s domestic popularity rating, even surging past Obama’s 2010 numbers. The interesting thing is, we are talking democracies here. It’s one thing for other notorious megalomaniacs like Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un to boast about their absolute support, and quite another to watch this bizarre scenario playing out in the US and India, without much of a challenge. And hardly any resistance.

The canny Indian voter will speak soon enough. But why wait? Before we know it, the lines will be forming outside voting booths. On a recent visit to Gujarat, I was told by ardent Narendra Modi supporters to not listen to anybody who was questioning Modi’s hold and popularity. “He will win 300 seats and be the Prime Minister again,” declared several young men and women with conviction. It was only later that one of them sheepishly admitted, “It’s all about manipulation and controlling the elections. Amit Shah has proved to be a master of that game.” In other words, we are getting two megalomaniacs for the price of one! Aren’t we blessed?

Maybe megalomania is the latest style statement worth flaunting. Wear it on your sleeve and see the supplicants fall at your feet. Donald Trump is the poster boy of megalomania. He makes it sound almost cool. No force on earth can curb his multiple rants and nasty tweets. He has proved just how effectively crassness (Behaviour that is stupid and does not consider how other people might feel:) and craftiness can be used to woo an electorate that is ready to be co-opted into his bullyboy world. It isn’t all that different in India. As for Pakistan, it will be a tussle between the monumental ego of Imran Khan and the military might of the generals who call the shots. Guns ‘n’ Roses. What an explosive combo.

Now that we know that Donald Trump has been invited as chief guest for the Republic Day parade in 2019 (he has still to accept Prime Minister Modi’s well-timed invitation), let’s prep for the photo-ops. There is also $9 billion worth of US arms sales to us on the agenda. Plus, a new sanctions bill passed by the US Congress (awaiting White House approval) that allows for a qualified exemption to India and other legacy buyers of Russian weapons. This is a major development, and we should overlook the vanity of whichever megalomaniac scores in the ‘mine is bigger than yours’ stakes. I was referring to chest size only, please note.

Meanwhile, a sober examination of the lives of famous megalomaniacs in history won’t harm anybody. There aren’t too many happy endings there — either for the individuals or the countries they ruled despotically. Numbers alone don’t tell the full story. It’s more often the heartbeat of a silenced nation that eventually spells out a more accurate, if heartbreaking narrative.