To dissent and criticise the actions of the Government with disdain being the prerogative of the Opposition in the elected legislative bodies from the nation’s Parliament down to Gram Panchayats as well as ULBs (Urban Local Bodies) as the hallmark of Democracy in the country, to praise their leaders of the respective political parties in the seat by the elected members of these bodies is their pleasure. Ignoring the full-throated rhetoric by the Opposition berating the Government of the day left-right-and-centre both in the house and from public platforms, the top brass in administration nonchalantly brings out leaflets and also compilations of work done and results achieved to proclaim their achievements in instalments of 100 days, six months, year wise followed by full-page, multicoloured publicity material in virtually all dailies in addition to blaring on the small screen in different languages of the land as well as English. This game of blame and defence goes on like the river in the poetic line ‘Men may come and men may go, I go on forever’ by British poet Alfred Tennyson in the poem The Brook in 1886. If the game is not played, subject to Parliamentary etiquette, irrespective of the outcome, pundits are sure to remark that Democracy is in deep slumber.
Mysuru’s elderly citizens, particularly those who served as Officers in the Government during the reign of Wadiyars in the Princely State can recollect the hailing of the King’s arrival to hold durbar during Dasara with praise by lines of great lineage of Mysuru’s royalty and glory in superlatives. The group doing a professional job of praising were described as hogalubhattas.
