Mafia dons cannot become messiahs
Three seasons of the series have been telecast since then. All three have proved to be cash cows for Netflix. People watch it with interest in several languages. Mario Puzo’s Godfather evoked similar interest at one time. At a party in a five-star hotel, I heard a hotel magnate say he was inspired by Escobar. Similarly many years ago, a movie star openly told a newspaper: Godfather’s Don Corleone is my role model. The world is full of such movies and books.
The people who feature in these are seen as Robin Hoods by the common people. Consider Phoolan Devi. Instead of being punished for her role in the Behmai massacre, she went on to become an MP. She received enormous respect in a section of the Mallah community. When castes look for role models in criminals, it is natural for politicians to accord them respect. These castes also comprise vote banks. The list of such mafia leaders is long. I don’t want to glorify them by mentioning them here. One mafia boss once told me: “Publish whatever you want, we won’t get upset. It only works to our benefit!”
Present-day mafia bosses don the garb of social workers along with that of politicians. Having instilled fear in the people, to win sympathy, they run ambulances, decide doctors’ fees and help poor girls in the community get married. They assign men to protect people suffering from natural disasters . On the basis of the goodwill they earn, they can set up a court in prison or outside and sort out disputes.
That is why, when people even like us sing the praises of criminals, why just blame the politicians?
We may not have given birth to these Frankensteins, but people like and you and I were the ones who nurtured them.
So I urge you not to blame the government for every incident and instead introspect and look around you. When dutiful officers find themselves helpless in these situations, some of the blame should come to us as well.
Shashi Shekhar is editorinchief Hindustan letters@hindustantimes.com