On a lighter note I'm presenting below the electoral reforms proposed by India's navratan, in my view the greatest comedian and satiricist alive today: who else but Jaspal Bhatti.

Mark Twain would have been hard pressed to rise to the heights of Jaspal Bhatti.

The Chief Electoral Officer

Punjab

Chandigarh

 

Sub: Allowing  Mudslinging & Character Assassination in Election Campaigns

 

Madam,

 

It is my suggestion that the Election Commission should not take notice if the rival candidates stoop to mudslinging and even character assassination to some extent. It has the following advantages

 

1.       It helps the voter to make up their mind in choosing the candidate who is less corrupt than others. Sometimes choice becomes difficult when two rival candidates are looters of the same level.

 

2.       When candidates dig each other’s scandals it provides entertainment to the public and they get involved in the democratic process with greater interest.

 

3.       It gives color to the otherwise dry elections.

 

4.       It is only election days when those misdeeds and secret properties of the candidates surface naturally before public which otherwise are hard to dig out even by CBI and intelligence bureau.

 

5.       Media should in fact offer subsidized rates to those ads in which lampooning of the candidates are done by their rival candidates and parties.

 

6.       Cartoons and parodies featuring kaka ji, maharaja or dissidents running from party to party should be in fact encouraged. It evokes creativity of the artists, writers and singers.

Long ago I came across Bhatti's work through Ulta Pulta. He has, in the meanwhile, scaled formidable heights of understated satire. A genius par excellence who can subtly twist the surface reality to calmly demonstrate India's underbelly.

I came across one of his movies today (Shahji ki advice) and would encourage you to watch it. It reminded me (somewhat) of my own life as honest officer (in his movie the honest man is treated as a dunce by the society). I was reminded also of a senior IPS officer from Haryana who (seriously) wrote a book poking fun at honest officers and questioning their sanity. 

As vegetable prices go up, Jaspal Bhatti gifts his wife a necklace