Friday the 13th, September, 2013 – Why was it significant for India?

Friday the 13^th carries with it many myths and legends. Americans believe it to be an unlucky day when ghosts and goblins make an appearance hither and nigh. Historically, Friday the 13^th marked the day The Vatican ordered simultaneous assassination of the Knights Templar throughout it’s Papal realms, which resulted in the ‘disappearance’ of their Order and ultimately led to the brutal public burning of Jacques DeMolay, their Grand Master.

Cut to present day India. On this date most importantly, the Judiciary in it’s wisdom decided to award the Death Penalty to the four rapists-cum-assasins of ‘Nirbhaya’ the Delhi gangrape victim. The court in it’s sagacity termed it as the ‘rarest of rare cases’, and rightly so. The judgement will be appealed, unfortunately, by a defence counsel who is in contempt of court and harbours a desire to ‘burn his own daughter if she goes out with a guy at night’. Not only should his license be immediately revoked, he should be assigned to a psychological correctional facility – the man has issues! However, the court judgement today provided a much needed salve on the wounds of Nirbhaya’s family, at least for the moment. It is a pity that the juvenile who caused most harm to the victim got away with 3 years imprisonment in a juvenile correctional facility – his punishment should have been at par with the others. But such are the laws of the Indian Penal Code and we must accept them till they are amended.

The Bharatiya Janata Party chose this very day to crown it’s next PM-in waiting – Narendrabhai Damodardas Modi, much to the chagrin of the Party’s patriarch and mentor Lal Krishna Advani. By 6 P.M. Advani had been completely isolated and sat at home licking his wounds. I would have loved to be a fly in the wall when after the announcement Modi went to visit Advani. Even a die hard Advani supporter and Modi detractor till yesterday; a person of apparent integrity, Shushma Swaraj, changed tags and said she was ‘Happy’ with the announcement. Will Narendra Modi be the savior who will deliver us from the evils that plague India today? Only time will tell. But let us examine Advani’s point of view here for a moment. Given, that the octogenarian still lusts for the PM’s post. Let us try to examine his cause for this boycott, apart from the fact that Modi snatched his dream nomination away from him. Modi also snatched both titles of Lauha Purush and Vikas Purush away. What does that leave Advani with? In the eventuality that the BJP comes close to majority in 2014, it will need allies cutting across ideologies and party lines. It has to win back the JDU. It would need help from parties like the TMC, BSP, AIADMK and perhaps even the National Conference. It would be difficult for Modi to attract such a multi-faceted coalition given his staunch Hindutva (or should I say Moditva) reputation and an almost dictatorial style of functioning. In such an eventuality Advani, the lone voice of dissent against Modi would be resurrected by the party and be persuaded to take the PM’s post. So Advani, might be down, but the old war horse is still not out!

What was Congress’s reaction to BJP’s announcement? A smirk by Kapil Sibal and a taunt by Renuka Chaudhury. Perhaps two terms in office has made it complacent or even over-confident? They need a battle plan badly to counter Modi and Modi is a formidable opponent. So it’s high time they get their act together, peel off the sticking plaster from their lips and get into combat-mode. It’s time to speak up and walk the talk. They need to decide on the PM candidate for the UPA 3 and launch a counter-offensive.

So, Friday the 13^th didn’t turn out any differently than what myths and legends tell us. We have punished 4 Ghouls, but we have also elevated a man who will, given time and circumstance, either restore our country into the Economic giant and global power it was, not very long ago…or destroy, disintegrate and dispirit it. God Bless India!