Ekta
A couple of
months back I saw this hoarding “ EKTA TIGER ” while traveling from Pune to Mumbai
. This was immediately after the release of the movie EK THA TIGER. How very
apt it was to describe the only tiger in the Political Field. All other contemporary
leaders of any and all parties never ever could match his charisma and mass appeal.
He was in all
senses really a tiger amongst the goats in politics. He roared and minced no words
to express his point of view on subjects ranging from literature to politics to
cartoons to movies to Hinduism to cricket. When he criticized anyone he did it
frankly and from heart and when he loved anyone he did that in same style. When
someone was totally critical of his views or comments, he took it sportingly
like a real cartoonist or a sportsman. Be it Ketkar, or Vaghle or Sharad Pawar, they all were highly critical
of his views on many issues, but they all loved him for his humane side and his
keeping distance between friendship and politics. He never allowed these two to
mix.
He had personal
relations with people from all walks of fields. Sharad Pawar, Lata – Asha –
Hrudaynath Mangeshkars, Dilip Kumar, Big B, Rajnikant, Miandad, M Jackson, Gavaskar,
Tendulkar, Jethmalani, Atal Bihari Vajpeyi, Advani etc are a few from the long
list of people who had a close relationship with him.
It all started
with Marmik after he left the Free Press Journal as a cartoonist, and ended up
with formation of Shivsena. Initially he vehemently spoke against the south Indians,
then against Muslims, and then strongly in favor of Hindutva, however it was
Mumbaikar and the Marathi Manus at the core of his thought process. I would not
hesitate to say that be it a South Indian or a Muslim or a Sikh or a Kashmiri,
he or she was welcome and a loved one if he / she strongly felt that they were first Mmbaikars /
Maharashtrians. I see no wrong in it as I
see no wrong in the Australian P Ms saying “ Accept the law of the land and behave like the
son of the soil ".
He did not mince
his words and accepted responsibility for demolition of the Babri Masjid, but
he also said in the same breath “ Build a Hospital there for all classes and
casts ”. He always said that there are only two casts - RICH & POOR. Shivsainiks comprised of people from all walks of life & casts. In a way he gave a distinct identity to a faceless Mumbaikar, mostly youngsters.
The media and the
powers that be, only projected the negatives of his views, but the masses never
left his side.
Many people might be surprised to know that three of his cartoons of Churchill featured in the compilation of few best cartoons ob him. That was his creativity.
Telang drew his
cartoon paying homage to this great man of the soil “ Pug Marks Leaving the
Drawing Board, and out of it upwards towards the sky ” , is a right tribute to
this person called : BALA SAHEB THAKEREY, really the EKTA TIGER ( The Only
Tiger )
