The Only Tiger " EKTA TIGER "

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 )