Slumdog - Mr.Bachchan responsible?

(I have posted this matter on Amitji's Blog - http://bigb.bigadda.com/2009/01/13/day-265

Do you have the right to criticize the portrayal of India in Slumdog?
Dear Sir, do you have the right to say that Slumdog portrays India as a third world nation and that the real India still lives in slums (your similarity comparison with other nations, ignored)? Why do you feel shy to exhibit the real India to the world? In fact you should feel more proud. Because, you know who is responsible for this kind of situation in India? It is you my dear sir. And the people like you. When you had an opportunity to be an MP, you came out saying that Politics is not my cup of tea. You, though we all understand cannot stoop down and talk the language these self centered and slovenly MPs do, have turned down an opportunity to provide better service to the poor and the needy, which only a person like you can do.

Aap jaante hai jangli jaanwar shehron me kyon nehi aate hai, kyon ki waha insaan rehte hai. Jab aap jaise insaan gharon me baitthe hai to jangli janwar shehron me goomte hai, aur ise hi jungle raj kehte hai (you know why Animals don’t come to cities, towns etc. because people live there. Where people live tigers don’t come). See how an MLA brutally tortured and killed an Engineer in your own UP (of course it is the same everywhere). If people like you are sitting out then only these kinds of people prevail.

Do we have right to criticize your comments?
Though I am disputing your comments on Slumdog, in fact nobody has any right to do so, I mean to negate your comments. Because, people who will dispute you by saying it is correct to project India in this manner as this will remind all of us our responsibility to contribute for the upliftment of the poor, have never even thought about slums and will never do anything for the poor.

After Mumbai attacks, I thought we all have united and we will challenge all these corrupt politicians and ensure that no person with criminal background will become an MP or an MLA. This way at least we will have some good people in politics who will really work for the underprivileged. But apparently we all have united and shown solidarity (in regards to Mumbai Terror attacks) only because Terrorism has come into our homes and has become a threat for our lives. We are not concerned about the lives of small children/orphans, our own Indians, who are subjected to malnutrition, vulnerable to deadly diseases and whose lives are in danger. One Newspaper, sometime back, published a photograph of a small orphan lying on the road and sucking milk of a dog. We all travel in Trains and see small children cleaning the floor with their shirts and asking for money. We will only light the candles and assemble when it is a threat for our lives. We put deaf ears to the hunger cries and turn blind when we see the undernourished and helpless orphans.

Do we really love our Country?
We all say that we love our country, what do we really mean by it? Is it that we love our Indian map, or is it that we love Taj Mahal, Red Fort, Mysore Palace, Ajanta, Ellora etc. I really fail to understand. Other than Army or security forces who are prepared to lay their lives for the country, I don’t think we really love India.

The true love definition can be felt only from a Mother, because if she has 5 children she treats all equally and wants all the sons to excel, without any partiality and disparity. India is not just a land, it is a Billion people. If we say that we love our country it means we love the land and the billion people and want all the Indian people to grow. So in reality we do not love India. We only love our own families, friends, our wealth, possessions and our passions( I mean cricket, acting etc). Steve Waugh comes all the way from Australia to Calcutta for charity purpose, sitting in India we do not have time for charity.

What are we Indians after?
Everybody in India from a software engineer, to film star or a cricketer is running after money, leave alone our Politicians. Who is thinking about the poor children in the slums?
When People like you, Shah Rukh, Sachin, Sania, use even your spare time for making money and aren’t doing anything tangible for the society, how can people like us come forward. We all look upon you and treat you as role models and expect you to lead us, show us the way to change the society, not with advertisements but some real tangible work.

What should you do?
A popular lady, in UK I believe, had said that my New Year resolution for this year is that I will wear a bra. And in fact we also are talking in the same line. Our New Year resolutions are only for our betterment. People from developed nations can afford to talk like that. But we can’t. Our New Year resolution should be to help at least one orphan etc.

A person like you should personally pick any Orphan and put him/her in World Vision or Child Relief and You kind of Organizations and tell India, see the charity does not need money; you all also can do it. Or sponsor a child in a slum for education which might cost not more than Rs.1000 a month etc. You do it my dear sir, we all will follow you.

Sachin can even bring a big revolution. He can, for instance, make a railway station (nearest to his house) beggar free. He can appoint somebody to carry out a study to assess the number of orphans or beggars and enroll them with some organization by putting some money from his pocket and rest his fans will do. He is a big man. If he comes out with a plan, the whole world will be with him. I tried something earlier in Hyderabad, being a small person, nobody listened to me.

Let Sachin do it, we all will follow him. Let Shah Rukh, Sania do it we all will follow them. And sir, this is the only way we can make a difference to the society, transform our India as a developed nation. This is not possible with our politicians. We the billion people can do it, provided you carry the torch.

Phir dekte hai kaun mayikelal Slumdog jaisa cinema Banaatha hai phir se.