Here's a little puzzle: a comment on a computer screensaver has cost somebody his 15-year-old job and left him with nobody to turn to; where could it be? Ask any Indian communist and he would perhaps say, why that's where capitalism is anyway leading the whole world to. But it didn't happen in the USA. It happened in Kerala.
Yes, the red hot Kerala that owes its lack of private investments to its notorious labour unions. Impossible? It could have been if Padmakumar, the photographer who lost his job in the most bizarre way, was not working for Desabhimani, the CPI(M)'s official Malayalam daily.
As things happened, Padmakumar, a staff photographer of Desabhimani for over 15 years, allegedly made a comment when he noticed partygeneral secretary Prakash Karat's face on the new screensavers installed in his office computers in Kochi. He, according to colleagues, said the party could do without such "idolising". The walls had ears and the word was spread.
The CPM state secretariat jumped into action. Within a week, it mulled over this act of "grave indiscipline", formed a committee and conducted an official probe. Padmakumar was summoned and told to quit or be sacked. Nothing on record, not even a show-cause notice. End ofthe road, full stop.
Well, the idea is not to dispute our communist friend's comment on capitalism. He may well be right too. We have already heard about the US entrepreneur who threatened to sack any employee found smoking at office or home or anywhere else.
The point is, if capitalism at its worst will bring back slavery and call it labour reforms, the communists will do the same and call it party discipline. These Left guys, who sell this dream of equality among the poor and the underprivileged, are still no different, despite the fall of Soviet Union. They still can't make it any better than AnimalFarm. George Orwell long back told us how some are more equal in aworld of equality.
And, even if they have a problem with God, apparently the Leftists are all for idol worship. Why, if only Karl Marx was born in India we could have had a temple for him. And, who knows, a Marx janmabhoomi issue to boot.
A friend once told me she loves mirrors because they tell you the truth. I said yes, but left side right. Oh that doesn't make a difference, she had said. I laughed her off at that time. But now it seems perhaps she was right. It's all the same. Left, right and centre.
