The victory of the mango man!

Dubbed as the ‘mango man’, the ‘aam aadmi’ or the commoner enjoys the status of a statistic.

With population, world over, taking the aerial route on the graph (well, next only to inflation), even the birth of this ‘aam aadmi’ is a mere number. Hospitals are keen on discharging the women post child-birth at the earliest (you may argue with me that they fuss over certain women and keep them for much longer than needed. But let me remind you that the woman in question is the protagonist’s wife and not the WAG of high-profile individuals).

Beginning their lives, by assuming the room (or) ward number as their names, they march bravely ahead. They etch out a number (roll number) for themselves in schools and then graduate to number (hostel room number) in college and then to a number (also referred to as ‘figure’, like a five figure or six figure salary) all through their work life. 

But lately there has been a change - a welcome change, to this number. First, it was the movie that characterised this ‘mango man’ as a hero, a hero born out the frustrations of the ‘aam aadmi’ rather than anything heroic. Now, it is a new political outfit that has seen a meteoric rise in the Indian political horizon. They have hit a century on début. Well, almost.

But this is not the début for the ‘mango man’. Today he has risen like a phoenix from the ashes of the many men that fell before this victory. The movie that preceded this victory was in many ways a trend-setter as it saw the rise of one mango man against the age-old fears that seem to have been hard-coded in the genes of the ‘aam aadmi’. He was somehow expected to be resilient, more due to lack of choice than any spectacular bravery. 

What followed, though, was more of a mass movement. It saw the rise of more than one mango man, this time in unison, creating a choice, where none existed! They rose as one huge pillar of strength in a formation that spun skilfully through the defences of the Goliath.  

And finally a podium finish for the mango man!

The traditional approach of capturing the centre slowly beginning from the sides and zeroing in, in a calculated manner was discarded. No time was given for anyone to thin. Parallel rallies, hunger strikes and all the other usual melodrama made the Goliath relax. And then suddenly the struggle seemed to lose direction, only to be seen erupting with exuberance and ecstasy, winning from the centre!

Well planned, very well executed, hope it sustains even better. 

The number has finally been rubbed off the forehead of the ‘mango man’, or has it? The new number now stands at 26,000!