Below article is Translated from tamil using AI
India is becoming like Rajinikanth. For a long time, readers have been asking me to reduce the length of my articles. I think this will be one such article. It might be a short article; but it is not just an article about cinema.
One day, while scrolling through my mobile phone as usual, I happened to watch a video of Veerappan speaking. We are not here to debate whether Veerappan was good, compassionate, or a pro-Tamil welfare person. But, despite being a criminal in the eyes of the law, he becomes emotional when he speaks about Rajini; he praises him. What a wonder!
Rajkumar, who was kidnapped by Veerappan, was a close friend of Rajini. In the eyes of many here, Rajini is a Kannadiga, and in the eyes of others, a Marathi. We have seen some groups, who even justify the actions of wanted criminals or those classified by the nation as terrorists, try to find faults with Rajini purely for political gain. Yet, we have also heard that very same group chatting affectionately with Rajini when they see him in person, and praising him even when he is not around.
Why go that far! Kalaignar and Jayalalithaa, who were opposite poles in politics, both kept Rajini close to them at the same time. The two poles of national politics (Congress and BJP) have come to Rajini’s doorstep; and even today, members of both national parties maintain their friendship with him.
As Kalanithi Maran said, even today, whoever the Chief Minister of any state in India might be, if Rajini calls, they immediately accept the invitation.
I don’t find it a big deal that political leaders, actors, leaders of other countries, and sportspersons praise him. But even Veerappan has spoken saying things like, ‘Rajini is a good man, he should enter electoral politics’. The moment I saw that, I wondered, ‘How can this man be good to everyone? How can he be friendly with everyone? How can he embrace even those who insulted him?’. There is a word in English: ‘Phenomenon’. Rajini is a Phenomenon.
Today, India as a country has transformed exactly like Rajinikanth. Russia and Ukraine are at war. In this, Russia has always stood in support and as a pillar of strength for India. If we look at it according to conventional international politics, we should be an enemy to Ukraine in this situation. However, the Ukrainian leader points to the influence our Prime Minister has, and says, ‘If he wants, he can stop the war’.
On the other hand, Iran and Israel are involved in a conflict. Israel is our friendly nation. But that has not affected our relationship with Iran in any way. Recently, the US Vice President spoke along the lines that ‘America is the only strong country standing with Israel; hence Israel should listen to what they say’. Reacting to this, the Israeli Prime Minister said, ‘I have respect for the US Vice President, but for that reason, we cannot simply accept what he/she says; India is with us’. This statement gives the meaning that India holds strength on par with America. At the same time, this will in no way affect our friendship with Iran or our relationship with the Gulf countries.
Israel is trying to break the image that America is their only support, and is trying to convey to the world, and especially to America, that they also have strong and reliable friendly countries like India.
It cannot be said that Israel is projecting India as a replacement for America. But, it can be said that Israel is using India’s growing diplomatic leverage as a trump card.
On the flip side, India is very essential for Iran to bypass American economic sanctions to conduct trade, to make its mark in the Asian region through the Chabahar Port, and to avoid being solely dependent on China. Therefore, even if India’s closeness with Israel causes minor friction for Iran, out of pragmatic necessity, they still need the relationship with India.
When I saw the Israeli Prime Minister’s statement in the news, this is what struck me: India is becoming Rajinikanth.
India is conveying to the world stage the importance of a country being a “good power” rather than just a “superpower”. Dominance will not give you true power. When you make one enemy, your strength becomes half. When you make friends, your strength gets multiplied. It’s not that India doesn’t point out the flaws in other countries; but India does it adeptly in a way that doesn’t create severe negative repercussions in those countries.
Even if there are a thousand criticisms against Prime Minister Modi, we and he (as people and leader) should mutually appreciate each other for India transforming this way on the international stage. I don’t see this solely as his individual achievement; certainly, the hard work of many foreign ministry officials would have played a huge role in us reaching this stage. Therefore, I view this as a collective achievement of this nation.
Nurturing friendship rather than dominance is what will develop a country; that is what is good for all the nations of the world. When two countries fighting affects the livelihood of middle-class salaried workers all around the world, countries should abandon thoughts of exerting dominance. Everyone has to win the world with love and peace.
