The difference between Indian and Western Culture starts with toilet - they use commode and we squat. It was said by non other than Bal Thackeray, the controversial Siv Sena leader from Maharashtra. I was reminded of this monologue of him from one of his interviews as I watched the trailer of his biopic Thackeray, both in Hindi and Marathi.
Awaaz kunacha? Shiv Sena cha! (Whose voice is it? The Shiv Sena's!)' - the self proclaimed Tiger roars in the Marathi version of the movie. He gets bolder when he leaves no stones unturned against South Indians in Mumbai with his diatribe "UTTHAO LUNGI, BAJAO PUNGI" (Lift their Lungi and Kick their ass), alluding to the attire of mostly Tamil and Malayali immigrants in Bombay. From South Indians whom he described as YENDU GENDU WALE poking fun at their accents to Muslims and BHAIYYAs the deregotively described cowbelt immigrants to Bombay from Bihar and UP, Bal Thackeray spared no one.
In one of his rare praises on a Muslim, he eulogized Abdul Hamid, the hero of India's war against Pakistan in 1965 while otherwise being virulently and overtly anti Muslim. Once he openly questioned the shops being closed in Muslim dominated Bhendi Bazaar area after the Pakistani dictator Zia Ul Haq died in 1988 and bursting of fireworks in the Muslim dominated areas when Pakistan regularly defeated India in cricket matches in the late 1980s. He also revered Hitler for the German's love for his nation, though he described the killing of the Jews as ghastly.
On occasions he was Congress friendly describing Indira Gandhi as a strong lady for carving out Bangladesh from his bette noire Pakistan. Congress and Industrialists of Bombay used him to break the backbone of Worker Unions who under the leadership of George Fernandez and Dutta Samant (later assassinated) would bring Bombay to as screeching halt with lightning strikes. Siv Sena goons under Thackeray's leadership straightened out the Commies. Interestingly, a known hater of outsiders was soft on Gujjus who dominated business of Bombay with his utterance - one should not bite the hand which feeds you.
In one of his press conferences, a rookie reporter addressed him as 'Bal Thackeray'. The Sena chieftain sternly intervened to insist that he must be called 'Balasaheb Thackeray'.
Training his big eyeballs piercing through thick glasses he told in a chilling tone to the young Journalist, 'Mee tuzhya borabar lahanpani gotya nahi khel lo (I didn't play marbles with you during my childhood).'
The implication was clear, the threat distinct. 'Okay, Saheb,' came the meek reply.
Khushwant Singh, the eminent Sikh writer and no fan of Bal Thackeray inadvertently took on the later when he wrote that Shivaji needlessly killed Afzal Khan when the burly Muslim general came to embrace him. The furious Shiv Sena chief ordered copies of the Periodicals which carried the Sardar's article burnt on the streets of Bombay.
Ironically the role of Bal Thackeray, also known as Senpati is played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, a Muslim from the State of UP - neither the community and people from the state which the Maratha leader was fond of. It denotes that the secular fabric of India is intact in its art and culture. Being a lover of biopics - it will be interesting to watch the movie, come January.
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