Having bought their way in as soon as the schedule was out, there was no other place they would rather be at. They'd watched him on the small screen, and then on much larger LED screens. But, what's larger than life needs to be experienced in person to be fully realized, and so they waited for him, chanting his name, wearing masks and other merchandise, waving scarfs and posters. Though he offers a new soundbite every time he speaks, they know the catch phrase, and show their adoration for him by voicing their own variations of it. The anticipation would have been a spectacle in itself but for its being reminiscent of the atmosphere everywhere he has been.
Finally, he arrives, cheered all the way to the spotlight of thousands of eyes. He waves acknowledging the waves that have flown in at his feet. He has the microphone in hand, but before speaking, he decides to soak in the energy in the air and surveys the field of view. The applause and adulation amplify till he draws the microphone closer, signalling for silence.
He begins to speak, the cadence picking up till he is at his chafing best, and puts down everyone he perceives to be against him on account of their expressing their doubts and disappointments. The rant, seemingly extemporaneous, reflects a presence of mind that ensures rapt attention of the audience - an attention he confirms by pausing regularly, after suggestive utterances, to allow the audience to fill in. And fill in they do in the most rambunctious manner. Ever conscious of his audience's receptivity, he halts and listens. To his detractors, this is the sign of his inexorable self-absorption, as he takes in a sip of water along with a thunderous splattering of chants of his name. To him, it is feedback on whether he should continue speaking in the same tenor or improvise. And improvise he does, expertly, when needed.
He has had his say. He now needs to rest and recuperate before he slips into and out of another hive of buzzing fans. He extends his arms up, revealing a muscular frame and an expansive chest, within which - the rants would suggest - is housed a heart that filled to the brim with the sympathies he had as a child, leaving no room for a mellowing of feelings. They continue to chant his name as he disappears from view.
Now, to most of you who've been charmed by the self-assured sloganeering of a strong speaker only recently, either because you only watch news channels or because you're parents wanted to keep you from imbibing violence, the man I'm speaking of would seem to be the nation's PM in waiting. But to those of you who are also professional wrestling aficionados and can remember the scene from the turn of the century, this piece, I'm sure, reminds you of the most electrifying man in sports-entertainment, the People's Champ, The Rock. Interestingly, the similarities of the General Election 2014 with the wrestling world do not end there. Much like most of The Rock's bouts, this contest too is bereft of suspense, aware as we are of the result and the victor. Anyone taking on The Rock would be a jobber, and the jobbers in this contest are equally identifiable.
The election, in a way, is not as entertaining as The Great One's fights. Here, after all, there will be no unbelievable kick outs, or the digging deep to summon the last of one's reserves to deliver the Rock Bottom and pin down the opponent. You might have been able to smell what The Rock was cooking, but there would still be unpredictability about how and when he would the serve up the humbling pie of defeat to his rival and own his 'roody pooh candy ass,' whatever that really was! Where's the entertainment minus the drama in action?
The election, in a way, is not as entertaining as The Great One's fights. Here, after all, there will be no unbelievable kick outs, or the digging deep to summon the last of one's reserves to deliver the Rock Bottom and pin down the opponent. You might have been able to smell what The Rock was cooking, but there would still be unpredictability about how and when he would the serve up the humbling pie of defeat to his rival and own his 'roody pooh candy ass,' whatever that really was! Where's the entertainment minus the drama in action?
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