Semiotics of 2014 Gen Election in India & Lord of The Flies

There is a shocking uncanny resemblance of the 2014 India election scene with the William Golding’s ‘Lord of the Flies’. The hunter wants to dominate the weak social order incapable of producing excellence. But unfortunately, unlike in the book, India has no luxury of a foreign messiah rescuing it from the chaos. Will India pay the price & submit meekly to the hunter, as it has on innumerable occasions in pre & post 1947, for its lack of social order capable of producing excellent public order & society?

The antagonist in the Lord of the Flies, Jack, older of the boys left stranded on a deserted island in wake of raging war in the developed world, lacks love & affection for others and he tries to make that up with offers of security & food. In the struggle for acceptance, Jack wins the largest following among the disparate group afraid of its survival & redemption, by persuasion & force both.

In India Narendra Modi wants majority India to support him despite his management of 2002 Gujarat riots. Modi almost resembles Jack who is adept at manipulating others, represents the base instinct of savagery within all human beings, in contrast to civilizing instinct of Ralph, the protagonist.  

Another major character in the LOTF is Piggy, a whining intellectual boy, who represents the scientific, rational side of the civilization, like media & couple of experts therein. The Jacks of the chaotic democracies know that characters like Piggy pose no threat to their dictatorship dream but also help them project a liberal side for publicity, a camouflage. Media in India is like the Piggy.

The chief protagonist in LOTF is Ralph, who is younger to Jack and has backing of the majority in the beginning. Rahul Gandhi campaign is trying to project him as the leader who promises a just civil society capable of delivering all that is promised by the Jack, and with a humane face. Although  some may disagree with my opinion and would like to paint Arvind Kejriwal of Aam Adami Party as the true hero of India’s enactment of LOTF 2014 edition.

Most outside India, who don’t know the Hindutva character of India, find it difficult to understand why a two term Prime Minster of India , a humble, suave sophisticated & brilliant economist Dr Manmohan Singh don’t have same adulation & following within India as abroad?  Well Dr Manmohan Singh is a Sikh & majority of Hindus are not yet ready to accept a non-Hindu as PM of India, even beyond 1947.

President Obama is elected by people of the USA and hence represents their collective morality. On the contrary, Dr Manmohan Singh can’t win an election despite being the PM of India. Simon in the LOFT is the only person whose sense of morality does not seem to have been imposed by the society. Simon represents natural goodness, in contrast to unbridled evil of Jack & imposed morality of civilization represented by Ralph & Piggy.  A Simon can’t be first past the post in contest for power.

Akali Dal & Shiv Sena are to BJP what Sam and Eric are to Jack in the LOTF. Congress too has its own band of likeminded parties that support it for from time to time based on mutually profitable terms that has nothing to do with development of India. Those who have read LOTF would see many characters like Roger, in Indian political scene too, who are willing to kill for a consideration.

Although many Indians believe that India is no island and it is a super power or going to be superpower which has lot of respect in the world but when they travel abroad their dream gets shattered. India is still like an island that needs to work hard to grow into a continent of power and so it must choose wisely. The Ralphs may not look strong with enough killer instincts but such characters give promise of a just & civilized society which can integrate itself with rest of humanity on the planet. A Jack can hack well but they should be contained to some island for sake of humanity.