The famous Washington DC building ‘Watergate’ which played a key hole in American politics leading to the ouster of president Richard Milhous Nixon is being dismantled. Let us find out what the term means to the younger generation of ‘page 3 obsessed young journalists’. V GANGADHAR investigates.
VG: Look at these wonderful colour pictures of some of the Washington DC, monuments the US Senate, the US Supreme Court, the Pentagon…and this is the famous Watergate building. As young journalism students you should know a lot about this building which played a key role in American media and politics
BMM Student 1: Not sure, was it in the current syllabus? Even if it was not there the term could be interpreted in many other modern topical ways. Is Watergate name of a municipal water tap area which recently witnessed a fight among locals over curtailed water supply hours? The BJP called for a ‘bandh’ over the issue.
VG: Not exactly, though fights often break out over water supply. The current Watergate building though near-death is damaged and will be demolished shortly.
BMM Student 3: Must be the builders, they have such builders in Washington DC too. Powerful builders lobbies with direct access to senators, Congressmen from both, Republicans and Democrats Nixon’s Vice President, Spiro Agnew was sack, Sir will remember.
VG: But Watergate had more to do with political corruption and misguided ambition. We will have to elaborate on these evils? Nixon allowed himself with corrupt aides. One of them boasted that for the president, he was prepared to walk over his grandmother in hobnailed boots!
BMM Student 4 (Girl): Ha, that will not happen in India the land of women’s libbers. We shall save our grandmothers, our boys will snatch the hobnailed boots and wear them on their legs and walk over their leaders.
VG: Well, that is likely to happen, but our women are a tough lit. Uma Bharati for instance is a tough cookie, so is Meenakshi Lekhi. Nixon taped every kind of white House-conversation including his aides, colleagues and was prepared to use them against anyone else including his friends. He had no friends, except that Amit Shah. But now his electoral magic is waned!
BMM student 5: Sir, never underestimate our youth power. The NAVNIRMAN of the 1970’ is reborn in Hardik Patel. If Patels and Patidars are united they are invincible. And Modi has unique strength. The farther he flies away from India, the stronger he becomes. The NDA has plans for him – North and South Poles, South and West Africa and so on. From Jan 26 he will be away from India for 300 days. The country is waiting for his space shot to last 844 days. By the time he returns the Water shortage will be over and it will be pouring.
VG: Not another Chennai, God forbid.
(V Gangadhar writes satire, a special form of humour. Incidents and anecdotes in his column are purely imaginary)
