First Person | The Art of Illusionism

Ghazala Wahab

There are two ways of achieving one’s objective. The ‘First Way’ is difficult and runs the risk of only partial success, if not complete failure. One has to set an objective, draw up a strategy as well as a roadmap, fix accountability and timelines, review progress and prepare alternatives if the original strategy doesn’t work. Most importantly, one needs foresight and flexibility to review the objective itself if the circumstances have changed.

The ‘Other Way’ is to claim that the objective has been achieved. All this requires is a narrative, through the media and public posturing that the supreme leader has achieved the objective set out before the nation. The only risk here is not actually achieving the objective. But that’s in any case does not matter. Because the objective now is not to achieve the objective, but only to convey to the people that the objective has been achieved.

India seems to be living this secondary reality right now. The only facts that matter today are the one’s which the government claims and citizens accept. Everything else is propaganda.

One of the post-truth facts is that India today is one of the major powers in the world. When the Indian Prime Minister speaks, the world pauses to listen. Such is India’s global stature for the first time in 75 years since Independence, that the prime minister’s advice is sought by the world leaders. Since now we are up there with the developed world, or the West, their concerns are our concerns; and their interests are our interests. It’s almost as if India has lifted itself out of its geographic location and is figuratively hovering above the earth, straddling different parts of the western world.

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