Columns: Dilip Bobb

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Approaching the new millennium, the loudest sound being heard is the clash of symbols. And it's not music to the ears. Or the Year, for that matter. Thanks to an unexpected electoral downpour, the most durable images of an India about to enter the 21st century are not exactly harbingers of hope. But then, as the pessimists (a.k.a. the average Indian) would say, when was it never so? Still, at least they are new ones which, in a sense, means there has been progress. Judge for yourself.

A DTC Bus: It isn't possible to get more symbolic than this. The Delhi Transport Corporation has always earned itself a solid reputation for breakdowns: the streets of the capital are littered with the proof. However, it was their VIP version, with air-conditioning, celebrity passengers and the shortest possible run, which symbolised the biggest breakthrough and the biggest breakdown. Two-in-one, as earlier symbolised by the Dubai-returnee. Now used by the Congress and its fellow passengers to paint the prime minister as a walking advertisement for Eyes Wide Shut.

The Priyanka Wave: Maneka Gandhi, rather uncharitably, once described the Sonia-Priyanka road show as a pair of "Windscreen Wipers". She was referring to them waving to the crowds. This time, there's a difference, though the BJP insists it's indifference. The 1999 model Priyanka is, according to Congress spin doctors, creating a wave akin to the Mexican wave popular in football matches, but with an Italian flavour. If there was one alluring symbol of an otherwise sordid campaign, it was undoubtedly her. Her saying that it will be "a long, long time" before we see her in politics means nothing; in Indian politics, one year is a very long time. It's now the average length of a Parliament term.

The Kargil Martyr: Actually, it doesn't seem to martyr. Thanks to the Great Indian Dope Trick, which is the ability to turn any victory into a crushing defeat. Thanks to media leaks and Congress opportunism, the high of Kargil has, very rapidly, sunk to a new low. Forget the feel-good factor. Or the real heroes. It's now, as predictably as a Bollywood script, the villain's turn. Who did what, to whom, and when, has created new martyrs, who, sadly and undeservingly, have quickly overshadowed the real ones. Thanks to the confusion created, there will be no Kargil anniversary celebrations since nobody can agree on the dates.

Sachin's Back: This does not refer to his return as captain, but to the collective agony of one billion people who have fears of the worst medical diagnosis to ever hit the country since Amitabh Bachchan's. The fact that without him the Indian cricket team is spineless has something to do with it. Symbolically, his inability to lead from the front will set the country back.

Foot in Mouth: The most enduring symbol of all. A khadi-clad politician with one foot in his mouth and one hand held out as a symbol of, well ... a hand-out.

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