Dystopia

September 5,2017

 Dystopia - is a community or society which is undesirable or frightening. It is antonym of "Utopia" - which is ideal society.

We Indians use a term for ideal society - Ramarajya - Rama is the hero of the epic Ramayana. His kingdom was supposedly very good. People were honest. Rulers were kind etc.

But again I wonder about Sita did she think Ramarajya was Ramarajya? The fully pregnant queen who was sent to forest because her husband wanted to prove something to his subjects. 

Anyways, so Ramarajya. We also have read in our history lessons that Vijayanagar empire was very very good. People never closed their front doors. So there were no thieves, no robbers. Gold, pearls and diamonds were sold on footpath. 

But this could have been part of  a book by one of their courtiers - and with enough exaggerations.

At least now, we all feel we are in the middle of dystopia. Rulers do not care about citizens. Citizens are petty minded and money minded. People kill each other over trivial issues.

But some times I wonder. Were people better than this any time? Were rulers kind and considerate? At all? Ever? Or have we not been told the ugly truths of good old days?  So was it always ravanarajya instead of ramarajya? We do hear about certain cruelties which existed in olden days. Which makes us shiver. So may be utopias were nothing but "modified" truths written by people who were paid to do so?