The murderous mom is no one's best friend
In the last few days the number of people who chorus "I feel like I did not know her at all" is growing by the minute . This is their reaction to the tale of Indrani Mukerjea, the allegedly 'murderous mom' who was the toast of Mumbai till a few weeks ago. She had been probably to every party in town and was from the start a savvy politician.
She ticks all the boxes of the quintessential ambitious woman, straight out of a Harold Robbins novel. Small town girl leaves behind a sorry past, a divorce and two children, and marries a man in a city so large that she can be both anonymous, as well as reinvent herself. Then she dumps husband number two, once again reinvents herself and marries yet another, much more rich and powerful man in another city she herself becomes wealthy, and yet hides a fatal secret that drives her, allegedly, to strangle her own daughter. Written on the jacket of a book, this would be a sure fire bestseller.
But in real life, this character is messy, complex, and deeply manipulative. Yet, her existence is possible in a society which respects position and power, so that whatever she proclaimed was taken for the truth.
Fortunately, I really did not know her, and so I can wonder at her ability to keep multiple secrets. As I said on a TV channel, being a crime novelist I can only admire the skill of the perfect villain, who is able to front several identities and hide a hundred secrets, while appearing nonchalant. We strive to invent these creatures who are always two steps ahead of everyone else, but rarely do we encounter them in real life.
But was Indrani really as evil as she is being made out to be or is she being helped silently by all those who profess innocence today? The prolonged disappearance of a young girl not being questioned is more of a reflection on the society we live in, than on any one person.
And that is exactly the point in this morality tale: if you step out of line, or over reach, the past will knock you off your perch. A lot of people, who knew her are now more than willing to accuse her of a thousand crimes.
In the past few days, Indrani Mukerjea has gone from media tycoon to jailbird and the real reason she could do this, undoubtedly, is due to the distance we maintain from each other. The inability to communicate and the reluctance to interfere in so called private matters.
The anonymity of our lives is inexplicable. Even when there are reasons to bond, most city dwellers would prefer a quiet evening. At parties the middle classes will exchange just a few words about each other, because many of fare simply not interested in sharing any really detailed information. In an air kissing, social circus, who has the time to find out more about us?