There are many analyses of Udhav Thackeray’s fall, but at heart, we see how the needs of politics and governance are often at odds with each other. Whatever his limitations as a political leader, his methodical approach to the pandemic, the speaking in facts without false claims or bluster, created a breathing space of sincerity in the midst of the cynicism which currently suffocates our culture.

Cynicism, is defined as the unwillingness to believe in anything. But its unique feature in contemporary times is willful gullibility about provably false accusations, for the thrill of the harm they do to others. It’s tempting to attribute this solely to right-wing thought, but it goes hand-in-hand with people scoffing at idealism as pretence, dismissing love as a construct, calculating all utterances (irrespective of ideological leaning) for social media traction, making films and shows solely based on data points and marketing grids, and corporate lip service to social change. There are no causes, only effects. And there is commentary, as cyclical as the cynicism. How many times will liberals quote by rote “will there be singing in the dark times?” We could retort, “Will there be tweeting in the bad times? Oh wait, the tweeting about the bad times, is the bad times.” But in truth that would in itself be a pointless cynicism. So we trawl for small flowers and different notes in this hardened world.