The people present in the region clicked selfies with the man in Chaplin's garb.
In a particularly bizarre case in Maharashtra, a man dressed as Charlie Chaplin arrived at a polling booth in Aurangabad to cast his vote, much to the amusement of the other voters present in the area.
The people present in the region clicked selfies with the man in Chaplin's garb.
The man cosplaying as Chaplin also appealed to the people present there to always exercise their democratic right to vote, on coming out of the booth after casting his own vote.
The feature comes off as particularly eventful because Charlie Chaplin, in addition to being a historic icon of comic acting, was also a celebrated champion of democracy. His pro-democracy stance particularly rose to fame after a moving speech in his 1940 political satire comedy-drama film, The Great Dictator, which he ended with the words - "...in the name of democracy, let us all unite!"
1. A call for democracy
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The man cosplaying as Charlie Chaplin was seen with a bunch of voters present at the polling booth in Aurangabad and celebrating the idea of the citizens' right to vote in a democratic setup.
Charlie Chaplin had in 1940, when the world was riling with the threat of Adolf Hitler's fascist policies, called to the citizens of America, "You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure. Then - in the name of democracy - let us use that power - let us all unite!"
2. Towards a better future
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"We all want to help one another," Chaplin had said, "Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other’s happiness—not by each other’s misery. We don’t want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way."
As India marks yet another round of elections, it is perhaps important to remember that the country's future is what matters the most, and the people to be able to live freely and happily in it. In such a state, Chaplin's image reminds us of the importance of democracy.
3. Maharashtra Elections: A fresh contest
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In Maharashtra, polling in 288 assembly constituencies is underway to decide the fate of 3,237 candidates.
BJP and Shiv Sena are once again having a pre-poll alliance with the former contesting on 164 seats and Sena on 124 seats.
The top BJP leadership including Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah aggressively campaigned on their move to end the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and raised Opposition's questioning of the move.
Congress and NCP are contesting on an equal number of seats i.e 125 each.
Maharashtra and Haryana assembly are taking place simultaneously and the counting of votes will take place on October 24.
4. Chaplin for a better future
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The campaigning for Maharashtra assembly elections came to an end on Saturday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and NCP chief Sharad Pawar were among the top leaders who campaigned in Maharashtra where abrogation of Article 370 and the slowing economy were among the top issues.
Chaplin's vision shapes us for a better future, perhaps this is the idea that the man cosplaying as Charlie Chaplin wanted to instil in the minds of all those present near the polling booth in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
