About Confidence Conferences
In an autocracy, the artists are usually the ones who protest and express dissatisfaction through their art and sometimes thus an art movement is incepted. Take the avant garde movement for instance, which basically means advance guard- a movement that is radical and challenges established norms and boundaries.
Now, after the SKM government came to power, they started Kalakar Bharosa Sammelan (Artist/Artiste Confidence Conferences) where they brazenly started bribing the artists, and I am being generous here, most of these artists are philistine internet personalities where their contribution to art is more detrimental than productive. To be quite honest, the only semblance of art to ever come from this state is either from an upper middle class progeny who had the means to pay their way to a liberal arts degree or publishers. Just look at the periphery, and you'll see Darjeeling still produces better artists. Apart from Jeewan Theeng and to an extent Sanu Lama, the crop of artists Sikkim has produced either hail from an uber rich family or are top bureaucrats. But that's a topic for another day.
Now, the town's abuzz with another Sammelan in the offing- Udyami Bharosa Sammelan. The other day I saw a MLA/Minister inaugurate a protein powder shop or some pharma, and he called the dealer (not even the distributor) a shining example of entrepreneurship. Bro, it's a shop, not some market disrupting venture. The Sammelan will again offer soft bribes to buy the "entrepreneurs" vote. A 'start-up' requires funding and by the type of startups spawning here, finding angel investors is a fool's errand so most are state funded or backed by family members of the ruling government. Bakery, packaged oxygen, artisanal product outlets, opening a grocery shop are not startups.
What does this subreddit think about these sammelans? I think it's a vote-grab tactic or dissent suppression technique or both and people attending it are either disingenuous or truly desperate for handouts or both.