And hunger strikes back

Everything was sailing smooth in this country. The garib aadmi was surviving on bhagwan ki duwa, the sarkari aadmi was guzzling up 'chai-pani'

And hunger strikes back

Everything was sailing smooth in this country. The garib aadmi was surviving on bhagwan ki duwa, the sarkari aadmi was guzzling up 'chai-pani'.

And the aam aadmi drunk as skunk on our World Cup victory was waiving the national flag standing on the roof of his Nano and shouting, "Mera Bharat Mahan'.

And then a very skilled man born to an unskilled labourer, came to the capital and said no 'khana-peena' from today. This brave 71-year-old grandpa called Kisan Baburao Hazare went on a hunger strike to eradicate corruption. Strangely, people from all walks of life joined him. Students, office goers, filmstars and socialites (they strongly denied the fasting had anything to do with their figure or the ongoing fashion week in the capital). Even someone called Lalit Modi tweeted in his support.

All this commotion scared the hell out of me and my appetite went for a toss. I'm a bachelor, yet to find a sundar, sushil, gori, chitti bride and raise pampered and irresponsible kids. But thanks to this whole 'kill corruption business' it suddenly seems like an unattainable goal. When my children grow up there won't be schools I can bribe and get them admitted into.

No special favours would be rendered to them and they'll have study their lazy derrieres off through competitive exams. I won't be able to exercise influence over an official or an employer to secure them a job. Nobody would grease my children's sensitive palms thus a house, a car and a fat bank balance would never become a reality. Foreign trips, Diwali gifts, bacchon ke liye mithai and bhabijee ke liye chotti si bhent would be fairytales my next generation would encounter only during their school trips to museums.

A very different India my children would inherit! Or so I thought. Until I focused my attention towards the ongoing elections in Tamil Nadu. Everybody seems to be hungry there and nobody is talking about hunger strikes, not anymore at least. While their leaders are invoking Gods in their respective temples and offering them bhog in one of the most unpredictable elections in a state, the party members are very predictably distributing prasad among the voters in the form of freebies, money and liquor through NGOs and students.

Forty million voters were to decide the fortune of 2,773 candidates. But it will be the other way around now.
And that is when I realised my concern was futile. My child will inherit the same India, I'm living in.

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