I have no respect for our political leaders in Delhi. I never have, and never will. I have been asked to be respectful, by people who seem to have turned them into demigods instead of accepting them as the career bureaucrats they really are. They aren’t even good at their jobs, eliminating the possibility of my respecting them as professionals. Saying this is not allowed though, because the act of criticism has been turned into a crime. If I mention this on Twitter, for instance, I will be asked to apologise, by people who don’t know me, and refuse to accept any opinion that differs from their own.

We have a problem with servility that defines every aspect of our lives. It’s why our ministers—most of whom are accused of serious crimes that would lead to jail time in most countries that treated law and order seriously—are greeted not with contempt but with the folding of hands. We bow down to them, lay out red carpets, applaud when they open their mouths, and accept their inane statements as wisdom. It is this need to bend over for no apparent reason that has made it possible for charlatans of every hue to step in and take control of our lives for centuries. This is why growing a beard is now given more importance than doing any real work.