This is an embarrassing admission to make, but I don’t know what a Sengol is. I know every Indian on the planet is supposed to know about this mysterious, magical object by now, but I haven’t done any research. It dominated news channels and newspaper columns for days, so I know what it looks like, but I’m not sure I understand its history or significance. I know I could have looked, but I simply avoided trying to find out. I have no excuse for my behaviour.

If I am being honest, I suppose I decided not to Google the object because to do so would take away from the majesty of the spectacle surrounding it. I wanted to just revel in the glitter and glamour of those many holy men and the world’s most respected Prime Minister, without wondering why someone was handing it over to someone else, and why there was so much bowing, praying and chanting involved. All I knew for a fact was that the one thing our government does well is spectacle, for which I am always grateful. So, like any normal Indian, I accepted that this Sengol was important, that Parliament wouldn’t be able to function without it, and that the ceremony was critical for India’s future as a world power. We are nothing without a Sengol, I told myself.