My mind shreds in millions of pieces when it is a holiday, and I find nothing to lament over. Why mind wanders listlessly, I wonder and not become as the politicians focused on issues: Ram Mandir, Durga Puja etc. Economy? You must be joking! That is for the opposition to drill holes and the finance minister’s job has been made easier merely issuing clarifications to the criticisms.
Talking about Durga Pujas, the state of West Bengal has slipped into a spirited frenzy of long holidays, which was extended by the grace of memories of Gandhi and Lal Bahadur Shastri. The inauguration of the Puja pandals has become a tug of war between the TMC and the BJP. I wish not to elaborate as I have detailed pujas in another earlier post of mine.
Religion has been forced to make way to the celebrations as the ‘goddess’ is inaugurated from pandal to pandal in a competition by leaders of the two warring parties. The gods and goddess are in a turmoil as to which side they should lean in 2020 and 21. I guess it may not be strange to find pandals dismantled and resized smaller for the Lakshmi Puja and immediately rebuilt for the next years’ puja. The inauguration could be done in advance just as we see the walls reserved for the poll graffities.
I thought ‘Abki baar’ Modi had returned from the US, but he was seen on another quick foreign jaunt ‘Phir ek baar,’ inaugurating whatever in Mauritius. The man sure has energy, making his whole cabinet redundant, just like Trump.
Of the many great things (!) done by Modi Sarkar, the crowning was the banning of e-cigarettes. The government has proven to be a poor man’s friend, contrary to the criticisms to the contrary by keeping the beedis out of the ambit of the ban. What is the poor die of cancer? The government forever committed to their causes from one of their renamed ‘Yojanas’ could treat all the poor afflicted for free, if not anywhere, in Delhi hospitals. This can be the only way to end the oppressive rule of Arvind Kejriwal by populating Delhi with even more sick people!.
The season’s take is ‘I dare you,’ by Greta Thunberg and the world dividing between her supporters and haters. The natural resources are stagnant or receding, simply because of one reason, burgeoning population. We are producing like rabbits, which requires a trim. Hungry bellies and thirsty throats will not easily understand the meaning of environment. I guess the world leaders will respond to the emergency with the same alacrity as reducing the ozone layer.
One advertisement on a TV channel caught my eyes. It was a non-stop, round the year, many times a day clip from Gabon priding itself from the abundant wood resources. It seems that Gabon has been receiving substantial aid to preserve their forests from Norway. They are getting even more money from the felling of the same trees and selling to many veneer companies, including forty from India. Can that be called a two-way-trade?
I might have earned my bread and made my editor happy in pushing the garbage out of my head and into the FB pages.
Enjoy pujas!
Sampath Kumar
Intrépide Voix
