Attached is a story which is a zeitgeist of our times. This was forwarded by a friend of mine and I have made some changes to make it relevant. Being a work of fiction,much like the cartoons that appear in dailies, it is hoped that these entities will not have apoplectic fits and claim that they have been defamed or defiled.Post Nomamata Banitrjee, even this is something that we cannot take for granted. Legally speaking this is clearly in the realm of fair comment,public interest and creative license.
An Old Story:
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold. Indian Version: The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. NDTV, BBC, CNN, Aaj Tak, Kal Tak, Parson Tak,A TV, BTV, Zee TV, Star TV,Sun TV, Sky TV, Earth TV, Underground TV, etal show up to provide pictures of the shivering Grasshoppernext to a video of the Ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so? Aggarbathi Roy stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house. Nagina Seekhellvad claims that the grass hopper is a minority and alleges human right violations and demonstrates in whichever TV talk show she is invited to. Alleges that Narendra Modi and the Mumbai Police may have a hand in the grasshopper's situation and may kill him in false encounters. Media Batkar goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter . Mayagayawati states this as `injustice' done on Minorities. Armsnesty International, Mankiboond and Hellary Glutton criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper. The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper and facebook groups are started (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) . Opposition MPs stage a walkout. "Left hand only" parties call for 'Bengal Bandh' in West Bengal and a Hartal in Kerala demanding a Judicial Enquiry. The hartal and bandh then continues the next day in Kerala as official mourning day/martyrs day, since somebody or the other gets killed in the violence, which is often the case. Public property damaged is blamed on RSS and anti- social elements out to destabilize the left movement. In Bengal everyday has been akin to a hartal or Bandh for the last two decades, so no one notices any difference. Communalists Parading as Marxists in Kerala, immediately propose a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and Grasshoppers. On the streets, grass hoppers extract nokku kooli ( protection money/hafta) for any work done by anybody for anybody. Uloo Prasad demands allocation of one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian RailwayTrains, aptly named as the 'Grasshopper Rath'. Promises more train accidents in Bihar if this is not done. Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the ' Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act' [POTAGA], with effect from the beginning of the winter. Harjune Singh makes 'Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & in Government Services. The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA/ and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes,it's home is confiscated by the Government and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV, BBC, CNN, Aaj Tak, Kal Tak, Parson Tak,A TV, BTV, Zee TV, Star TV,Sun TV, Sky TV, Earth TV, Underground TV, Asianet, Keralanet,Banglanet etal. Aggarbathi Roy calls it ' A Triumph of Justice'. Ulloo calls it 'Socialistic Justice '. Communalists Parading as Marxists calls it the ' Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden ' BankiMoon invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly. Shashi Tharoor cannot even invite himself to the UN, as he has been relegated to the cattle class by the diplomats after he lost the elections and then his Cabinet post. Many years later... The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley, 100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation and thirst despite reservation somewhere in India...
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