[Assam] What a country!

[Rajib Das]

What a country
Posted by: "Arun Goyal" studies1 at eth.net   arung52
Tue Oct 3, 2006 4:41 am (PST)
Felling Ravana at the Ramlila ground in Delhi

What a Country! The uncrowned queen of India Sonia
presides over the
    main ceremony to fell the evil Ravana and his
brothers Meghnad and
    Kumbhakaran at the Capital's Ramlila grounds. Its
half past six on 2
    October, there she sits on the dais, waiting for
the moment when the
    bow in her hand will release the arrow to fell the
villain who flew
    the pretty Sita off to far Lanka.

    Acolytes, followers, hangers on, busy bodies with
and without wives
    flock to the stage and queue up before before Her
Majesty. In proper
    one at a time order they offer Sonia gifts in easy
to carry
    9"x6"x4"size jewellery box presentations sets.
(Madam has a passion
    for jewellery, specially of the craft veriety.)
Sonia is disciplined
    and well trained, she gets up with alacrity,
accepts the box with a
    quick smile with the dimples well in place. Some
include daughter
    Priyanka Vadra in the gift giving. There are two
or three in the
    queue who even take the third step for Robert
Vadra, the failed
    handicraft exporter who is father of the child of
Priyanka. Bob also
    gets a box.

    Wonder what they will do with all these gifts,
under the rules the
    offerings will stay with them, none of three
occupies an official
    position only gifts in the course of official
duties go to the
    toshakhana . In any case, there is nothing
official about Ramlila.
    (Must find out what Imelda did with all her
sandals). Poor Shiela
    Dixit, the chief minister of Delhi, sits alone on
the dais at the
    side but nobody gives her anything,. (Sheelu
Bhabhi, her
    affectionate title in Delhi, must be sidelining
herself
    deliberately, the stage is only for the maharani,
a rani must stay
    her position. Bhabhi is smart.)

    The sun is setting, its time for Ravana to fall
for the misdeeds
    that he did once but must but for which as he has
suffered year
    after year through all these centuries ever since
Tulsi resurrected
    Ram and Ramayana.

    Sonia lets go, the arrow flies, its now fireworks
action: sound and
    light, the demons totter dramatically trying to
hold out but gravity
    pulls, finally, the crash in a shower of bright
embers. Ravana falls
    first, Meghnad follows and Kumbhakaran, the sleepy
one, is the last
    join the grave of the bad brothers. Kids squeal in
joy, women feel
    strong and vindicated, the men smoke bidis and
nudge others to start
    moving towards the exits of the ground.

    What a country, a devout Roman Christian downs the
demons in a Hindu
    legend, backed by a daughter who is one fourth
Brahmin, one fourth
    Parsi and half Christian, a son in law who is full
Christian and a
    grand son who is one eighth Brahmin, one eigth
Parsi and three
    fourth Christian. What would the Pope say to this
heathen act.
    Tulsidas must write a sequel to say that it is all
a matter of
    bhakti.

    But what a country, we don't mind, which is more
than toleration.
    They say that at the end of it all, only India
will remain on the
    earth.

    Enjoy

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