The city used to witness bandhs when there would be a total breakdown of transport and a forced holiday. Nowadays there are no bandhs as such but calls for assembling in a central place has the same effect as a bandh.
Durga had come out of her kitchen. She was wiping her wet hands on the pallu of her saree and observing the Lord.
‘Things are always happening down there,’ she said. ‘What is it now?’
‘I don’t know. Is there any festival that I am not aware of?’ Shiva asked.
‘Yes,’ Durga replied. ‘It is a festival of free meals.’
‘How come?’
‘The leader wants to talk to her subjects and has called them to the city,’ Durga explained.
‘What does she want to talk about?’
‘About her vision,’ Durga said. ‘She is a visionary and loves her Hawaii chappal and the plain white saree. And - she does cover her head on certain occasions to impress certain groups.’
‘That is nothing new,’ Shiva muttered. ‘All political leaders do it – they love to get themselves photographed in the dress of other cultures. Leaders are like chameleons. But – tell me. How did she get the villages to come to the city all together? What is the magic?’
‘It is the magic of free food,’ Durga said. ‘They have arrived in the night and had dinner. Next morning it was breakfast followed by lunch.’
‘But they were supposed to listen to her messages.’
‘It is all a one-woman show,’ Durga sighed. ‘She loves to hear her own voice. She allows her imagination to run wild and build castles in the air. She is not bothered about who has heard her and who has not.’
‘She is no exception. That is what all politicians do.’
‘Moreover, our lady is an accomplished artist,’ Durga reminded. ‘Her canvases sell for lakhs of rupees. She can paint real rosy pictures.’
‘Yes,’ Shiva said and placed the binoculars on the hillock. ‘She is an asset.’ (to be continued …)
Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org
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