Didi in a relaxed mood, plans for Book Fair (satire)

Didi had all of a sudden gone into hiding which was a bit strange because she likes to, always, be in the limelight. But, she had a hectic time for the last couple of weeks and was famished. Her doctors had ensured that the energy she had lost was recouped but, her voice had cheated her and she was forced to remain in the sidelines till her fiery voice regained its original level.
Abhi Shake had come to meet her and found Dee Wreck already at her side with his laptop. He was explaining to Didi his latest strategy. And, Didi was listening to his soft voice.
‘Yes Abhi,’ she looked at him and took a sip of her favorite ginger tea. It was a sure shot energy booster in winter but, even in humid summer, it was a welcome drink.

‘My boys want to meet you,’ Abhi said. ‘They have some useful tips that could help our cause.’
‘What sort of tips?’ Didi asked.
‘They want a clean-up contract,’ Abhi said.
‘Clean up? Why is everyone so intent on clean-up operations? What is there to clean up?’
‘The walls,’ Abhi muttered. ‘They want to clean up the defaced walls. Irrespective of which party has made the mess, my boys will remove every bit of wall writings and posters.’
‘Fine,’ Didi looked pleased. ‘Ask them to take photographs and preserve the writings. Some of them are real works of arts and, only Bengalis can create such masterpieces. We will compile them and sell them in the next Book Fair.’
‘Fantastic idea,’ Dee Wreck was all smiles. ‘We will append the translations and, I am sure the compilation would find a huge market.’
‘Let it be priced in dollars,’ Didi sad. ‘That way, we’ll get more money. A price tag of $50 would be chicken feed to foreigners but it would mean nearly Rs 3000 per book. And, that is quite an amount.’ (to be continued …)


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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Lord Shiva intrigued by the writing on the walls (satire)

Lord Shiva was deep in thought and Durga noticed the expression on his face and knew that he was intrigued by something – she had to find out what it was.
‘Did you sleep well?’ she asked.
The Lord grunted something and nodded his head.
‘Was the ganja not up to the mark?’ she asked the next question. ‘Did Bhringi give you stale ganja?’
‘No, it is not that. I am seeing the writing on the walls and am worried.’
‘What writing? Which wall?’
‘All the walls are crowded with colorful writings – artists are toiling day and night to display their artistic skills.’
‘It’s all a part of their Skill India initiative,’ Durga explained. ‘This is election time and West Bengal is probably the only state in the country where people let loose their imagination through beautiful slogans and equally beautiful wall paintings and writings.’
Yes,’ Saraswati joined the conversation. ‘Come election time, the walls become public property and artists descend with their buckets of paints and scores of brushes to make mincemeat out of political party leaders.

‘How are the artists faring?’
‘These boys and girls are experts with their brushes and also have a flair for playing with words,’ Saraswati said. ‘They can dream up rhymes that will leave you spellbound.’
‘That is the trouble with Bengalis,’ Durga sighed. ‘They are poets and artists at heart. It has been going on for ages and has become an integral part of their culture. That is why they are not interested in industries.’
‘Yes,’ Ganesh had also joined the group. ‘Even if industries did come to Bengal, the boys may not want to join them as employees. You can take a horse to the pond but you cannot force it to drink water.’
‘If you ask me, I’ll say let them be happy with their poetry and dreams,’ Saraswati said. ‘Heavy industries need strong and sturdy men. These boys would be misfits. That is why they should explore possibilities of pursing other industries.’
‘Wall paintings during election time is a tradition that has been going on for ages,’ Durga said. ‘I see it as a vent for pent up passions and anger that are released via artistic mediums like paintings and rhymes.’
‘Intellectuals may swear by poems that do not believe in rhymes, but, when it comes to slogans, rhymes are a must,’ Saraswati now said. ‘Otherwise, how can one express ones innermost thoughts and take swipes at the position?’
‘Anyway – the writing on the walls add to the excitement of elections,’ Durga went on. ‘The artists have to think out the words – they must be specific, humorous and must drive home the point. The words must leave a deep mark and must be selected with care so that they can form attractive jingles and slogans.’
‘But – these jobs are not full time jobs,’ Lord Shiva was puzzled. ‘What do they do for a living?’
‘They do odd jobs,’ Ganesh replied. ‘They have their own syndicates.’ (to be continued …)


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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