T’is a year long night,
Boon for wandering minds
To reprise the days, the mood swings
That wombed the quaint, the bizarre, and thoughts not so bright.
2020, a nightmarish year that no living souls found a parallel in the past. Whoever dreamed of a nation, quarantined, racked by doubts- to lock or to unlock, in grip of a consuming fear of Corona contagion and eschewing all forms of socializing, economy seemingly blighting beyond repair, shopping complexes deserted , streets with sparse traffic , the ones out looking more like masked, shielded figures out of Star Trek ?
Outside this crucible of pandemic stresses, the world moved hesitantly hoping the pandemic would wear itself out. Trump got trumped without making ‘America Great’, but presiding over ‘America First’ in global Corona infestation. The Chinese did more than mere picnicking inside India, they pitched tent and stayed put. BJP’s juggernaut of electoral wins continued to move majestically. After 11th Nov 1111, (11111111) we had a palindrome day, 2nd Feb 2020 (02022020). An unsolved mystery was carried forward to 2021 for quick resolution- is the ‘Great Successor’, Kim Sung Un of North Korea active or vegetative ? In a supposed democracy, the legislature consecrated Vladimir Putin as President for life. Snowfall in Baghdad......... .
Nearer home we had our share of the abracadabra.
1. A cricket crazed nation that we are, even Corona scare failed to cool the ardour for the game. IPL was held ,albeit, to empty stadia and audio records of spectator din, cheers, howls of past games played in sync with action on field. Games real, crowds virtual.
2. And in a twenty twenty year true to 20-20 form our politics played doubly quick. Modi- “The Mahabharata war was won in 18 days, this war the whole country is fighting against Corona Virus will take 21 days”.
3. Pakistan bans non-Kashmiri visits to PoK. But the irrepressibly ebullient, Kangana Ranaut , with rare creative elan made the impossible eminently possible. She designated Mumbai as a look alike PoK.
4. Chief of Defence Staff, Bipin Rawat, took a leaf out of his sworn enemy China's Red Book, which sanctions ‘Re-education camps’ for Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Mr Rawat suggested setting up ‘de-radicalisation camps’ for Kashmiri youth, a concept that does cause some unease as the Chinese term ,‘Re-education camp’, is just an euphemism for concentration camp.
5. The dichotomy in social attitudes towards rape re-manifested itself. Kamal Bhasin “ why do you place your community’s honour in a woman’s vagina “
Ranjeet Shrivastav ,BJP lawman, “If no one sees you being raped, it means you had an affair with the rapist”
6. The pandemic put into public domain some ingenious remedies to scare, propitiate the Corona Virus.
Ram Das Athwale, RPI, chanting , “Go Corona, Go Corona, Go Corona.”
Suman Haripriya, BJP lawman, “When cow urine is sprayed it purifies an area . I believe something similar could be done with gaumutra, and gobar to cure Corona virus”
Swami chakrapani, All India Hindu Mahasabha “ Corona is not a virus but avatar for the protection of pure creatures. They have come to give the marriage of death as punishment to the one who eats them.”
Shahid Siddiqui advising ‘Americans learn from India. Clap and beat utensils with a spoon and viruses will die. “
The Sagacious , The malicious
@Mamta Bannerjee- ‘at times Home Minister is here, other times it is Chaddha, Nadda, Fadda, Bhaddha ‘
@Yogi - opposition has Ali , We have Bajrang Bali.
.............
Some charitable observations
@ Rahul Gandhi- looking into his party from outside
@Sonia Gandhi - really virtual
@Dr Sambit Patra - a surgeon practicing his art on videos
@ Nirmala Sitharaman - riding out an ‘Act of God’
...........
All the needles of the wall clock are now exactly vertical ushering in the New year and green shoots of hope, of redemption from the pandemic that stalks mankind, of a more humane world, of fulfilment of all our individual aspirations, of peace and tranquility -to be united in a oneness that the needles draw attention to.
Wishing all a Happy New year !
