Taliakum
So, the TA/DA for me was Rs 750 and I was to be at Tsuremen village in Alongtaki A/C, Mokokchung – hardly the cost of a “Vote For” flex banner. And the polling officials are supposedly as discounted as rags – bartered for Rs. 750. That’s a 750° contrast to the electioneering expenses. The ECI as well must be joking under Parliamentary elections puppetry.
It was about 7 hours to Tsuremen village – rocky slippery terrain, mosquitoes, dirty water and no power, yet cheerful people. It’s a 750° contrast to the complexes of the damned politicians and more so, the bureaucrats. Bonus gifts were – quite a good sum – promised to the villages with 100% votes or so. That’s another 750° contrast to the so called ‘free and fair’ election campaign.
Now, like in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the village council, like Boxer, is always right as “Napoleon is always right” and votes for all. Like Squealer, Napoleon’s propagandist, the village council justifies every action convincing all the villagers that the ‘consensus candidate’ is making things better for the commoners – despite the fact that the commoners are cold, hungry, and overworked. Like the Seven Commandments of Animalism getting reduced to a single principle of “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others,” the village council is the “correct” one. Yet, looking in at the party of the candidates, political party workers, voters and village councils, from the farmhouse window of civility, the commoner can no longer tell which are pigs and which are human beings. It is indeed an animal farm of sorts aplenty with cronyism, graft and embezzlement.
More than a century ago in the 1870s, Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. He fell because he miscalculated the body-head weight ratio, probably by a 750° contrast to the recommended body-head weight ratio. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men were wasted for nothing. Lesson: those with big heads fall. The present generation is fallen probably because of learning the story of Humpty Dumpty who miscalculated and fell. Strip the big-headed Humpty Dumpty story off the school syllabus. Besides, ‘London Bridge’ isn’t bridging anything either because it gives the idea of falling down early on. Dump the Dumpty, the empty-headed and burn the ‘London Bridge,’ the dividing bridge. As long as Humpty Dumpties sit in the offices singing ‘London Bridge,’ all will have a great fall. At least, the teachers can make Humpty Dumpties out of the candidates, village councils, voters and ECI by discarding the election duties and the voting. Time to ‘re-plan, re-teach, re-test’ the Humpty Dumpty rhyme if at all things have to be put together. Initiate a great fall for all in the electioneering process.
Then in a more fading reverie, I come across the line: “75% of the electioneering funding in India from ‘unknown sources’.” I wish but it’s not a dream, more so in my land. Lentina comes out from Prof Temsula Ao’s book Laburnum for My Head and hands over a laburnum to me and smiles: “It’s the joy of seeing a laburnum on my headstone at least, though never got the chance to have one when alive.” Impressed, I might have a laburnum on my headstone not of embezzlement but of recompense at least, though might never get the chance to have one when alive. Then, Imchanok comes running towards me panting and shows the tuft of hair and says: “This is what I offered as a prayer of forgiveness to the ghosts of the preys I killed when they started to haunt me.” I must ask for forgiveness for my people for whatever might have taken place.
For now, the TA/DA of Rs 750 is a call to live a resolute life with a 750° contrast to the ways of a kleptocratic world.
