Election in Junglistan

10

They had come from far and wide, from every nook and corner of the jungle, to hear the Tortoise speak. Tigers, elephants, porcupines, wolves, goats, antelopes, alligators, crocodiles, cobras, vipers, pythons, sparrows, parrots, crows, kites, all of them were there. There was a smile on the Tortoise's face. He looked calm, at peace with the world. What a change. Just two months ago, he was a harried tortoise. He was losing one battle after another. He was sacked as the editor of Jungle Times. On the State-run television, he was not getting any coverage. His own comrades were calling him a fossil. No surprise, many whom he had seen growing up were long dead. The Hare, his competitor, was miles ahead of him. What was his fault? He never understood. He stood for ideals and fought for them too. May be that was his fault. In any....

Quota for middle class

10

Last week, on Sunday morning, too early in the morning let me say, I went for a walk. This time I took a road from Mayur Vihar, the one that goes into the Yamuna. Yes, it just dissolves into the water. Not many take this road. Even those who do, do only when they are going on morning walk. Against the backdrop of the middle-class colony that Mayur Vihar is, this road is a mismatch. For the road is flanked by slums on both sides. Now, Sundays are the same for all us, even these slum dwellers. They too rise late as we do. Children were sitting sleepily on the pavement, staring at empty space, looking nowhere. Their mothers were making tea. Those who had already had tea, had that Wah Taj smiles on their faces, though I don't think they care much about brands. Songs were flowing,....

Warrior Warrier

10

Rahul is a Class XII student. He is a rebel. Perhaps all students at that age are rebels. I was one, chances are you were also one. Once in a while his father calls him for some serious heart-to-heart, father-son talk. Rahul is used to his father's lectures. All their conversations end in one line. One line that summarises the helplessness of the hapless father. "You will know my pain one day when you become a father." But to feel Eachara Warrier's pain, one doesn't have to be a father. One only needs to be a human being, made of flesh and blood. The year was 1977, when Emergency was in force, when K. Karunakaran was the home minister of Kerala, when C. Achyutha Menon was the chief minister. And when Warrier's son, Rajan, was a student at the Kozhikode Regional Engineering College. The Seventies were a time....