One of the best whatsapp forwards came today, I wish I
could post the Punjabi one, but a loosely translated it means that a politician
took the urine sample of someone and passed it off as his. A few days, when we
went to laboratory for the report, the compounder congratulated him saying, you
are all clean and congratulations you are pregnant.
This is just one of the jokes that have begin to
surface regarding the new policy of the government of making it compulsory to
be tested for drugs.
I agree, it is a bold step and they have also boldly
announced death penalty for the offenders. This already existed since
Independence but why has there been such a severe laxity and a conundrum
between the police, state officials, politicians and just about everyone. I am
sure we all agree that no one came from the next country, and not even the next
one or Mars. No green-eyed funny Martian came and sprinkled dust on us and
voila! We were addicted. It’s happened in front of us, slowly and slowly
poisoning the children, the youth, the elderly and it’s just a
catastrophe. We have all been so busy in
blaming the other political party just to swing the votes, so the new one came
what did they do? Have the waved the magic wand? Have the deaths finished, have
they suddenly all reformed. Instead of shouting, blaming, throwing allegations
and trying to do arm chair politics (Punjabis come number one in this sphere).
I have two boys who attended my evening school a few
years ago who are addicts. They did everything what we as Punjabis are famous
for, took money on loan, did the Middle east circuit, made money, came back to
the village, flaunted the money, built the customary ‘kotha’, made everyone
jealous with the wealth and married an innocent girl, got her pregnant and
became an addict.
It’s
the story just out of the next Raj Kumar Hirani movie. The sad part is these
boys don’t make any blockbuster money, nor will it run to packed halls. They
just die behind the old, dilapidated school alley, found the next day by some
one who went to the pans early morning. This is the true picture. The amount of
money that is going to be shelled out for testing and to make headlines the
next day could be used effectively for the rehabilitation. It is so expensive
for the common man to get them treated that they just try once and eventually
give up. Friends, Punjabis, countrymen, lend me your ears, try and bury drugs.
The evil that men do lives after them. The good is oft interred with their
bones; so let it be with drugs. I am loosely borrowing this, and changing it to
suit my subject here. But, I honestly wish for a cooperation of the parties
together that can change the horizon for tomorrow, otherwise the coming
generations if it survives will not forgive us for being mute spectators. Do
not worry about the shrinking water table, if none are left, who will use and
farm the water? We were once the pride of India; do not be reduced to the shame
and blot of India
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