Alas, The Shame!

Life has come to a near standstill out here in western Maharashtra. Are we living in the Dark Ages? Or perhaps India is one of the lands that have been untouched by modernization and have remained uncivilised, degenerate, stagnant? Possibly we are like the primitive people shown in Peter Jackson's 'King Kong' who were so supremely backward that it was shocking. Um, maybe we don't look half as hideous as the people Jackson's wonderful imagination permitted to be, but we definitely do share certain traits with them. How else can anyone explain the shameful riots and violence that have erupted because of the desecration of a certain leader's statue? Clearly, we are a country to be pitied.

The entire city of Pune was nudged into submission to the rioters' wishes today, with every meek little attempt to bring things back to normalcy being met with non-violent yet firm resistance. Most of the shops remained closed throughout the day, and seeing as how Pune is not exactly the most active place in the world (I still find it hard to accept the blissful afternoon siestas celebrated by most local businessmen), the city bore striking resemblance to a village today. And this is not the first time such a thing has happened either; mindless violence and disgustingly fierce protests are pretty commonplace in India. Things as trivial as a politician being shown disrespect can send the masses into a flurry of rage and the police into a tizzy. Not that the police are particularly effective at controlling such mayhem. But the slight disturbance such incidents cause to their leisurely pace of work can really annoy our pot-bellied heroes.
Seriously, how sickeningly revolting can the situation get? While our newspapers talk of our perpetually rising GDP and the amazing speed at which the country's financial class is gaining 'soft power' in rapturous tones, they forget that the rampant illiteracy, unemployment and poverty in the country are only making life miserable for the masses. After all, it is only the vulnerable lot of the poor and the illiterate that engage in such merry turbulence. For how long can we afford to let our trigger-happy politicians manipulate and even encourage such abominable acts? So many questions, so few answers. I don't know about the others, but times such as these make me seriously reconsider even living in India.

And while I've been writing this post, I've been in constant, intense fear that another power blackout may make it necessary for me to write all of it again. Ooh, that was close! Just a fluctuation in the voltage, thankfully. Seriously, we ARE living in the Dark Ages. Literally.