On Empty Stomach- Kejriwal

Americans find many things about India mystical and intriguing. One such American co-traveller started a discussion on Indians and our brains. He was writing a book on ‘Innovative Ideas to Cheat’ and choose the sub-continent to pick up case studies. The topic itself was not very comforting all things considered. He made a statement that day and probably it is best suited to Kejriwal today.

“If shamelessness of bullheaded Indians in power and administration could beconverted to       usable energy, then poor would not have been hungry in this country”

Kerjriwal’s latest abstention from eating is directed towards Shiela Dixit and probably a larger aim of seizing respectable vote bank during the upcoming Delhi Elections 2013. It is very difficult to have an opinion on people like Kejriwal and their actions. Is he really a Messiah or just trying to get some extra mileage?

Anyways, not going in to the necropsy of it, the question still remains is Angelic or ‘Ford Funded’ as secretly whispered? One does need to ponder why the public is not buying his fasting stunt while the same public lapped it up when Anna and Ramdev took to the stage? Is it the halo of simplicity and godliness which the people cannot see in Kejriwal? Kejriwal does come across has a man who knows his way in the world as well as the dirty insides of the Indian bureaucracy.

Fasting is an integral part of Indian tradition and religion. Every day in the week is reserved for a deity and some of them have to share to accommodate themselves in the short span of seven days. The calendar is also overbooked with other requirements of independently operating procedures such as ‘Karva Chauth’ and ‘Pradosh’. So, if a God fearing devout dedicatedly follows the ‘Panchang’, he would be on diet for whole of his life and an ideal case of malnourishment certification of WHO.

‘Ghandhi’ and ‘Bhagat Singh’, probably the only known examples of British India era who had used the fasting tool to their advantage. The country has had unexplained knee jerks during the fasting of Anna and Ramdev, but they could not achieve their objectives. The only final outcome was Kejriwal resorting to politics and presenting India with yet another political outfit.

The reasons of failures of fasting on the last few occasions can be attributed to following reasons…

• Fasting has short-term side effects such as headaches, dizziness, fatigue, abnormal heart rhythms, low blood pressure, and a fruity taste in the mouth. It can also raise the risk of an attack in people with gout, and worsen symptoms of gallstones. Longer-term fasting can interfere with the immune system and vital body functions and can damage the liver, kidneys, and other organs. With an increasing rate of health conscious citizens, not many are likely to follow the starved road.

• All National fasting events should be timed well for success. If you do it on a working day, there won’t be much of a support. Moreover with IPL in play across Indian TV screens the youth are enjoying their guilty pleasures. Kejriwal would do well to follow the holiday calendar to gain some followership.

• Cause – which many intellectuals weight before an eating abstinence. How is this time different from the previous one.

• Expectations – having seen the bullying attitude of the Government, the expectations for a positive outcome are miniscule.

There are many more prodigy sounding reasons which one can identify in the whole game of wits, but with simple logic I could list a few of them above. Having analyzed this, we would like to put some questions for Kejriwal to think, once he re-starts his normal metabolism.

• Is it high time to think some more innovative ideas of protest, as the thick skin State has become immune to your bellicose threats?

• How long you will continue to defy your logical thinking, and keep banging head on closed doors hoping for a response? You yourself offered a political solution, and now again back to senseless protesting?

• Do you think, someone cares even if you become a second ‘Fasting Bhagat Singh’?

• People don’t have time to go for such long conflict and solution seeking missions. In this world of Speed Jets, quick and calibrated protests (like the one for Delhi Rape Case) can this really be the only solution?

Think Kejriwal, THINK !!!