wishes on behalf of Gundu & Mandu

I heard a weird noise like that of a buzzer. It continued for few more seconds, that’s then I realized its coming from my house. Oops! It’s actually my calling bell, which never had a privilege to raise its voice since I shifted in 6 weeks before. I leaped over the small tea table in front of me, two more leaps, I opened the door, “You guys? But how come here?”

“Surprise, isn’t it?” one among the two at my door grinned.

“Howz you?” the other queried.

“So far normal! From now on will be miserable, as you guys are here” I replied in disgust.

Let me introduce them, The one rushing inside the kitchen is Mr. Gundu, he is very gundu(fat) and the other who just snatched the remote from my hand is Mr. Mandu, he is actually little Mandu(stupid).
Knowing about both of them, I went mute and avoided any kind of dialogue with them. Mandu was busy surfing TV for non-existing Indian channel. Gundu reappeared from the kitchen with a tetra pack of orange juice.

“Give him that” Mandu commanded Gundu.

“Where is that” Gundu shouted after serious digging in his bag for some time.

“Which that” I puzzled.

“We brought a gift” – “for you”

“Oh my GOD” I excited, “You guys brought me a gift”

“Yes, darling, we brought a tricolor flag, a gift for I-day, as you being in foreign land”

“ussh” I let out the air.

“I couldn’t find it” Gundu fell on the sofa, grapping the juice packet.

“Leave it, It might be a conspiracy by some migrants” Mandu winked.

“No big deal, we will download one and post in his FB wall” Gundu suggested

“You know what Gundu? These flags, parades, making students sitting in sun long just for 2 minute performance, mandatory telecast of movie ‘Roja’, and the Independence Day celebrations on the whole are needless”

“For any specific reason” Gundu bridged the conversation

And Mandu continued “Actually, I am not brought with Slavery-British rule concept”

“Then”

“Consider our nation a firm or group of companies, which are competing against their own sister concerns”

I let sharp ears what was Mandu saying.

“So we hired a consultant who shall streamline our business activities and establish a reporting mechanism under one corporate umbrella. Also there was service level agreement that they should provide us with current best practices of industry…”

“Like?” I looked awe at Mandu, though stupid, a completely different perspective.

“Like postal, railways…”

“Mandu, you are great” I appreciated

“Who? He?” Gundu interfered and threw the empty juice packet on him and belched indicating his primary mission of emptying a liter of juice was completed.

“So, you too read that article?” Mandu sheepishly asked Gundu.

“Yea… yea… long before, I suppose it was published on 2008 August Outlook magazine”

I thought that I should say something to match them; so firmly said “On 26th Jan-2013, our new Mr. President will be the first Indian to hoist flag at Red fort on both Independence Day and Republic day”

Both looked at me skeptically. So, I less firmly added “I think so”

You remember the GD topic given to us during one of our IET interviews” Gundu asked me.

“I… I think… slightly remember… but it’s… what that is” I stammered “better you say”

“Should Rajinikanth join politics and contest in election” Gundu refreshed my memory.

“Stupid topic” Mandu commented “Is this what they gave you in GD, really?”

“Why stupid?”

“See, the constitution of India says that any Indian citizen above the age of 25 and being a voter can contest in elections. It is as simple as that! Does anyone question each of our existing CMs’-PMs’ –Ministers when they did for the first time?”

Though Mandu tried to make some sense I decided to zip my lips as it slowly drifting to politics, which is taboo for many like me still.

“Yea exactly” Gundu concurred Mandu, “That’s the only point I spoke that day”

I remembered that group discussion, I was still and thoughtless and Gundu was carefully listening to what all other guys were speaking, mostly-ayess-couple-no’s. One guy even summarized his film dialogues or technically called punchtantras’ with a high emotional tone as if those were his published manifesto.

“Actually, I am no big admirer of Team-A, neither I oppose them” Gundu’s proclamation hinted where the conversation is further leading to.

“It should have been better if they remain in their core objectives, somehow or someone diluted it or as they say they are left out with least option; but as Indians we have nothing to lose here, by having another symbol in the ballot paper, I mean voter machine” Mandu added on what Gundu said.

“Any one of the few things may happen now” Gundu started his boring note:

“One, they themselves fail to meet consensus and drop out like a drizzle on a summer evening.

Two, they may generate a strong momentum as how our T20 commentators would explain. However this depends on media’s mood and status of our people’s fragile-common-sense during election period. They may reach the throne; fail and in worst case forget what they were up to. Or may be miraculously achieving it

Three, they contest but not making big numbers.

Fours, they end up being on alliance of some existing party and give more to munch for media” Gundu spoke as if he was attempting a 10 mark social science question just to fill pages.

“Don’t have big expectation, whatever good happens consider as a bonus. So no foul cries or no victory cries” Mandu complimented him.

As Gundu and Mandu speaking too much as if scholars of corner tea shop, I compelled to say something so as to prove my updates on current affairs and said “Rohit Sharma is no next Sachin, so as Mr. Anna is no next Mahatma”

Both gave a strong stare is-this-of-any-relevance-now?

“I think bureaucrats will make better MLAs’ and MPs’” I suggested, “and they would bring down corruption”

“Bureaucrats? in your dreams thambi” Mandu with a firm prophetic tone “ask some of our elders, who have a unbiased view on politics, they will say that they are the one who taught structured corruption to the elected ones since 80’s”

“Our country reached such a stage that no new law, any party can end this evil. Coz none want to put end to it. And we are so comfortable having this itch” Gundu preached

“No! I cannot accept this, there are people like me. I want to end this” I protested, “I sincerely want” I looked at both of them with a raised chest and a patriotic pride.

“Who? You?”

“Yes, of course, the very me, who you are questioning”

“Let us consider you need to travel Chennai to Howrah by Coramondel Express” Gundu started explaining, “you are getting into it with a general ticket and as you know there is always more value for general ticket, and especially when more than 1 passenger hovering around the TTE for a single vacant berth. WHAT-WOULD-YOU-DO”

“I… I… “ I stammered but quickly said “I can justify it da”

Both looked at me as if me of same nationality as the villain, who the leader opposition, Tamil Nadu legislative assembly would fight in his movies.

“What people has to understand is any change of law or change of system would not bring big change, after all at the end of the day 8 out of 10 would be running the new system, who runs the one now” Mandu has began again now “there may be little improvement here and there”

I was irritated for the reason they had personally highlighted my fault “ippa enna thaan da solla varinga”

“Sudden change of system does not guarantee a better nation, it can even make things worse, as we see in couple of countries in our telecasted world; rather we need a change of heart, this change must evoke on each individual of our nation. Right from the lazy Indian citizens like you, who consider facebook like button as the only tool for revolution and who consider lighting a candle for victim will enlighten the darken nation – each level officials – private sectors and corporate – until the people who plan and run the system needs this change. Top-down change is not in our hands, but we can try down to top, which begin with you and me.

“Hmmm… but we need some trigger, a factor to bring in this change to us, right?” Gundu asked as a proof he had listen to Mandu carefully unlike me.

“One factor, rather person could…. neither politician… nor activist… not columnist… and not even any actor” Mandu paused for our reaction.

“Then who?”

“This by SOMEONE, whose existence most of us questions as we consider being able to probe mars and moon as the complete understanding of universe ant it’s functions; few say that they believe HIM, but busy demanding proof for it and some believe, but busy preaching how much their belief on HIM better than others and forget reflecting HIM in our everyday life”

“GOD?” Gundu asked.

Mandu nodded silently.

“Hey Mandu, I thought you would be last person on earth to speak about GOD”

“When I say GOD, it’s GOD! Neither religion nor anyone who come with that tag claiming he is god man or god himself” Mandu stood up and looked at Gundu.

Gundu up in his feet and pulled his bag and said “bye”

“Okay, actually we heard that you are squeezing your brain too much as Independence Day falls on Wednesday” – “so we dropped in”

I was watching from my balcony, both walking down towards my apartment gate. Mandu turned and shouted “There is still something left in us - in our democracy - and we have few reasons to celebrate this day, not all is lost; so don’t forget to convey our INDEPENDENCE DAY WISHES to all ILties on behalf of Gundu and Mandu”
---

~ Aug '2012

 

Thanks for the fb, rgs

 

Thanks for the feedback, iyerviji