Dr. Ambedkar walked
down the aisle to take a sip of coffee. Nehru caught up fast with him.
I heard him say,
"I know why we all are here. But, I don't know why this strange looking
guy is here?". Ambedkar asked, "Who are talking about ji?"
"Arey, that guy
with glasses on, and that strange looking blue pant which is tore on all sides.
. And look at the kind of shirt! No collars at all! And he didn't even touch
Bapu's feet!", replied Nehru anxiously.
Ambedkar smirked and
shrugged. Ambedkar saw the guy coming towards Nehru. He bid a quick farewell
and vanished from the scene
That guy went to
Nehru and asked, "Ask me about me. . Why ask anybody else?".
"Ok. . Who are you?", Nehru asked. "Wrong question. The question
should be 'where are you?'. .", the guy replied.
"Huh? Alright.
where am I?", asked Nehru distraught. "You are a part of my dream. I
have a quiz on parliamentary democracy to attend tomorrow. So, you are invited
here to help me out", the guy replied. "Oh, so your name is Vk!"
********
"Oye! Wake up!
How long will you sleep!", mom shouted.
"Arey yaar! I
was about to talk to Nehru!", I remarked half-awake.
My one eye saw the
clock, the other eye was sealed by mucous. Time was 7 am. Oh, it's only 7 am. I
need to be in IIT-M by 11 am. Let's sleep a li'l more. I swear I closed my eyes
only for 2 minutes. . But, the bullock cart called time suddenly got a rocket
outta nowhere, and the time was 8 am!
I slipped my body in
a worn out jeans -- the torn blue jeans -- and wore a kurta (with a collar! :P
) and off I ran to the bus stop. Come bus, and I'm en route IIT-M.
*where was I when the rockets came to life, and carried you away into the Aligator Sky!*
*Shoot me down, but I wont fall. . Cos I'm Titanium!*
*Darling don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years. . I'll love you for a thousand more*
*Aaja chanda bahon me, tujh me hi me kho jau. . Teri aarti mein utaru. . Saiyaan!!!*
Those, and more, were the kinds of songs I was listening to, and singing all the way. This hag
sitting next to me was staring at me all along. What
do I care?!
Nostalgia crept in;
I was here at this place in 2008. 6 years passed. IIT did not change. I did. I
grew taller, hairier, and franker. All the trees, the shrubs, overhanging
roots, buttresses, the deers bore a sense of timeless change. What would they
care of time!
********
So, I am outside the
gates of IIT. Nostalgia gone, paving way for nervousness. I caught up with my
teammates. One male and the other female. Apparently, an other friend of mine
was to come and participate in the quiz. His team was already in the venue. We
registered at the reception desk. I broke the ice with the receptionist, Sahil.
"How many teams are you expecting?" "About 50. .
optimistic", came his reply. I remarked, "Balance of
probability?". He smirked.
We were in the
venue. We were given free lunch coupons (spoiler
alert: the lunch was amazing! *yum*). The prelims were supported to
start at 11 am. 4 teams were there. The time of quiz was postponed to 11:45 am.
I sensed a hustle. The other 2 teams were busy with their smart phones and
smartest phones. Within 20 minutes -- believe me -- 12 teams joined in. Most of
them who joined had unkempt faces, were on shorts. "Hostelers", my
team mate hissed. The hosts had called their friends from the hostel to
increase the crowd! :D
The quiz started. It
was good. But we lost by 1 point margin. "Which is the oldest existing
system of government in India?" was the question. We marked municipalities
as the answer, fully knowing that cities emerged only after villages. We lost a
point. The correct answer was panchayat system.
Ya ya, you can heartily laugh over it. We laughed too!
I'm not gonna
mention the parts where it is evident that the quizmasters were biased towards
the host's teams. Neither am I gonna mention the fact that the contest's 1st
prize and 2nd prize went to the host's teams.
What mattered was
exposure. Must say, the questions selected were excellently researched. Did you
know that a concept called "postal voting"
was mooted for the armies? Did you know that Gujarat has a system of elections
wherein voters can vote from their respective homes! We were enthralled to be
part of this event. . :)
One of the teams was
asked a very difficult question. "What are the 3 kinds of sessions which
take place in the parliament every year? One of them is winter session".
The team couldn't answer it. The other team passed the question.
"Who coined the
slogan 'Jai Hind' ?". "Subhash Chandra Bose", was one of the
team's reply. The quizmaster remarked, "I did not ask the name of the
leader who popularized the slogan". The team had a facepalm moment. The
answer is Shenbagaramar Pillai.
Apparently, the
cholas (rulers of a part of S. India of 7th century AD) had a system called Kudagali system, as per which village people
elected their representatives. It was very much similar to the present day
elections. Only difference is that Cholas did not have EVMs.
The program was fun.
The climax moment came when we met Mr. Gopalaswami,
former Chief Election Commissioner of India. This man -- so energetic, so
outright -- was frank enough to discuss the niceties of his views on electoral
reforms. We were curious enough to keep him engaged for a good 15 minutes.
The winners were
announced. The NGO and associations which helped organize the event spoke their
views. The aim to keep such a programme was to spread awareness amongst
youngsters, and to inspire them to vote.
It is true. One
should exercise their ultimate right as a citizen of India, the right to vote.
You may think, "what will happen with my one vote?". Parties can be
toppled out of power. A completely new face could be the Chief Minister. That one index finger of
yours, that stain over your nail and skin are testimony to the fact that you
have been given the most valuable opportunity -- to change the fate of the
world's largest democracy.
24th of April.
Chennai goes to vote. You whistle for the CSK, use your fingers and thumbs
incessantly for typing texts. Go ahead, let that index finger serve it's prime
purpose.
Ready! Steady! Vote!
Then come back home
and sleep (c'mon. . You'll be tired after pressing that button)!
********
P.S. One demanding
request. Do let me know your feedback on how I write. There is not much to
debate on. I seldom write on social issues. I don't know whether my articles
are like a breath of fresh air to you, or something better/worse than that! So,
do let me know. If it's an appreciation, I'd be glad to oblige. If it's a flaw,
I'd be glad to rectify. If it's a joke on my article, I'd be glad to laugh with
you!
For more, visit Vivek Apparently Writes
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