You are watching
“You are watching the news hour tonight, and with you is……………..” Click. Enough I thought. I shut off the TV and threw the remote on the bed. It was 11pm on August 14th, and the nation was waiting to hear the PM’s Independence Day speech the next day. “No news is good news”, I mumbled. The mindless chatter of spokesperson’s from various party’s went on their usual daily grind, throwing daggers at one another. Wasn’t this a daily spectacle conducted by most of the TV channels? Gosh. What a waste of time!
I switched on the FM radio to catch up with some late night melodies. From one idiot box to another music box, if I may call it. Nowadays melodies have been cast aside for the 11 clock slot, when the nation sleeps. I tried a few FM stations patiently and settled down for 97.2. The slow Tamil numbers from the 1980’s were like lullaby’s. I was half asleep….” Vikram. “Vikram”. A clear and bold female voice jolted me as I woke up and opened the door. To my surprise there was no one. I wondered, if it was the ” news effect”. I knew it. Seeing so many channels I felt a bit confused I thought. Again the voice “Vikram”… This time I knew the source. It was from the FM radio. I felt dizzy. I went close to the speaker and listened. “
The voice said ” Vikram, this is Mother India”. What ? I jumped. ” Yes, It’s me, Vikram, she said. Don’t you idiots know that this is the sixty-seventh year of our independence. I am fed up of seeing so many channels showing the flag hoisting on independence day, year after year, state after state. All you guys just assemble and salute the flag for a day and then carry on to do your lousy work. It’s sixty-seven long years Vikram. I thought you guys would take this wonderful country to a place of envy. You say you have so many cell phones, set-top boxes, TV sets, online shopping, so many new cars on the road. It’s of no use.
I have chosen you Vikram, to voice my outburst. You are going to be my knight in shining armor. You will be bestowed with special powers from me. I am going to give you the power to implement policies, change the rule book, implement new ideas, build bridges, lay new roads, hmm.. you will be armed with all the knowledge to govern this beautiful country. You are the chosen one. So don’t waste time sleeping. Wake up to a new tomorrow and be ready to hear me everyday, same time, in the same FM channel. It’s Mother India broadcasting to you and only you. See you tomorrow
I pinched himself. Ouch. It was real. What the sh…? Am I the chosen one. Out of so many millions. I safely unplugged the radio and kept it inside my desk, my hands shivering with excitement, waiting for 11 pm tomorrow.
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