The System

One fine evening a few years ago, three of us waited for a cut chai at a tea-stall. Old tea had run out, new was being made. Our conversation meandered it's way to the system. How the lowest suffer the most being uneducated. How hopeless things were from their perspective. How spoiled the politics was, eating away things meant for these people. Could anyone, could we do something to change it ? "Once I finish my internship, I will attempt for the IAS", my friend said. Not for from us, a middle-aged man sat squatting, hands on his turban. We guessed he was a daily laborer, as that area was usually the place where people came from neighboring villages every morning, to find work. He too waited for the tea. "Look at him, I want to do something to help these people. I believe if I have the power, I can atleast do something, somewhere. A peeli-batti, lal-batti is that power".

I met him last year, at a common friend's place. I knew he worked for a government office. His sharpness had been replaced with rotundity. He taxed the poor and wealthy alike, I heard, to make ends meet.