Bull's Eye

Last fortnight Lucknow witnessed a strange sight. Ten persons sat in protest claimingthey were alive while official authorities persisted in declaring them dead. As deadpersons their lands and properties became easy pickings for unscrupulous relatives.Despite strenuous efforts these live persons can't get the world to admit they are notdead.
Most people consider their situation sad. I consider it not too bad. After all they arealive. There is still hope. There is however a much larger group of people whose conditionI find more pathetic. These are people who are dead but still trying to convince the worldthey are alive. They present a painful sight.
It is painful seeing Arjun Singh, Pranab Mukherjee, Fotedar and Natwar Singh going throughcontortions trying to convince the lady in 10 Janpath that they are alive. "We tooare alive," they say. "Let's remain together!"
But the lady thinks hard: "If we are together it doesn't prove you are alive. Itmakes me wonder if I am dead!"
It is painful seeing George Fernandes go around meeting the media.
"I am alive, I am alive," he says with a trembling voice. To help him Vajpayeenods his head. "Yes, he's alive," echoes the prime minister.
Poor Vajpayee. He doesn't yet know that people have started wondering if he too is notdead after he tripped over a telecom cable one recent summer afternoon.
It is painful to watch Jayalalitha. She keeps making statements on sundry matters to proveshe is alive. TV channels try hard to help her.
Each time she sneezes or coughs cameramen record the event. But people aren't fooled. Theyknow she is dead.
How sad to see Surjeet go around the country trying to convince people he is alive."Marxism is still alive," he says. "Lenin said the road to Europe liesthrough Calcutta. Today the road to Calcutta lies through Europe. Comrades, dump JyotiBasu and follow Sonia Gandhi."
People shake their heads. "Marx may be alive," they whisper. "Surjeet isdefinitely dead!"
One may go on and on. Meanwhile the people of India are desperate. "Our politiciansthrive while our soldiers die," they say each time a body is brought home. "Howcan we survive under such a system?
Foolish people. Can't they see? The cremated and buried soldiers will live forever. It isthe system which is dead.

When evolution
Stops devolution,
Only solution
Is revolution!