I was at a railway station waiting for the train which had to arrive 1 hour before. There were quite a few people with me at that small station which didn't even have a proper infrastructure. When the station master had informed us that train would be late by 1 hour more I sat under the shade of a big tree. A little while later a 40 year old man joined me.
Old man: Do you have a Match?
( Offering him my lighter) I asked: Where are going sir?
Old Man: There is a election campaign in the next village by my leader so I am going there.
Me: How far is it from here?
Old man: 1 hour from here.... many people would be coming and I am sure he is going win the election this time
Me: Can I join you?
Old man: Of course ..... so where are you from? And where do you work?
Me: Hyderabad and work in a computer company
Old man: ( With a wide grin)
Computers.... so you earn a lot right...? are you married?
Me: Not much as you think sir... So... about what is the politician gonna to talk ?
Old Man: (Proudly)The corruption this Government had spread and how he is going to cleanse this society just as he always did in his movies...
Me: (thinking about that politician)
Would he win sir? Isn't he new to this?
Old man: He would win majority son....
By this time we had reached the campaign rally where the politician is going to address the people. I was stunned looking at the number of people assembled there. It was as if some big carnival is gonna happen there. “He was a crowd puller” I thought.
Soon, He started his speech. Started abusing the govt. policies and the policy makers for neglecting the downtrodden. In mean time the old man went missing when I was laughing within myself when I started to think what he had done for them when he was in power He ended his speech with some heavy punch lines to answer his critics.
As the campaign ended, I started looking for the old man. Only when I saw the old man amongst his fraternity I realized how this politician managed to pull such a crowd.
Old man: (walking towards me with a bottle in his hand)
Did you see the way he talked and promised to make this state corrupt free and provide education for all...
Me: (shaking my head)
Yes sir I saw it and understood why you had come all along the way up here to attend the rally..
Old Man: What else should we do... I have been doing this every time... Just not me but many...
( and pointed to his fraternity who were squabbling for the gift(s) their great leader was distributing)
Me: But isn't this wrong what you are doing?
Old man: I don't say what I am doing is right.... but I strongly feel whatever I am doing is definitely not wrong.
Me: Huh!... Don't you know that he is exploiting you?
Old man: (with a sarcasm) I had been exploited ever since I was a kid... when my dad sent me to work for a landlord for few pennies or when I ran away and worked in a chemical factory which should not have happened in spite of having a child labor law or even now...
Me: ( Angrily) Are you justifying yourself?
Old Man: ( tone a little heavy now )
I am confessing here son, because we never talked anything in our lives... we were always listening to either the richer class or the Govt. every leader says that he would uplift the downtrodden like us but he had always used us as a leverage to uplift himself alone and we had always enjoyed it because we always got carried away by their their false promises and live in a Utopian world.
Me: why did you let this happen then sir?
Old Man: ( with wryly smile)
Do I have a choice son..? (and bid goodbye)
Old man: Do you have a Match?
( Offering him my lighter) I asked: Where are going sir?
Old Man: There is a election campaign in the next village by my leader so I am going there.
Me: How far is it from here?
Old man: 1 hour from here.... many people would be coming and I am sure he is going win the election this time
Me: Can I join you?
Old man: Of course ..... so where are you from? And where do you work?
Me: Hyderabad and work in a computer company
Old man: ( With a wide grin)
Computers.... so you earn a lot right...? are you married?
Me: Not much as you think sir... So... about what is the politician gonna to talk ?
Old Man: (Proudly)The corruption this Government had spread and how he is going to cleanse this society just as he always did in his movies...
Me: (thinking about that politician)
Would he win sir? Isn't he new to this?
Old man: He would win majority son....
By this time we had reached the campaign rally where the politician is going to address the people. I was stunned looking at the number of people assembled there. It was as if some big carnival is gonna happen there. “He was a crowd puller” I thought.
Soon, He started his speech. Started abusing the govt. policies and the policy makers for neglecting the downtrodden. In mean time the old man went missing when I was laughing within myself when I started to think what he had done for them when he was in power He ended his speech with some heavy punch lines to answer his critics.
As the campaign ended, I started looking for the old man. Only when I saw the old man amongst his fraternity I realized how this politician managed to pull such a crowd.
Old man: (walking towards me with a bottle in his hand)
Did you see the way he talked and promised to make this state corrupt free and provide education for all...
Me: (shaking my head)
Yes sir I saw it and understood why you had come all along the way up here to attend the rally..
Old Man: What else should we do... I have been doing this every time... Just not me but many...
( and pointed to his fraternity who were squabbling for the gift(s) their great leader was distributing)
Me: But isn't this wrong what you are doing?
Old man: I don't say what I am doing is right.... but I strongly feel whatever I am doing is definitely not wrong.
Me: Huh!... Don't you know that he is exploiting you?
Old man: (with a sarcasm) I had been exploited ever since I was a kid... when my dad sent me to work for a landlord for few pennies or when I ran away and worked in a chemical factory which should not have happened in spite of having a child labor law or even now...
Me: ( Angrily) Are you justifying yourself?
Old Man: ( tone a little heavy now )
I am confessing here son, because we never talked anything in our lives... we were always listening to either the richer class or the Govt. every leader says that he would uplift the downtrodden like us but he had always used us as a leverage to uplift himself alone and we had always enjoyed it because we always got carried away by their their false promises and live in a Utopian world.
Me: why did you let this happen then sir?
Old Man: ( with wryly smile)
Do I have a choice son..? (and bid goodbye)
