I am a King!!!
I am a king and I mean it, at least for the next two months. I will be treated like royalty and pampered by one and all for the next few weeks till the election jamboree lasts.
I will be showered with gifts, both cash and kind. The giveaways will include blankets, dinner sets, stationery items, or cash if I may want.
VIPs and their coteries will make a beeline to visit me and my family and promise me everything under the Sun and I may, in all probability, fall for it.
My life would be better and my locality, constituency, state and country will prosper, they would say and I would believe them like always in the past. I have no reason to question or doubt them. I have already accepted their benevolence gleefully with both hands and with a smile on my lips.
The promises would be repeated by the next team and all others who visit my humble abode.
In the past, I have noticed how the main player remains silent while the cabal accompanying him/her goes gaga over what is in store for me should I press the all-important button in their favour.
On D-Day, I would rush to exercise my constitutional right, making a sincere effort to beat others to the polling centre.
Once the dust settles and the winner has taken it all, I will be relegated to a far corner of their mind, ignored and forgotten for another five years or until stability lasts.
Yes, I am a voter and now I am a King!
Regards,
A voter of Shillong.
Exams, results, gifts
With school examinations over for most of the students, children are now romping around the playground, streets and bylanes — their chirps and shouts can be heard in almost every locality.
Although carefree and jovial, schoolchildren are going through a nail-biting time as announcement of results are just around the corner. But there’s more than just anxiety here.
Results for most kids are associated with rewards. Yes, rewards. “If you get 90 per cent marks, that Hero bicycle is yours,” this is just an example of what may be playing in the minds of many children, who have been promised something or the other provided they meet their academic targets.
A group of kids who had huddled together for a ball game in a city locality were overheard discussing “who gets what after results”.
One of them leading the discussions said, “I am going to get a PS4 console if I score more than 85 in Maths.”
As he went on confidently telling his friends how he’s sure to score the said marks, others began revealing their bargains. “My exams went great. I am confident that I’ll score more marks than you. But I will be going to my grandma’s in Assam. There I will ask her to get me a pair of Nike shoes,” this boy, who seemed about 13-14 years old, said.
Another one, who seemed disinterested in the conversation, said, “I just hope I pass the examinations.”
Their conversation was interrupted by a friend who had gone to look for the ball. Once the ball was back, they returned to enjoying their game.