Better off as a statue

A letter to the Times of Inida, which echoes what I have been thinking in the past couple of days.

We travel in trains and buses packed like Muscat dates, we are made to cool our heels in the scorching sun whenever a neta decides to use the road built with our money, we are subjected to power outages while ACs hum away at ministerial bungalows. Our democracy ensures that every political party gets a chance to bring the city/state/country to a grinding halt with its bandh call. Our farmers kill themselves while our netas feed each other laddoos over municipal election victories. Fourteen year olds are raped and killed while the cops stand guarding our netas and their statues. Shiv Sainiks go on the rampage because some lunatic on throws mud at Meenatai's statue. In my next janam I'd like to bea neat, or a statue.

-Bharatram Gaba, Mumbai