Old Story:
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and
laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.
Come winter, the Ant is warm and well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or
shelter so he dies out in the cold.
Indian Version of this old story:
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and laying up supplies for the winter.
The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and laughs & dances & plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.
The World is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor Grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy
stages a demonstration in front of the Ant's house.
Medha Patkar
goes on a fast along with other Grasshoppers demanding that Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter .
Mayawati
states this as `injustice' done on Minorities.
Amnesty International and
United Nations
criticize the Indian Government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the Grasshopper.
The Internet
is flooded with online petitions seeking support to the Grasshopper (many promising Heaven and Everlasting Peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance) .
Opposition
MPs stage a walkout. Left parties call for ' Bengal
CPM in Kerala immediately ask for a law preventing Ants from working hard in the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and
Grasshoppers.
Mamta Bannerji
allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all
Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the ' Prevention of Terrorism Against Grasshoppers Act' [POTAGA], with effect from the beginning of the
winter.
Kapil Sibbal
makes 'Special Reservation ' for Grasshoppers in Educational Institutions & in Government Services.
The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, its home is confiscated by the Government
and handed over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.
Arundhati Roy calls it ' A Triumph of Justice'.
Mamta calls it 'Socialistic Justice '.
United Nations
invites the Grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.
Many years later....
The Ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in Silicon Valley,
100s of Grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation all over India,
AND As a result of losing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the grasshoppers,
India is still a developing country!!
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