Who is watching MLA, MPs….
“Why are you sitting on my shoulder and making a ‘tut, tut’ sound?” I questioned Lulu, my parrot angrily.
“Oh, chill man, don’t get upset. I was just curious about what you were doing with your mobile.”
“What nonsense!”
“I think there are two categories of men. Those who watch something on their mobile, like you were doing; and those who keep an eye on such men.” Lulu replied laughing aloud.
“You are a peeping Tom, Lulu. You will do well to learn manners and etiquettes.”
“Ok, Ok. I will. But you ought to know that peeping Tom is a phrase used to refer to a man ‘who furtively observes women undressing.’ So please correct yourself. I am not a man, I am a parrot, and I am not watching woman undress.” Lulu shot back.
“But when you sit on shoulders of people, you must be watching them do something.”
“Yes, I do sometimes. One cannot close his eyes and sit meditating on peoples’ shoulders.” Lulu said as he jumped on my hand.
“Hmmmm…..We are constantly being watched. There are hidden cameras everywhere. In shops and offices, they warn you that you are under surveillance.”
“Yes, they have fitted cameras everywhere.”
“And on highways too there are cameras to check speed violation.” I said with a tone of complaint.
“Haha…there are a few bird watchers, but I think men like to watch themselves.”
“I envy parrots. They are not put under surveillance. And there are no porno films in their world!”
“And there are no elected representatives among parrots who spend their time watching porno stuff too.” Lulu took a dig again.
“Hah ha!”
“But why do you forget who is watching you all the time?”
“Who is that? Has USA put one more satellite for watching people?”
“Oh, no! You have forgotten him obviously. HE is watching you all the time, even if you are not an MLA or MP. Beware! HE matters more than political parties and hidden cameras. HE also holds a mirror to us. Wrong doers find it difficult to look into hismirror.”
“You said it Lulu.”
“I think Galileo got it right when he said ‘I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.’ Will you tell this to your elected representatives?” Lulu said as he once again perched on my shoulder.
Vivek
Wah!! I always thought you give Gyan to the Innocent Lulu, but its the other way round now.
Jai Ho Lulu.
Our House of Elected representatives will be a better place, if each had Lulu like wisdom to watch over them.
Fantastic. Lulu seems to have more common sense than the common human beings who inhabit this planet and particularly the political arenas. Good one Vivek!!!!!
Thanks Viyoma and Satchi for your good words.
Vivek
There is one thing I find disturbing/concerning about our continuous focus on the lives/doings of our government leaders/public personalities.
I feel we measure them against standards which sometimes, we ourselves, are not willing to live up to.
A few examples:
• The autorickshaw-wallahs in Mumbai went on a ‘flash strike’ to support Anna Hazare’s movement against corruption. There was a lot of talk/outrage around corruption amongst politicals/government officials. The same auto-rickshawallahs went on a flash strike again, when the police tried to fine those with incorrect meters.
• The reporter who caught the MLAs/MPs watching porn – I wonder :1) why did he not raise up the matter immediately and stop the action? There must be a procedure to report the matter to the Speaker. S/he rather seem to have waited to publish/report the news. Does tell me something about his/her motivations; 2) can s/he say that s/he has never seen porn in his/her life? I am assuming that the reporter did think what MLAs were doing was wrong – and hence that standard of right/wrong should apply to the reporter too.
I agree with your point of view – our ‘mirror’ (and by that I also mean our conscience) should guide us in our own actions. But I also do feel that if we were to expect certain ‘behaviors’ from our elected representatives, we must be willing to live by those ‘same’ behaviors ourselves.
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Sourav
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@Sourav
It is a highly idealistic to judge everyone on same standards.
However, here the question is not whether “ Whether indulgence into anything for personal pleasure is right or wrong”. The issue is where and when it was done. Such indulgences when the House is in session, is not expected or acceptable.
As, Elected Representatives, they owe us some Responsibility for the faith; we have shown in them.
@Vyoma – I do agree with you – there is an issue regarding when and where it was done.
I also do feel that we must be willing to live up to the same standards we hold others (including our elected representatives) accountable for. I don't think this is a highly idealistic expectation.