“So? How was your tour of the Northeast states?” Lulu, my parrot asked me. Lulu moves with me everywhere. “It is a different world” he said.

“Absolutely, Lulu. It is a different world. The languages are different. In some states they do not understand Hindi well. They dress differently. They look different. I can go on and on….”

“What were you doing at Sendra Island?”

“Such a beautiful location. Surrounded by Loktak lake. It has ‘Phumdis’ or circular islands formed by semi decomposed organic mass.  From airplane I couldn’t figure out what the circular objects floating in the lake were. It is unique!”

“I also saw a person fishing in the lake.” I continued. “I quickly clicked. I need a better

camera.”

“Ha ha ha ha!”

“Why are you laughing so sarcastically, Lulu?”

“Ha ha ha ha”

“Oh come on, what’s the matter?”

“All this makes a great symbol for what I am reading in the newspapers today…..”

“Don’t pose riddles, tell me what’s on your mind”

“See Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi and Vijay Mallya as thriving like the Phumdis on the lake of Banking.”

“Oh my ……., Oh yes, I see what you mean, Lulu”

“Phumdis are used by the local people for constructing their huts for fishing and other livelihood uses, and are inhabited by about 4000 people”

“Yes a good many have thrived on the illegal activities of these men; they have been ‘fishing’ in these waters proverbially; I wonder what the end of the story is”

“Wiki says ‘The proliferation of Phumdis has substantially impeded water circulation and damaged the ecosystem. They are planning to make briquettes from the Phumdis to use as fodder’”

“That’s precisely what Congress and BJP both are trying to do. You have a great way to explain everything so well, Lulu.”

“Well, the animal and plant kingdom is not different from the man’s world.” Lulu winked, and flew away

Vivek S Patwardhan