Atermoiments: (French) Distractions or hesitations leading to procrastination.
I had every intention of getting my column done on Monday, start the week off with a bang. I had every intention of following up on that super-productive Monday with a week's worth of writing. I always have the best intentions. but this is what happened instead!
Monday: Given over to recovery from a string of social commitments, I am ordinarily not programmed to execute. This includes meeting people, sharing anecdotes, explaining your disappearance from the face of the earth so on and so forth.
Tuesday: Fired up laptop, started a word file, but then gave over to the siren call of the internet. Browsed Amazon for hours in search of my next read.
As we edge closer to my deadline, I'm still nowhere near beginning anything that resembles a topic for my piece. This is when the universe throws me a lifeline. It's all the government's fault. 'This is India': these three words are a get-out-of-jail-free card. Clutch it close to your heart and use as frequently as you get an opportunity to. Trust me!
Exhibit A: Kid plays truant, shows up in class without homework. On being interrogated by irate teacher, the response is inevitably something to do with the power supply. Once the word 'power' comes into play it's just a short drive to the eventual blaming and shaming of the powers that be.
End result: Kid gets away with gross negligence to comply to school curriculum, teacher wastes day pondering the corruption of the government that led to power supply issues, which in turn incapacitated his pupil. The rest of the day is given over to apathy and statements like: Whatever will happen to this country?
Similarly, I was setting off in my car to run some chores, now living in the capital has its perks — wide boulevards, clean streets, no hoardings, but its pitfalls are egregious. Try navigating the city without being waylaid because there is VIP movement!!! This is a phenomenon where traffic is held up indefinitely, while a VIP cavalcade has unrestricted passage.
The one I was embroiled in recently and the reason for my being derelict of my duties was the mother of all VIP movements. Mr Hazare, in his benevolence, decided to protest the Land Acquisition Bill. His modus is unique, though how effective, is yet to be gauged. To throw the cat among the pigeons, our newly elected Chief Minister rushed to the side of his old mentor and all of Delhi was thrown into chaos. I was suffocating on car fumes for at least an hour before I gave up hope of reaching my destination, tried to extricate myself from the grid lock and went back home. But to several more gainfully occupied citizens, the delay was infinitely more costly.
Business meetings would have had to be cancelled, doctors' appointments delayed. If we are to have a populist government, wouldn't they do well to ensure that the very people who voted them in, aren't left cooling their heels behind a barricade whilst politicians abandon their day's work, which I assume is as productive and important to them as ours is to us, and rushing off to protest and show solidarity. Or not, bury us in VIP movements and bureaucratic delays, the demographic recognised the world over for enterprise and JUGAAD crawled its way out of these conditions. Don't blame us when we cut corners and bend the rules. You forced our hand. Whatever will happen to this country?