Once upon a time in India (A fairy story)

Once upon a time in India, there was a disease. A disease that ate away from the inside, making everyone condemn it as dangerous and rotten. The people were very sad and very poor. They felt all the symptoms of their disease without knowing the cause. Was it a virus? Was it genetic? So far, it had only affected the leaders, but if it could affect the leaders, surely it would plague them sooner or later. Moreover, the expensive treatments being used were draining the public money. "Where does our money go?" they were quick to demand. It was very sad, very sad indeed.

Obviously, they needed a hero with superpowers to deliver them from this Evil. Nothing else could work. This hero soon came to them. In fact, I will go as far as to suggest that till he came, the people had not really even realised that anything was wrong at all. But he came, and their eyes were opened to this awful plight.

This hero was - what shall I say? - remember the Pied Piper of Hamelin? This hero was a vision in white. He didn't eat so he was obviously very special. People thronged in rain and shine to see him not eat. After many months of not eating, he had the people eating out of his palm. They were ready to do anything for him if he would only eat again, for he was grown rather old and feeble. They offered to give him all their food, money, clothes of different colors, and pledged to follow him wherever he would go.

All the king's men (and women) promised a cure if they were only given some more time. But the people were having none of it. They wanted a cure and they wanted it now. They weren't very sure how the Piper would cure them, but they believed him because he said "I will cure you." And the Piper piped and they came out on the streets in large quantities to watch him not eat.

And then one day he took his magic wand and said "choo mantar" and the disease vanished and everyone lived happily ever after.

(This story was written in response to certain hunger strikes and widespread protests happening in Delhi at the time. Needless to say, the author is a cynic.)