O My Hero

This one is addressed to Mr. Karat. You are my true hero. Because you have delved into the American psyche and come up with the answer. "Beware the Americans bearing gifts." You are a politician and you are well advised to be discreet. I have no such inhibitions. I am 90. And at the fag end of my life. And therefore my warning is:

Do not be stampeded into implementing the 1.2.3, because the danger is that the American will go on making demands. More, more, more, till one day you will wake up wondering: Is this the Indian Union or are we in the 51st state? Why do I say this. Because I have been double-crossed by the U.S. Army. Because my brother Gena has been stabbed in the back by an American he trusted implicitly. By a man he loved like a brother. All these stories are too long to relate here. I was advised by relatives: make it short and sweet. Do not bore anyone. But if Mr. Karat wishes for details, I am the boy for him. All he has to do is write to me, and he shall have all the details in my possession. And now ZIP! As Bob would say.

-- M.A. Shahani, 26th September, 2007.