The Ant and the grasshopper
**********to whomsoever it may concern*****************************
The following article was an anonymously sent one to our hostel magazine
Hope you enjoy it!!
*****************************************************************
The Ant and the grasshopper
Old version
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks that the ant’s a fool and laughs and dances and plays the winter away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold
Modern version
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks that the ant’s a fool and laughs and dances and plays the winter away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm well-fed while the others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
The world is stunned by this sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house.. Medha patkar goes on a fast along the other grasshoppers demanding that they be relocated to warmer climates during winter. Amnesty international and Kofi Annan criticize the Indian government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper. The internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to grasshopper (many promising Heaven and everlasting peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance.)
Opposition Mps stage a walk-out. Left parties call for ’bharat bandh” in West Bengal and Kerala demanding judicial enquiry. CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing ants from working hard in the withering heat so as to bring about equality of ants and grasshoppers.
Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to grasshoppers on all India Railway trains aptly named as “Grasshopper Rath “.
Finally the judicial committee drafts the “Prevention of Terrorism against grasshoppers act” [POTAGA] w.e.f. the beginning of winter. Arjun Singh makes special reservation for geasshoppers in educational institutions and government services. The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA , and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.
Arundhati Roy calls it “triumph of justice”. Lalu calls it “social justice”. CPM calls it “revolutionary resurgence of the down-trodden”. Kofi annan invites the grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.
Many years later the ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in silicon valley. Hundreds of grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India.
As a result, losing lot of hard-working ants and feeding the grasshoppers, India is still where it was.
The following article was an anonymously sent one to our hostel magazine
Hope you enjoy it!!
*****************************************************************
The Ant and the grasshopper
Old version
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks that the ant’s a fool and laughs and dances and plays the winter away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold
Modern version
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks that the ant’s a fool and laughs and dances and plays the winter away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm well-fed while the others are cold and starving.
NDTV, BBC, CNN show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.
The world is stunned by this sharp contrast. How can this be that this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?
Arundhati Roy stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house.. Medha patkar goes on a fast along the other grasshoppers demanding that they be relocated to warmer climates during winter. Amnesty international and Kofi Annan criticize the Indian government for not upholding the fundamental rights of the grasshopper. The internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support to grasshopper (many promising Heaven and everlasting peace for prompt support as against the wrath of God for non-compliance.)
Opposition Mps stage a walk-out. Left parties call for ’bharat bandh” in West Bengal and Kerala demanding judicial enquiry. CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing ants from working hard in the withering heat so as to bring about equality of ants and grasshoppers.
Lalu Prasad allocates one free coach to grasshoppers on all India Railway trains aptly named as “Grasshopper Rath “.
Finally the judicial committee drafts the “Prevention of Terrorism against grasshoppers act” [POTAGA] w.e.f. the beginning of winter. Arjun Singh makes special reservation for geasshoppers in educational institutions and government services. The ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA , and having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated and handed over to the grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV.
Arundhati Roy calls it “triumph of justice”. Lalu calls it “social justice”. CPM calls it “revolutionary resurgence of the down-trodden”. Kofi annan invites the grasshopper to address the UN General Assembly.
Many years later the ant has since migrated to the US and set up a multi-billion dollar company in silicon valley. Hundreds of grasshoppers still die of starvation despite reservation somewhere in India.
As a result, losing lot of hard-working ants and feeding the grasshoppers, India is still where it was.
Comments
awesome story....
d last punch line rightly justifies it