Could you please turn down the volume?

Dedicated to those fortunate Indians who enjoy the unbridled privilege to protest and get heard, as and when they choose to.

You are just over sixty in human years and even if you’ve had a dog’s life you’d still be nearly nine. So, stop acting like a petulant child. And please turn down the volume. Just because things don’t go according to what a few of you, the corpulent and self-indulgent few, desire doesn’t mean life is unfair. Or everyone is out to get you.

How you forget you aren’t the only one. There are others too deserving of attention and care. For with 6 billion children one does need to prioritize. And well, to be quite frank you are much better off than most. I mean those of you who put up this dreary display of hysteria every few days. All sound and fury that signifies nothing. Could you please give us all a break?

You are so hard to please. If we shower our love and say look how you’re growing up to be beautiful and civilized. You sulk in your corner and shout between freely flowing tears, “No, I am ugly and uncouth…you are blinded by your rosy tinted glasses.”

And if we say you are dirty and pathetic but no matter we still love you and think you’ll turn out to be ok. You throw a tantrum and wave your arms and stamp your feet and screech, “You know nothing. You don’t even live my life. See how far I have come in such a short time. Look how everyone wants to be my friend. And wants me to play with their toys.”

You want two mutually exclusive things at the same time, all the time. This safely classifies you as neurotic. So, now we understand how to live with you. You’ve already cried wolf once too often but still refuse to realize there is no boogieman under your bed. It’s all in your head. And you simply refuse to be polite. Ah! Tiresome child. How about giving someone else amongst the billions of you the mike.

For a start, could you tone down the hysteria and please turn down the volume. The world is trying to find some peace.

(I thought of giving links but there are too many to put down; from being the first country to ban Satanic Verses to protests over cricket matches to coverage of Mumbai blasts and not to forget the mindless frenzy over Slumdog Millionaire plus the usual burning of effigies, smashing buses, disrupting trains, calling for bandhs and throwing chappals inside the Parliament. Amazingly the transcript never changes neither does the intensity of hysteria. Nor the volume level.)