IT was rumoured around in Islamabad that the highly-valued think-tank had exploded. The rumour sent tremors through the corridors of power. Before the flags could be lowered at half-mast, the elite summoned a worthy team of hefty plumbers to examine the exploded think-tank. The burly plumbers turned up at the site in no time. They promptly took stock of the situation, and passed on an initial message to the authorities. It said: “Thank God, the think-tank has not exploded. No loss of precious lives and valuable property. You need not lower the flag at the half-mast.”
The elite in the corridors of power heaved a sigh of relief. They beamingly congratulated and hugged each other, and offered nawafil, thanks-giving prayers, together.
The burly plumbers happen to be highly trusted persons in the estimate of the elite. They remain busy opening choked outlets in the functioning of the state. Being professional plumbers, they remain devoid of interaction with society at the equal level, and do not understand why certain tanks all over the world are called think-tanks! Blatantly incompetent in comparative study of diverse societies in the world, the tough plumbers do not know how the think-tanks elsewhere on the earth function. In the not-so-remote past, they gathered from nowhere that a think-tank provides remedial solution to social, political and economic ills in a country. They prevailed upon the authorities to let them fabricate a think-tank for the country to absolve the rulers from daunting responsibility of redeeming people from abysmal misery and ignorance.
“Prudent statesmanship draws line of demarcation between entities and nonentities.” The burly plumbers, while emphasizing the importance of a think-tank, said, “The rulers should concentrate on grappling with more challenging responsibilities than to fritter away energy on bringing about qualitative change in the life of the quantitatively unmanageable miserable masses.”
After due consideration, the authorities tasked the plumbers to give the country a think-tank. The big and burly plumbers promptly undertook the task, and gave our country a think-tank. The fabulous tank left men, women, children, birds, animals and mammals agape!
I had attended the inaugural ceremony of the think-tank. It was a glamorous gathering. Someone among the men from the media inquired about the purpose of the think-tank. The chief plumber spoke on behalf of the men in authority. He said, “Henceforth, the people of this country will cease to think. On behalf of the people of this country, only the think-tank will undertake the arduous job of thinking. After all, thinking is not everyone’s prerogative.”
Since the establishment of the think-tank, the people of this country do not think. They do not bother about their misery, hunger, sickness, illiteracy, unemployment and constant persecution. The task of thinking has gone over to the think-tank. The rumour that the think-tank had exploded naturally panicked the elite, who had given wide publicity to the tank, and had incurred a staggering amount on the fringe benefits to its costly components. What, in fact, surprised everyone in the corridors of power was that the rumour had jolted the unthinking masses. They commenced indulgence in thinking.
The initial wireless message from the burly plumbers that the think-tank had not exploded, and that it was intact, relaxed the tense rulers. The rulers entered into brief wireless communication with the burly plumbers: “Should we take it as an enemy-engineered prank, and that there is nothing wrong with the think-tank?”
“Not exactly.”
“What do you mean by ‘not exactly’?”
“The think-tank has developed leakage. It drips.”
“What could be the reason for its leakage?”
“We’ll have to probe.”
“Sabotage?”
“Can’t be ruled out.”
“Investigate the cause for the leakage. Pinpoint the culprits.”
The big and burly plumbers investigated the cause for the leakage in the think-tank. They probed into the damage from different angles. What transpired in the end baffled the inquiry committee. Till the appearance of Madan Bheel within the restricted parameters of the think-tank, the state-of-the-art device was functioning smoothly to the entire satisfaction of its comfortable components. He was apprehended by the commandos. They promptly scanned him for infectious diseases of mind and matter. Thereafter, he was taken to the components of the think-tank. The components minutely looked at his ugly appearance, and asked, “Who are you?”
“I am Madan Bheel.”
“What brings you within the restricted parameters of the think-tank?”
“Since the set up of the think-tank, everyone in the country has ceased thinking. I haven’t.”
“What do you think?”
“Why the mighty tormentors of my mother, sisters, wife and the daughters have gone scot-free from ages?” Madan Bheel looked at the components of the think-tank and asked, “Why the violators of my womenfolk are never caught and punished. Do you have any answer?”
The puzzled components of the think-tank had no answer. “I have the answer,” Madan Bheel said. “The violators of my mother, sisters, wife and the daughters sit in judgment upon their own crimes, and honourably absolve themselves from the outrageous acts.”
