Men may come, And Men may go, But I go on forever...

 Recently, PM Modi, while delivering his farewell speech on the occasion of the retirement of four seasoned politicians, and members of Rajya Sabha, was choking with emotions, even as his eyes welled up with tears. So powerful was his performance in this live reality show, that the retiring foursome also  got carried away by  the unprecedented wave of sentimentalism and broke down. Soon, all the members were gasping for breath, swimming in saline water, and a flood warning could have been issued had the dam of grief given way. Thank god it didn't happen...even though, such an act of fate could have facilitated the razing down of the quasi century old Parliament Building, a legacy of the British era to pave way for the proposed new construction, symbolic of a new India, emerging from the shackles of its colonial past. 

This was an unusual show of emotions on the part of the PM who is not wont to public display of his innnermost feelings. With India riding forever on a rollercoaster of tragic events such as lynchings, rapes, caste wars, accidents, human rights violations, this could  translate into an excess release of cortisol, as well as severe dehydration for our overwrought PM, were he to shed  tears for every mishap. For example, how can he afford to mourn the death of 160 farmers who succumbed to hardships faced during the protests? Or of hundreds of migrant labourers who died while trying to reach home in the wake of the sudden lockdown imposed to stop Covid-19 in its tracks? Or of those weary daily wagers, mowed down by an empty freight train?  How can he commiserate with all the victims of  rape, with one taking place every  seventeen minutes? Or empathize with the kins and kith of those malnourished children in Bihar and U.P. dying of encephalitis? Or condemn the death of 53 Delhiites brutally murdered during the communal violence which erupted in the aftermath of the three-and-a-half month long CAA protests? Or lament a thousand or so destitute souls, claimed by the devastating floods of 2020? Etc...etc...

Yes, let us not burden the PM by thrusting too much expectations on him. The task of ruling an unruly country like ours is tough and requires his iron fist. 

Then again, how are we to feel safe, governed, confident in the wide path of the masses, when its leader plainly cares more for his generals than his foot-soldiers? Certainly, the "good of the nation" must come first, but for what percentage of the nation? For which chosen groups and lucky strata? Perhaps on one of his trips to Russia, he picked up an old local proverb and found it suited to his ideology: "the tears of strangers are only water". 

Maybe it is time that his loyal  political buddies give him a subtle reminder that such sentiments aren't exactly the best fit for Leaders of Great Nations.