Original Story:
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and
laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant is a fool
and laughs, dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the Ant is warm and
well fed. The Grasshopper has no food or shelter so he dies out in the cold.
..........................
Indian Version:
The Ant works hard in the withering heat all summer building its house and
laying up supplies for the winter. The Grasshopper thinks the Ant's a fool and
laughs, dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering Grasshopper calls a press conference and demands
to know why the Ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while others are
cold and starving.
NDTV, Times Now, CNN IBN, BBC, CNN , Asianet 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 the sharp contrast.
How can it 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 with the Grasshopper community demanding that
Grasshoppers be relocated to warmer climates during winter .
Mayawati calls this an 'injustice' done on Minorities.
The Internet is flooded with online petitions seeking support for the
Grasshopper.
The CPM in Kerala immediately passes a law preventing Ants from working hard in
the heat so as to bring about equality of poverty among Ants and
Grasshoppers.
The Railway minister allocates one free coach to Grasshoppers on all Indian
Railway Trains, aptly named the 'Grasshopper Rath'.
Finally, the Judicial Committee drafts the 'Prevention of Terrorism Against
Grasshoppers Act'[POTAGA] , with effect from the beginning of the winter..
The Education minister makes 'Special Reservation' for Grasshoppers in
Educational Institutions and in Government Services.
The Ant is fined for failing to comply with POTAGA and having nothing left to
pay his retroactive taxes, it's home is confiscated by Government and handed
over to the Grasshopper in a ceremony covered by NDTV, Times Now, CNN IBN, BBC,
CNN.
Arundhati Roy calls it 'A Triumph of Justice'.
The Railway minister calls it 'Socialism In Action'.
The CPM calls it the 'Revolutionary Resurgence of the Downtrodden'
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 Government
reservations in India.
....AND
As a result of losing lot of hard working Ants and feeding the grasshoppers,
India is still a developing country...!!
Roland Francis
Toronto.
