dyslexia (noun). a slight disorder of the brain that causes difficulty in reading and spelling, for example, but does not affect intelligence.
I wish Prime Minister Modi’s answer to the students dealing with dyslexia – which was surely nothing other than a ‘situational political humour’ – should have come in earlier, maybe during the same Mann ki Baat episode wherein he recommended using the respectable term DIBYANG (‘differently abled’) instead of the offensive VIKALANG (‘physically challenged’). From the time, it has come to the limelight, all of those – including those who didn’t care two hoots about that phenomenon – have been pouring out sympathies, perhaps more importantly, sandwiched by venom for PM Modii for the wrong caused.
Who but a fool would argue and affirm that Narendra Modi was sarcastic of all the dyslexic people around there? It is but natural that we relish the battles that are fought on equal front. Since the day of Modiji’s ascendance to the PM’s office, all that he has to deal with is the whims and fancies of a joker that has won by inheritance a host of intelligent (at least, by degree) sycophants that dance to his tunes however appalling or cacophonous they may be. Instances are many when the serious debates in the Houses of the Parliament have been diluted after this joker’s nonsensical comments. Let’s not talk about the winking eye affair that Modiji had to compellingly indulge in, at the receiving end though.
The gaffes such as potato machine (“Aisi machine lagaunga, iss side se aaloo ghusega, uss side se sona niklega”) and ‘women empowerment’ speech are symptoms enough to highlight the joker’s ineligibility to lead an Opposition of the largest democracy of the world, and that too against one of the best orators of recent times, Modiji. (Let’s not deviate towards the corruption index of both the leaders for the joker’s benefit here.) Add to that, the joker’s senseless, often proven false, jibes at Modi, day in and day out, in a haste to win the lost office that now seems to be fading far away! These all contribute to Modiji’s preoccupation with the joker too, and hence a situational humour of this type may have surfaced. But look at the responses from the students – weren’t they complementing the Prime Minister’s thoughts? There was a roll of laughter among them and they could easily identify who the PM was referring to!
Let’s not make a mountain out of a molehill. Let’s admit when we become workaholic, on some rare occasions, we may crack a joke that we shouldn’t have or sip a drink that we shouldn’t have. It is just that, and nothing else. I remember reading somewhere: “A good sense of humour is an escape valve for the pressures of life.”
