How many words are nestled in ‘austerity’?
‘Austerity’ is the new MD: Mantri Darling. This now-WOW is not displacing earlier official Word Of Week like perennial vikas or poll-bol ‘poriborton’. It has only extended them. In post-Hormuz world, progress can continue only through a change in wasteful ways, no? Here’s my contribution to patriotic conservation. I’m going to obey PM-ji’s orders literally to the letter. Instead of squandering avoidable words, this column will try to use as many as can be formed with the alphabetical letters in ‘austerity’. My verbal economy follows the ego-unfriendly 3Rs: Reuse, Reduce, Recycle. Sparing you the atmanirbhar of self-spotting, I’ve italicised these ‘kangaroo’ words.
A suite of measures was announced to make sure that we keep our 2030 tryst with 7.3 trillion GDP. True, they aren’t easy, but aren’t we well suit-ed not to stray from this yogic sutra’s set aims? Unlike Wasteful West found with its pants down in every era of belt-tightening, Evolved East does not get shirty or weep copious tears, let alone saute those who’ve ordered curbs. Here, sacrifice is not some airy notion/trite cliche. It does not raise our ire, tire us, get us into a state or leave us all at sea. We rate high on frugal traits. Didn’t they see us through the socialist years?
Trust me, we won’t be a backside-sitter or stare in disbelief when asked to give up our gas-guzzling SUV or LPG-consuming puris. Or not buy more gold for sundry rites. Not just an artiste, we are THE artist of jugaad. We can cleverly rejig whatever Trump, Iran and that damned strait throw at us.
Letting their fancy cars rust, star ministers already travel on and in a convoy of bikes. Who knows, they might actually laugh off the satire this show provokes, not treat it like treason – or troll-tar the ‘anti-national’ offender.
Yes, sir, now that the alarm has rung, we will stir from non-AC beds, arise and rise like yeast to bake our patriotic bread.
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Alec Smart said: “With the mandated restraint, does the forex holiday become a ‘guilt trip’?”
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
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