OF KINGS, SAINTS, GOLD, PRINCES AND SWISS BANK ACCOUNTS

A news item and an Editorial in a Telugu News Paper of repute, “Eeenadu” attracted my attention and I thought that there might be something beyond what met the eye. The news is about a Hindu “saint”

(Saadhu), whom Congress leaders deride as an agent of BJP.  This Saadhu is said to have dreamt

of a King. The king told him as follows as per the news item.

“Oh! Saadhu! (Like a story in Chandamma) About 150 years back, I hoarded a thousand tons of gold in my Dandiya Khera Fort in Unnav District of UP. Dig it and use it for the welfare of 67% of the poor.” I imagine he may have told him to get a GSB (A Gold Security Bill) passed and if somebody can not vote to let him/her cry and get tears.  The Saadhu promptly told the UP Government authorities and they laughed it off.  True! If anyone told that they hoarded onions, they would have believed. But “gold”? Who will hoard?

There was a twist in the tale here. As per the report the Saadhu met a very secular Congress leader, who had been his friend in need and deed and narrated  the dream story. This leader  happens to be a disciple of the“Prince in waiting”. So he informed him and the Prince did not call it nonsense but instead reportedly unofficially instructed the ASI officials to dig the ‘gold’ and as per the report ASI obliged and started digging. It is“digging” only and not “Diggying”. After digging they seem to have stumbled upon a ‘hard object”. So, it might be the hoarded gold. Nobody from media asked the question “Will you dig the whole of India if the 1.25 billion population dream about kings, queens,princes and sycophants hoarding gold? ”But I am asking. “Will they do?” They did not ask as the Saadhu was not an Asaram or it was not a BJP leader who ordered the digging. It was reportedly the “nonsense” Prince. If any BJP leader did this, he would have been branded communal and all the channel anchors would have asked questions waving their left hands to all rights activists. "Can you believe such things happen in secular India? Are they not polarising?" And all Ananthamurthys and Amartya Sens would have wryly smiled and said "yes". There would have been a “huge controversy”. Let us wait for further news.

Now, let us come to the editorial.  The headline reads. “Swiss Bank doors to be opened”. The editorial is about the recent decision of Switzerland Government to sign the multilateral agreement to co-operate in getting details of accounts held in banks there by all countries. The news paper editors strike a note of optimism about bringing back the black money from there. It is good if it is brought.

Now, it is not in my purview to speculate. It is election time. Exactly at a time when  the Swiss Bank bubble is about to burst a Hindu Saadhu dreams of huge gold hoarding. And the Prince who is the secularest of the secular orders ‘digging’ out the fact behind the dream. He does not brush it aside the Hindu as communal or the hoard as ‘nonsense’.

The news paper says the ‘digging’ on orders is ‘speculative’ but was from reliable sources. So, I also report in the same vein. If it were true you can draw an inference you like to draw. I have no objection. “The Swiss Bank Accounts and the hidden gold” are not important. What is important is the purported interest the“Prince” showed on the gold. To save the poor of the country or to wipe out tears of his mother? 

JAI HIND!

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Disclaimer: The news is taken "verbatim" from a news paper report. I can not vouch for the report's correctness. But, read in unison, the news and editorial tell us another "dream story".

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