Meowing Times....

My FB friend and photographer Nandan Tavanandi,  posted these wonderful photos of cats, in his FB album called Waghachi Mavshi.  Which means "the aunt of the tiger", in my language, Marathi.  (To read a story that explains the relationships between animals and their attitudes read this .)  

Tiger's-aunt or no, the cat moves with a great sense of attitude and seems to be thinking about something important.

While the cat seems to be on some kind of reconnaissance/fact-finding round in the woods, it wasn't very difficult to imagine what was going on through the smart cat's mind.

Given the election atmosphere in India, sudden alliances, understandings and changing of loyalties ,  diktats by the Election Commission (at a huge cost) to cover items like statues(presumed) advantageous to certain candidates,  and remembering a long gone politician (of my youth) who gave up electoral politics to do social service,  the following lines happened.....

(Originally thought in Marathi, then made in English...)  

रानात निवडणुका,
कोणावर विश्वास ठेवावा ,
समजत नाही ...
निर्वाचन आयोगाने " उंदरांचे सापळे
हिरव्या गवताने गुंडाळा ",
म्हणून फतवा काढला ;
वाघोबा बोलणी करायला येउन गेला,
माकडीण सारखी झाडावर एक बोलते,
माझ्या समोर दुसरं;
रानडुक्कर टोळी सभा उधळ्त्ये,
आणि
अस्वल मधेच माझ्याबाजूने बोलतं,
मधेच वाघोबासमोर मान डोलवतं..
मला वाटत , आता
कोणीतरी काहीतरी बोलायचा आधी
माझ्या सारखी ज्येष्ठ मावशीने
"मी पक्ष्यांचं काम करण्यासाठी रानाच्या बाहेर पडत्ये "
असं सांगितलेलं बरं! ...

She tours
taking stock
of the land....

Election season,
and the Election Commission
has decreed
that
all rat-traps must be covered
with green...

So difficult to decide ...
Such unreliable colleagues,
untrustworthy, fake;

Tiger has been in
for some strategic talks,
Lady Monkey has been campaigning
and speaking
both ways,
everywhere....

Then the Wild Pigs
keep creating a ruckus
in meetings,
and Old Bear,
sometimes smiles with me
and
sometimes drinks with the Tiger...

Maybe ,
I should,
in the highest tradition
of Indian Politics,
retire myself
with great fanfare
from the field,
and declare
that
"I am doing this
so I can serve the people better"....