A conversation

" Mom, can you believe this? They've lost Mrs. M***'s tapes!"

"What else did you expect?"

"But, come on, those police inspectors who investigated the case put in so much effort to get the evidence. How can the police lose it? This is atrocious! And why the hell are still some people supporting these fellows when there is clear evidence against them?"

"Well, I guess, money has great power."

"But still mom...this is an issue of national security. There is some thing called 'love for your country'. Well, at least I read so in my textbooks."

"Maybe some people missed reading that."

(After five minutes)
"Why don't they just shut down that dumb Consulate in C***? Did you read Mr. Tharoor's statement? That they are searching for the documents?"

" I did"

" Come on mom! How can people be like that? There were clear instructions that American citizens of Pak origin are to be given visa only after clearance. They didn't bother a wee bit about it. So we had the 26/11. Now they don't give the papers. They're not missing, they say; but they are still searching for it!!! What a dumb joke!!! Do they think that people are idiots?"

"People are."

"I guess you are right."

(After a pause, again)
"I can't help but get angry when my government spends such a lot of money on protecting criminals against whom there is clear evidence. I respect the idea of fair trial but it is my sincere belief that when there is clear evidence, the trial shouldn't take such a long time for completion. After all, justice delayed is justice denied."

"We're living on planet earth, my dear"

(After a glance at the paper)
"I think our leaders are forgetting that too. I read somewhere that Mumbai will be submerged within a century."

"One less place for terrorists to strike."

"Seriously, I don't think our government is that wrong about its stand. The West made up this mess. Now they want us to clean it up for them. What do they think we are?(pause). But then again, we too will suffer the effects of global warming and environmental degradation. It is our poor who are going to be affected. We're in this together. I declare this world grossly unfair."

"Welcome back to the real world."