The Chief Minister along with his select cabinet colleagues and top-notch bureaucrats were huddled at an emergency meeting at the Janata Sadan. The otherwise cheerful Chief Minister wore a worried look. Even his trademark smile was missing. Without any preamble, the Chief Minister started the proceedings right away. “Friends all these years I thought that only floods were a bane for the state. But now I realized that I was quite wrong. Lack of rains can also create a host of problems as well. Unthinkable once, drought has now assumed an alarming proportion in the state and we are yet to evolve any solution to tackle it.”

“Yes Sir,” the young cabinet member who is known for his managerial and manipulative skills remarked. “And Sir, unlike floods there are hardly any positive spin offs during droughts. So it would be better if we can work out on some strategies to use the dry spell to our advantage.”

“I am talking about the problems and their solutions and not about profits,” the Chief Minister remarked sarcastically.

“Right Sir,” the young cabinet member said nodding his head. “But Sir, I think we should always consider how we can use a problem to our advantage. Sir, with your due permission, I would like to deliberate on the fruits of flood so that we may get a better perspective on the positive aspects of human misery. It may help us to end the drought of ideas to find a solution to tackle the dry spell as well.”

“Okay go ahead,” the Chief Minister said in a grumpy tone.

“Right Sir. First of all let us consider the employment generation potential flood offers. Thanks to it, we have offices like Flood Control, E&D, and of course, the great white elephant Brahmaputra Board. These offices are providing gainful employment to many. And Sir, the offices come handy for us to take the right commission from the prospective job-seekers and contractors as well.

“Floods also act as a great motivator for prospective entrepreneurs and help in honing the business acumen of youths of the region. Right from pushing stranded vehicles in waterlogged streets to construction and repair of embankments, floods throw the doors open for a host of business opportunities... Again Sir, apart from helping the flood ravaged, the Centre’s relief packages come handy for us and the officials associated with the relief operations.”

“Stop eulogizing the harvest of riches which we had reaped from floods,” the Chief Minister yelled. “Come to the point and focus on the drought.”

“Right Sir. Harping on the prolonged dry spell we can move both the Centre and the international agencies to sanction drinking water projects across the state. Sir just imagine the dividends we will reap if we manage to get a substantial number of such projects sanctioned... We can also open offices like Drought Control, Drought Board, Drought Monitoring Directorate… These offices apart from generating employment will also drive home the message loud and clear that we are serious to combat the dry spell.”

“But will these offices serve any purpose?” The Chief Minister asked.

“Yes Sir. Their functioning will be at par with the services rendered by the Flood Control Office over the years.”

“I think you have a point. But tell me how we deal with the drought ravaged farmers.”

“No problem Sir. We will bombard them with assurances that like the skyhigh prices one day the rains too will come crashing down.”

“But will assurances work?”

“Yes Sir. Assurances had always worked. Had it not Sir, we won’t have been here discussing the woes of the masses at the Janata Sadan.”

Manish Goswami