It was after a long time I met Rishi at a college reunion function. But after few minutes my conversation with Rishi failed to make any headway. Rishi was on a single track mode. No matter how much I tried to change the topic, Rishi was adamant. He was stuck up on sovereignty and wanted to talk about it only.

Exasperated I told Rishi that I was neither a government representative nor an obsessed patriot to get myself involved on a discussion on sovereignty. But Rishi was determined to give me a lecture on sovereignty. I had no option but to give Rishi a patient hearing

“You see I am worried what will happen to us if some day we get sovereignty,” Rishi started.

“But what’s so wrong about sovereignty,” I asked.

“Okay, then listen. Let’s start off with the National Games. The impressive performance of the players representing the state in the varied track and field events made all of us proud. They made the sporting flag of the state fly high. But the bottomline is that most of the players representing the state were outsourced from a neighbouring hill state.”

“I see.”

“There is more to it. We all are feeling great that the cricket team of the state is doing very well in the domestic tournaments. Here again some leading players from outside are helping the state team in improving its performance.”

“Well what has sports to do with sovereignty,” I asked.

“Come on sports is just an indicator, Rishi said.

“It’s an irony that we are so very dependent on the outside supplies to cater to our varied demands. I just shudder to think what would happen to us if there be a dislocation to the great supply chain to the state. Be it fruits, vegetables, edible oils, food grains et al we must import them all. Our own domestic production won’t even last us more than a few months.”

“That’s bad.”

“There is much more to it. Even our fish and egg comes from outside. The only silver lining in it is that some youths, who had once sworn by sovereignty, are now busy minting money by guiding the direction of the trucks laden with fish and eggs in the roads of the state.”

“It’s interesting.”

“Yes, it is depressing as well, as our state is basking in a borrowed glory like the moon. Remove the sun and you get dark new moon nights. Once a regional party of the state tried desperately to promote and popularize the gamocha. And the state was indeed flooded with gamochas with most of them being woven in the spinning mills down south. Our small scale units like the bell metal units too have become so minuscule that they just exist in name. We have reached such a state that we simply can’t imagine life without any imported items.”

“Really!”

“Yes. Even to make our democracy vibrant, all the political parties of the state irrespective of their isms and ideologies are desperate to seek help of voters from across the country. It is the presence of the foreign voters which is making the democratic process of the state so very absorbing and interesting. Where in the world you would find foreign voters helping the people of a state to elect their representatives?”

“Quite a democracy, I must say.”

“Yes indeed. We are so very dependent on others. The way things are going the day is not far off when we would have people from outside the state even occupying the chief minister’s chair too.”

“That would be very sad,” I said.

“But just imagine what would happen to us if a perpetually dependent state like ours becomes sovereign!”

Manish Goswami