Happy Diwali

By Justice Markandey Katju

Happy Diwali by Justice Katju

Happy Diwali to all Indians

Happy Diwali to the hundreds of millions of malnourished children in India, many of whom are wasted and stunted.

Happy Diwali to the 57% women of India who are anaemic

Happy Diwali to the tens of millions of unemployed youth of India

Happy Diwali to the thousands of persons languishing in jail for years on end on fabricated charges, many of whom do not even know what those charges are, as President Murmu said in her speech (see below ).

 Happy Diwali to the families of over 400,000 farmers of india who have committed suicide

Happy Diwali to the thousands of sick persons waiting for long hours, or even days, at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi ( which looks like a railway station ), and other hospitals in India, usually with perfunctory care, if at all.

Happy Diwali to the Muslims beaten for not saying 'Jai Shri Ram', or jailed on false charges, and the families of those lynched, and Christians whose churches were vandalised in Delhi or persecuted in Odisha.

Happy Diwali for the construction of the 'bhavya' Ram Mandir at Ayodhya ( which will no doubt wipe out poverty and unemployment in India ), and the upcoming and imminent reconversion of the Gyanvapi mosque at Varanasi and Shahi Masjid in Mathura as Hindu temples.

And finally, Happy Diwali to the great people of India who will not cast their vote but vote their caste ( or religion ) in elections, despite skyrocketing prices of foodstuffs including grains, cooking oil, vegetables, meat and other basic commodities which have risen sharply in the last five years, record and rising unemployment, almost total lack of proper healthcare and good education for the masses, steep rise in air pollution, etc

Jai Shri Ram.

(Justice Katju is a retired judge of the Supreme Court of India. These are his personal views.)