The Forgotten News

The afternoon was very warm. Raman's old fragile body was tired. His mind was weary with the day's proceedings at court. He seated himself on an easy-chair, his eyes stared idly to the ceiling where the fan went on slowly in circles making that rusty sound- krrrr krrrr. 29 years had passed by and it only seemed like yesterday. His eyes fell upon the old scrap book. He clasped it and sighed silently. Some of the pages of the book had started withering and discolouring. Slowly, he turned over the leaves of the old scrap book and memories came forth with the speed of light. 

29 years had passed by- Raman was the most talked about person in the country. As he turned pages of his scrap book full of newspaper clippings, he observed how the papers called him 'the Revolutionary Common Man' and 'the One Man Army against Corrupt Politicians' and 'the Lone Warrior'. How they had glorified him! Raman was one of thousands of common men who had been cheated by a corrupt politician who devoured their lifetime's savings. He was the only one of those thousands to raise his voice and courageously take legal action against the one who cheated him. 

India was looking for role models and heroes for motivation and inspiration. When a common man like Raman came to the fore, India got just what it was looking for. Every newspaper carried news about Raman's case and interviews with him. The news channels on TV and radio were flooded with news about him and many a debate took place on the success of his pursuit for justice. In the evenings, friends would meet after work to discuss Raman's case at length over tea. Housewives would discuss with each other of what they thought and what their husbands thought of the whole situation during their free time. Raman was every where in the air. He enjoyed every bit of attention and support he received from any quarter as it would strengthen him and give him the moral boost he needed in tough times. It made him believe that success would eventually be his and kept him beaming with positivity. To top it off, every big lawyer in the country wanted to be on his case, for if he won, it would take them to greater heights in their career and give them the visibility they yearn for, as, media watched his case like a hawk.

Media watched his case...like a hawk....for one entire month...and during this one entire month, Raman would clip all articles on his case and about him and his quest for justice. He wanted to show his children and grandchildren that it is possible to be victorious when you have truth on your side...for one entire month...

...and then India won the World Cup Cricket tournament. Eleven heroes were created in a day. India found its heroes, people they could idolise and have for role-models. It was a huge achievement for the country. All the media focus shifted to this newly acquired glory. It was something that put India back on the world map...at least on the cricketing map.

Then, there were floods- massive floods that took up the media attention...900 dead, 500 missing, 100,000 stranded. When the country was recovering from the flood, there was a major military operation and loss of the Prime Minister followed by massive riots. Media attention could not be anywhere else but on these. As these events unfolded one after the other, the household talks also changed accordingly. In addition, other emotions such as anguish, anxiety and fear also took over. It is not easy for a country to have an assassinated Prime Minister and not react to the situation.

Amidst all this, Raman's news got buried...his quest for justice went on but his big support system- the media and people left his side for there was so much more happening in the world that was more captivating than a common man take a politician to court. People had forgotten him and his cause. He treaded on alone. It is funny how the popularity of a case in the media is inversely proportional to the fees charged by lawyers. As the popularity of his case dropped and nothing of it could even catch the eye of the media, the fees levied by his lawyer sky-rocketed. This was after-all not 'THE' case that could give them the popularity to win them a seat at the parliament or at the least, fatten their wallets for future cases. 

Raman is still 'the Lone Warrior' with the support of his family broken in spirit and a disinterested lawyer. He has not given up. He is still fighting hard for justice and his lifetime's savings against the politician who is dead by now....He has still not been able to tell the story of his victory which he really wanted to, to his grand children....He also slightly misses the attention from the media and people which 29 years back, for one whole month was entirely his...his only solace on that warm afternoon, lying on his easy chair was the scrapbook bearing the many clippings of the Forgotten News...