WHY I HATE LIQUOR ?

As I was waiting in the P.M.'s office, there was a flutter. My heartbeats reached bursting point when in strode a red faced, bespectacled young man of 82. I knew I should get up but just could not. As if understanding my predicament, he said, " Keep sitting young man ". I suddenly felt very old. Slowly, his vigour started to infect me and I came to my normal spirits.

" You say, you are a journalist, is it ?
" Well, actually I am a civil engineer but I have come to take your interview for our company's house journal ".
" Now look here young man, either you are a journalist or you are not. In the latter case, I have no time for you ".
" Well, here I am a journalist ".

He seemed to chafe at the word "here" but let it pass with a gesture of looking at the watch.

" We have given you press people all the freedom you want. I don't understand why you want to confine yourself to this room even for a few minutes. Why don't you indulge like the rest of your colleagues in free flights of fancy ? "
" Actually, Sir, as I am working for the public sector undertaking, I am already used to working within certain confines. I came here to discuss Prohibition with you "
" Aren't my views welknown ? What is there to discuss ?
" Well, it would seem that you have a pathological hatred for liquor "
" I don't know what you mean. I have no bias against anything in accordance with the teaching of the Gita ".
" Sir, Prohibition has been tried in other developed countries and it has not succeeded ".
" Is that any reason why it should not succeed here ? "
" No, but the point is that human nature is the same everywhere and what fails in one place is very likely to fail in another place also ".
" You are talking in terms of only three dimensions. You seem to forget that there is a fourth dimension called time. What fails in one place at one time may succeed at the same place at another time. So, why should a policy that failed in the early part of this century in one place, fail in the latter part of this century in another place ? "
" You have a point there, sir, but then there are other dimensions such as the energy levels on the earth, the planetary positions, solar flares and so on ".
" This is the trouble with you chaps. You go on cluttering up your mind with all sorts of fancy things. I tell you, you people are unable to stand my guts because you drink liquor whereas I drink urine ", he started authoritatively.

Continuing in the same vein, " Now I shall tell you why I hate liquor. In terms of value, liquor is very low. Urine is higher in terms of value. Water is still higher and air is the highest. By imbibing liquor, your mind and body degenerate to a lower level. Your body elements have to work to upgrade the liquor in you qualitatively. With liquor in you, you are only slightly higher than an animal ".

' Sir, you said sometime back that the fourth dimension is important. Is it not possible that what you say may not be true at the present juncture " ?

" No ! You see I am able to stride faster than you, can work longer hours than you and can silence you in an argument. All this would not be possible if I were not right at this moment. Truth alone gives strength ".

" You mean to say that nature has chosen you to be its representative for India and what you say is right for Indians ? "

" I would not put it that way. Nature guides everybody and those who follow nature, find their path easily. I happen to be the Prime Minister and I am strictly guided by nature. Nature guided me to the Prime ministership and in the conduct of state policies. I, therefore, am of the opinion that prohibition is right for India at the given time ".

" One last question Sir,. Is it true that the spirit, if you will excuse my using the word, of Aurangzeb has entered you ? "

Laughingly he said, " Why don't you say I am Aurangzeb in person ? "

On this happy note, I ended the interview. While coming out, I felt that there was something in what the man was saying but taking the totality of the universe and the time in its infinity, into account, something seemed to be lacking. Shall we allow the fourth dimension in nature to teach us all including Shri Morarji Desai, the truth in the matter ?