MANGO PEOPLE

The deputy minister of the Ministry of Home Affairs-India got a call while having tea with his broad eyes, moving from one corner to another corner of the newspaper to grab the consequential news. The caller shook his hands, and the white teacup crumbled on the floor, splashing the tea on the edge of the long front leg of the table. Slipped newspaper from his hands played the role of a defective mop to wipe a few drops of tea. The frightening news was about human trafficking in the city (Delhi). The human trafficker blackmailed in a threatening voice to release the seven human traffickers, imprisoned for six years in Mumbai jail. The deputy minister said with a bewildered voice, ‘What would be your action if we didn’t release those seven?’ The human trafficker responded with a crooked voice: ‘320 girls will be sent overseas within 24 hours. It’s not my request but my warning.’ Rash attempts by the minister’s team to trace the trafficker’s phone number and location went into vain due to his continuous changing of SIM cards. The team members started off their white cars in Mumbai as well as in Delhi and nearby towns as if they were the participants of some race car game, but their efforts couldn’t find him. The trafficker’s brain overtook even hi-technology ideas to nail him despite keeping the pot boiling. Finally, the deputy minister had to give the go-ahead to his demands. He gave the police the green light to release those seven human traffickers and allowed them to get in the car sent by that trafficker. As per the order, the car was parked on the designated lot. The police officers were ordered to leave that car in ten minutes. They followed the instructions and left the car with those seven traffickers. But that incident drew each team member and minister into a big shock. The car was blasted, and the human traffickers were found dead. The deputy manager called the trafficker with anger: ‘Who the hell are you? You wanted to kill them or save them?’ The human trafficker said, ‘I wanted to clean the muddy puddles in the city that are spreading deathful diseases. Those criminals have already spent six and a half years in jail; after six months, they would come out and come back to their duties. Again, thousands of girls and kids would be supplied overseas, and my daughter could be one of the victims.’ The deputy minister: ‘But who the hell is on the line? May I know, please?’ The human trafficker says, ‘I am just a stupid common man of the nation.’ The deputy minister spoke with full confidence and irritation: ‘How dare you take laws into your hands? You don’t have that right. The government is working on it. You are not at all allowed to do that.’ The common man: ‘Just look at your confidence. When you came to know that I am not a human trafficker but just a stupid common man, you started underestimating my voice. That happens always in the nation. We mango people are always neglected and underestimated. Even today, we feel insecure about allowing our daughters and our little kids to live their lives freely. We, the mango people, get tired of filing the FIRS and get responses after seven to ten years or more. I have already lost my one daughter, but I want to save my other kids. I didn’t have other options as I am just a common man.’ The deputy minister said, ‘That’s the problem of our nation; a common man himself underestimates his power and lags to contribute to the nation. You are the strongest incarnation of the nation in the form of a common man if you perform your duties well.’ He took a deep breath and started again: ‘There are many duties of a common man, like obeying the laws of our country, protecting the power, unity, and integrity of the country, safeguarding public property, paying taxes with honesty promptly, protecting and preserving cultural heritage sites, and preserving the natural environment. A common man must guard the country and maintain the spirit of common brotherhood; you must respect, value, and follow all the noble ideals used in the national struggle for freedom. Does a common man do all these honestly? The common man: ‘Mmmm.’ He wanted to speak, but he didn’t have an adequate answer. The deputy minister said, ‘A common man is the real strength of government. Like God is incomplete without His devotees, the government is also incomplete without its people. Mango people can spread the sweetest mango juice across the country if they stop underestimating their power. If all common men continue boiling their pots of honest duties, they can be the most powerful people of the nation in disguise as mango people. It’s time to divert your time to performing your duties and supporting the government rather than complaining. As far as human trafficking is concerned, the government has set up 225 specialized anti-human trafficking units across the country and has arranged sensitization programs for police and training for prosecutors. I agree with unfair acts happening in the country, but some unpredictable acts can’t be stopped even by God. Even though you might fail to control four or five members of your small family, that doesn’t mean you are not working on it.’ There was no answer left for the common man. The call got disconnected, and the SIM card was never traced.