Dear Mr. Shinzo,
My apologies first for addressing you with your first name and not the customary last. It is because in India's most common dialect, i.e. Hindustani which is a mix of Hindi and Urdu and is spoken in many states, your surname is a crude form of informal address used exclusively for impish street urchins and thoroughbred rogues. You'd not know this but it felt odd to me, so I used your first name instead.
A few unwelcome and completely unpredictable events in our national capital have forced me to write to you, sir. Ever since I have come to know that you will be our Republic Day guest this January 26, I have been a bit concerned.
Since I am pretty sure the TV channels in your country will not be so focused on what is happening here, let me give you a quick update.
A few steps from where you will be seated on January 26, the chief minister of Delhi is currently staging a sit-in along with his cabinet colleagues and supporters. Despite clashes with cops, they have been on the streets for close to two days now. The CM, a fierce activist with some reputation for launching unsettling movements against the government, has threatened to fill Rajpath, the venue of R-Day celebrations, with a sea of protesters on the day of your visit.
If he can pull off this protest with some real noise, his poll prospects will only brighten.
The Delhi CM is fighting a government at the Centre which has been in power for a decade now. It may well be the time to bid them farewell and they are not really bothered about any other thing than the bleak prospects of their own party in the upcoming polls.
I know you will be baffled to know that the bitter rivals came together to form the government in Delhi a while ago. But I'll spare you further complication.
In a nutshell, the present drama is more of an electoral tug-of-war than a clash of egos as projected.
Quite recently, an unnecessary diplomatic row left a serious dent in our relations with the United States. And typically it was a maid-in-India problem flown to the US. After that unsavoury incident, most Indians do not want any other rough patch in our foreign relations. So do I.
And China being our mutual rival, we have had a long-standing friendship. Let us maintain that.
Be our guest. You are welcome in our beautiful country. Let political protests not startle you. The common Indian is not like that. And as far as politicians are concerned, they act very weird in election times as you may well know. Bear with them.
With regards,
A Delhi resident
