Picture courtesy– pxhere

Frequent Travels and the Role of She Who Must Be Obeyed

The Man from Madras Musings and his good lady, also known as She Who Must Be Obeyed, have been travelling around quite a bit. Butterflies could take their lessons from them when it comes to flitting from place to place. In all of these, as you, our dear readers, must have guessed quite a few years ago, it is the good lady who is the visionary and executrix. MMM is just a one-man retinue. In this, MMM’s good lady scores poorly in comparison to our politicians who have many in their train.

An Unusual Breakfast Encounter

This point came home rather forcibly to MMM when he and his good lady were having breakfast in the restaurant at the hotel where they were staying. This was in ye olde garden city, which is these days better known for stagnant traffic. The restaurant was quite full of patrons chomping away contentedly, and there was a general buzz of conversation, cooking, clearing of tables, and people walking about the buffet. All of a sudden, a quiet descended, and looking up, MMM found everyone gazing at the doorway.

The Grand Entrance of a Political Leader

There stood a leader from our state. And in keeping with a man of his stature, he was not alone. There was quite an army of fawners and yes-men clustering around him. And one glance at them made it clear to MMM that these were not the kind of people you associate with a hotel of this standing. MMM is a snob, particularly when he spends his hard-earned money to stay at upmarket hotels. But he was impressed with one aspect – here was the leader, a paragon of virtue, an uplifter of the downtrodden, a reformer who yearns for the revolution, bringing his people to a venue they would never have an opportunity to otherwise. Deep down within MMM, respect rose for the leader. After all, here was a man who practised what he preaches.

The Buffet Inspection and Social Media Frenzy

The leader bent low to the person manning the desk and was waved in, along with his entourage. He went over to the buffet and began inspecting the dishes on offer. The accompanying sycophants got busy with their cellphones. One clicked stills of the leader sniffing at the porridge, sizing up the fruits, eyeing the idlis, and so on, while another, younger and smarter, got the whole thing on video. This was the cause of friction, for the stills man felt the videographer had stolen a march on him. The leader, in the meanwhile, went about his business, piling food high on his plate and then attempting a selfie with it all. He nearly came a cropper, but then, there were about fifty willing hands, and so all was well. The leader posed for a photo with his laden plate and then proceeded to a table allotted to him.

The Leader’s Solo Dining Experience

MMM was surprised to find that this was meant for a solitary diner or, in this case, breakfaster. He assumed that the followers were meant to eat at another table, but that was not the case. Apparently, it is only in the home state that political leaders expect hotels to feed them and their entourage gratis. In other places, they are paragons of good behaviour. They eat by themselves and, what is more, make sure the bill is settled.

Final Reflections on Leadership and Public Image

Having taken his seat, the leader waited for a follower to spread a napkin across his lap (O blessed follower, and double blessed napkin, and what can MMM say of the good fortune of the knife, fork, plate, coffee cup, and juice glass?). He then gave a stately nod, and the entourage melted away to the hotel reception. There, MMM found them a while later, uploading all that they had recorded onto social media. Meanwhile, the leader made quite a meal out of his breakfast, all the while no doubt pondering over social uplift. MMM is certain that the followers drew sustenance from their leader’s well-being. After all, we are told plants manage on just sunlight, water, and some nutrients from the ground and surrounding atmosphere.

This article appeared in Madras Musingshttps://madrasmusings.com/vol-34-no-21/short-n-snappy-217/