When the autumn season arrives and leaves begin to fall, trees shed their foliage. People also prune cultivated trees so that new sprouts can grow. Just as many people prefer to shave their heads completely bald during the summer—both young and old walking around with clean-shaven heads—the loan sharks and price-gouging traders in society have likewise completely stripped the public bare.
Just as a comrade strips down a brand-new election candidate, senior leaders strip the national treasury bare once they win. Today, chants of praise for the bald echo everywhere. Just as shifting winds signify that the weather is transitioning from cold to warm, when you see condolence visits and attendance at weddings taking place with fleets of large luxury vehicles and hordes of bodyguards, know that the political winds have begun to shift.
Then, everyone—regardless of status or faction—gets swept up in an atmosphere of restless activity. Enthusiasm, passion, entertainment, and distraction take over. For the public, it becomes an opportunity to earn a daily living, much like receiving daily wages for picking chillies or cotton. This can truly be called the season of business: traveling, eating, and drinking without spending a penny—simply wonderful!
Next comes changing clothes that is, switching political parties. A party that was being cursed just a few months ago is suddenly praised today. Shamelessly, politicians act as if conflicting winds have collided into one another. In every field, there are both good and bad people; one cannot hold the same view about everyone. However, the majority of those who have multiplied are the stripped and the bald.
Rais Tharo Khan Thoorho (the Bald) is considered a famous tribal elder. He always favored shaving his head completely bald. His favorite catchphrase was: “Rather than letting someone else come and strip you bare, it is better to wipe yourself clean with your own hands. Leave the field empty, leaving nothing behind for either friend or foe.” This is just as a ruling party customarily empties the accounts before another party comes to power—if there is nothing left, there will be no fight.
Once, Rais Tharo Khan Thoorho said that in the final times, Gog and Magog will emerge and devour everything—frogs, cats, donkeys, and dogs. Nothing will be left behind; if there is no bamboo, no flute can be played.
Currently, there is chaos and scramble everywhere. No one knows who is truthful and who is a liar. Every tactic, alliance, manipulation, backbiting, taunt, and blame is being deployed to gain superiority. The exact same familiar faces leave one rank only to shift and jump into another, holding backroom deals and schemes in their hands. Meanwhile, new enthusiasts are standing by, setting fire to their parents’ life savings. They light the fuse of the cannons themselves and extinguish them themselves. What the final result will be is unknown, but there is certainly a bustle on the roads and streets.
Some have also stepped out in the name of honesty and faith, looking to enjoy the fruits of power. Gentlemen dressed in full COVID-19 protective gear stand ready to serve with folded hands. Just like Rais Tharo Khan Thoorho, we have already shaved our heads bald in advance. Now, what use is a razor or a blade?
Syed Ghulam Hyder Shah Qalandri
Kunri, Sindh, Pakistan
