A Handy Weapon

Shoes, Sneakers and chappals are the newly found weapons to attack—not new at all. It is a handy weapon to defend ever since it has been made. But it used to be a weapon for women to shoo away a flirt or pervert. Bus, chappal nikalke ek jhappad. There was a time men feared chappal slap from women. Now who would fear this weapon when there are more powerful weapons than that? With the arrival of guns it has gone back and became useless. The accessory to protect one’s feet is being used to protest others tongue. It is the only thing easily detachable from one’s person. You cannot remove other things from your body in public. All would want to throw something when get angry. We try to control our emotions for the sake of manners and civilization. Monkeys have the habit of throwing something if provoked. They don’t know any manners or they don’t have to. There is no one to teach them manners. It is not in Nature’s rules.

Afew cases of chappal throwing at the judges in the court when the case doesn’t go in the favour of the client had been reported earlier. Journo Jarnail Singh must have got the inspiration from the Iraqi journalist who threw his sneakers at George Bush. Others in India got the inspiration from him. Or is it a dreadful disease of this year? When Jarnail Singh flung his sneaker at Home Minister Chidambaram he scared at first then regained courage and a smile spread on his face when it missed the target and landed on the floor by his side. The situation would have worsened had it been hit on his face. It could have broken his teeth or glasses. Then his smile could have turned into sobs. Another one, Raj Pal, a retired school teacher threw his shoe at Kuruskhetra MP and industrialist. Fortunately all these throwers appeared to be bad shooters. All these cases show a decline in humanity. New government will have to ban foot wear, not gutka, tobacco or cigarettes.