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Oh God!

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“Oh God, it’s getting tougher and tougher!” I mumbled to myself as I finished reading about the latest reform being imposed on the nation by the government.

“Really?  I thought you didn’t believe in god.”  I looked around and saw no one.  Yet I was sure I heard the voice.  There was a chuckle then.

“Oh God is just an exclamation I use like alas or Oh I see and nothing more,” I said to test the voice.

“I see,” said the voice.  “Anyway, what’s getting tougher and tougher?  You sound quite frustrated.”

“Who are you?” I was dismayed obviously.

“You called god and here am I.”

“God?”

“Well, some people call me that.  People like to call me by a lot of names.”

“You mean you’re real!”

“As real as you.”

“If you are really real, how do you put up with all the nonsense perpetrated in your name by people?”

“Do I have a choice?”

“What kind of a god is it without a choice?”

“You are a writer.  Do you have a choice about what your readers do with your writing?”

“A writer is not god,” I protested vehemently. 

“But god is like a writer.  Creation is a text.”

I thought there was some sense in that.  So I stopped to contemplate.

“What’s it that you find so tough, anyway?”  The voice sounded eager to know that.

“See this report,” I said.  “It says that the government is all set to pass the Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance Bill.”  I exhibited to the voice my mobile phone screen which showed the report.  “The little money I have saved in the bank may be plundered by the government any day now.”

I went on to tell the voice how demonetisation and cow protection and assault on dissenters and erection of statues and temples and rewriting of history and so many other things have made life quite unbearable in every way.  Prices of essential commodities have touched beyond the common man’s reach.  Cows are more sacred than human beings.  Thinking is forbidden.  We are mere numbers now, Aadhar numbers which can be erased from records anytime using digital technology.  Yeah, the country has become digital!

“Who asked you to elect such a government?” The voice asked.

“Did I vote for that party?”

“But people voted, didn’t they?  People get what they vote for.  I’m sure you didn’t expect god to tamper with the voting machines.”  There was the chuckle again.

Of course, I wouldn’t expect god to stoop as low as the government. 

“Oh God!” is all I could mumble. 


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