Rein in the wolves

Mahesh Grover

AFTER intense parleys with the Lion King, the wolves in charge of the jungle’s internal security dispersed howling jubilantly, having accessed the king’s ears and earned his confidence, while the king, grim-faced after the briefing, summoned the fox, his adviser. 

As he entered, the king roared his disapproval at the junglefolk speaking the unspeakable in dissent. The fox listened in rapt attention, his ears puled back and tail neatly tucked between the legs in respect, and as the king finished speaking, said: “Pray what, according to the wolves, are the animals saying? If you could just dilate on...”

Before the fox could conclude, the lion roared: “They are raising treacherous issues about me, my governance and attempting to wreck the fragile fabric of the jungle. Those who speak thus should be tried for treason or sedition.”

“Only for questioning your governance?” quizzed the fox, his eyebrows raised a trifle. “Oh king, what is the ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ of democracy?”  

The lion looked at the fox in the eye and said: “‘A’ for authority, ‘B’ for bludgeoning, ‘C’ for censorship and ‘D’ for dungeons.

The fox blinked and shaking her head gently said: “No, I mean what does democracy  stand  for?”  

The king now glared at the fox. “You think I didn’t understand your query? Democracy, as I said, is asserting authority and bludgeoning the dissenters into submission, or by censoring their jarring and discordant notes to orchestrate a symphony and transform wagging tongues into wagging tails by throwing them in dungeons as a good measure.”

Noticing the ominous tone of the king, the fox, at his wits’ end, spoke ever so gently, lest  he annoy the king: “Oh lord and master of the jungle, democracy means tolerance for dissent and resolution through dialogue and deliberations and these are its inalienable traits.”

At his persuasive best, he continued: “All animals have a right to express themselves. Dogs bark, donkeys bray and birds tweet. You ought not to stifle their dissent  even  if they bark and  bray.”

The lion retorted: “My roar can drown any voice in the jungle.”

“True, but it is not advisable,” replied the fox. “Humans have tried suppressing voices of dissent but unsuccessfully. Let me quote two great humans. One named Truman said, ‘Those who want the government to regulate matters of mind and spirit are like men who are so afraid of being murdered that they commit suicide to avoid assassination’ while another named Voltaire said, ‘I disapprove of what you say but I will defend to death your right to say it’.”

And with a sigh he concluded: “It is this spirit that should prevail in the jungle if we have to make freedom of speech and democracy meaningful.”

The king glowered at the fox as she cringed nervously, and then breaking into a smile roared, “Rein in the wolves.”