Bijli Case

Bijli

Somebody

In a land far, far away, there was once a thing known as Bijli. Bijli was a very naughty thing. It used to come and go without any warning. Its presence and absence were always felt—in its absence, people used to indulge in vices such as robbery and using dirty words (“Phir chali gayi, ****!”) whereas its presence was only a short-term joy.

People were really distressed by the mischief wreaked by Bijli. They decided to do something about it. At first they tried to reason with it, but Bijli kept up its naughtiness. So they pleaded with it, but Bijli’s behavior remained unchanged. Then one day, a large group of mysterious (and oddly dressed) people came out onto the roads. They held large wooden clubs and metal rods in their hands. These people started breaking and smashing everything in sight. Cars and tires were set on fire, shops were looted, and many innocent bystanders were injured. But Bijli was too clever for them. During all this chaos, she wasn’t even there! In fact, she didn’t show up again till hours later.

This act of cunning infuriated the mysterious people even more, so they put their heads together and plotted once again. In the middle of one night, they stole out onto the streets again, armed with their clubs and rods, ready to do something to Bijli when they knew she would be present. Their surprise attack seemed to work perfectly but just as they started to riot, a vital organ of Bijli (known as a “transformer”) blew up! And just like that, Bijli was gone again—leaving the mysterious people in utter, stupefying, pitch-black darkness.

But come what may, these people were determined not to give up. They marched from one neighborhood to the next, destroying the organs and nerves (“transformers” and “wires”) that Bijli relied on. Their anger knew no bounds, and soon the whole land became free of the vile wily creature