It was Independence Day.
And the Amazing Miss Shinies
Screamed, "Hurrrrrrrayyyyyy!”
(Now, they could watch fi lms all day.)
TV was fi lled with the latest fl icks,
There was nothing that
They wanted to give a miss.
(Except perhaps, Captain Tricolour.)
But Ajmal couldn’t help but say,
"Is this how you’re going
To spend Independence Day!”
(He was wearing a fl ag and a Nehru cap.)
His utter disappointment
They just could not fathom;
"We sang the national anthem!”
(They said, feeling very proud.)
"But we have to remember
Everyone who fought for this day!”
The Shinies said, "Okay.”
(But they were very bad at names.)
"In 1857, they were the sepoys!”
Ajmal said, knowingly.
"And then there was Rani Lakshmi Bai.”
(The Shinies nodded as if they knew.)
"Wasn’t there a Banerjee?”
Asked one of them, innocently.
"A Naoroji too,” said Ajmal.
(He couldn’t remember their fi rst names.)
"There was Aruna Asaf Ali,
Who got the Lenin Peace Prize.
Do you know why?”
(The Shinies shook their heads.)
