The Hindu Business Line : Did you mean `Sinha Manmohan <I>shrikhand</I>?'

ON Budget day, the Finance Minister read out a couplet from ancient literature, creating some interest that there would be poetry when politics turns dull. But if you thought that his site would have more of his speeches, laced with verses, you'd be disappointed because what's available is only a list of links for `Speeches of the former Ministers of Finance.' At least one such predecessor, Yashwant Sinha has attracted attention by excavating Shikhandi, a character from epic, and so everybody has started reading The Mahabharata.

I type `sinha manmohan shikhandi' in Google's search window to get the whole story, but it asks: "Did you mean: sinha manmohan shrikhand" without knowing that Yashwant would be the last person to offer shrikhand to Manmohan.

One site with sacred texts helps with the story: "The battle once more became exceedingly fierce, enhancing as it did the fears of the timid and the joy of the brave." That explains why the public is timidly worried when political leaders attack each other fiercely, though quite joyously, too. "The dense showers of arrows shot in battle flew thick, as flights of locusts." Netas talk a lot, you know, letting loose many words.

"Then Singh, filled with rage, speedily proceeded and poured his arrow-y downpours from all sides." How happy we'd be if Manmohan attacked his tormentors word for word!

"Acquainted with the games of politics Sinha checked the attack and wrathfully pierced our man with ten arrows in that battle." Wait, some mix-up has happened in the quote, with extraneous characters getting in the place of the original ones. Yet the story seems to be moving at quick pace.

It's all happening on the battlefield. Or, in the press meet?

"Then Singh sent seven straight arrows equipped with Kanka feathers." From the opposite side, there was angry response. Missiles came from all sides, and each of them had its name and description tag before piercing the armour of our friend. One read, `inflation 8 per cent plus.' Another said, `truckers' strike.' Yet another was on `the overhang of excess liquidity.' And so on.

But Singh remained steady, without "steeds, driver and car." Historians would record: "Indeed, exceedingly wonderful was the sight that we then beheld, even like the flying of rocks, for Singh, thus assailed remained perfectly inactive in that battle." I haven't told you about the mighty car-warriors Dhrishtadyumna, Kritavarma, then Karna `otherwise called Vaikartana,' and others. But then, you can always plug in substitutes for these names from the day's news, drawing from who gave what statement.

Then there is brave action: "The Panchala prince whirled his sword repeatedly, cut off all those arrows, decked with gold, that had been sped at him from all sides."

Soon, his shield flew off, still he rushed, sword in hand... .

Meanwhile, chroniclers were noting down sayings: "You should judge warriors not by what they say when they're in the pub but what they do when they're on the horse." Or, the one about fighting "firmly without hurting" which got misquoted as "hurting firmly without fighting."

On mix, again, there was a mix-up: "You cannot authoritatively pronounce the right mix of this-and-that policy," because scribes had by then lost track of whether he was saying fiscal or monetary.

SayCheek@TheHindu.co.in