Satya, Bhubaneswar, 10 August 2024
Sanctimonia, a city known for its divine decrees and bureaucratic bungling, is now grappling with a crisis of epic proportions: a potato shortage that has left its citizens yearning for their beloved tubers. While the king basks in the afterglow of the city’s bronze medal victory at the Olympics and dreams of building a mega steel plant in his hometown, the real issue at hand seems to have slipped through the royal fingers.
The hometown bureaucrats, tasked with the herculean feat of transforming the king’s steel dream into reality, are in a state of perpetual panic. The logistics of acquiring land, securing permits, and appeasing the local deities seem insurmountable. The king, however, remains blissfully oblivious to their struggles, his mind occupied with visions of industrial grandeur and a potential boost to his already inflated ego.
Meanwhile, the potato crisis rages on. The price of the humble spud has skyrocketed, leaving Sanctimonia’s citizens with empty plates and even emptier wallets. To make matters worse, the queen of a neighboring kingdom, in a fit of pique over some long-forgotten diplomatic slight, has imposed a strict embargo on potato exports to Sanctimonia. This has thrown the city’s food supply chain into chaos, with desperate traders resorting to smuggling potatoes in hollowed-out prayer books and under the robes of unsuspecting pilgrims.
The council ministers, once known for their eloquent speeches and penchant for procrastination, are now frantically crisscrossing the kingdom in search of the elusive potato seedling. They’ve consulted with farmers, shamans, and even the local oracle, all in a desperate attempt to find a way to cultivate the precious tuber within Sanctimonia’s borders. The holy triad, usually quick to offer divine guidance in times of crisis, has remained conspicuously silent on the matter, leaving the citizens to wonder if even the gods have abandoned them in their hour of need.
As the potato shortage drags on, the citizens of Sanctimonia are growing increasingly restless. The lack of funds for basic amenities like school benches and fans has left their children sweltering in overcrowded classrooms, their education suffering as a result. Parents are staging protests, teachers are threatening to strike, and even the normally docile librarians are sharpening their pencils in preparation for a full-scale revolt.
In the midst of this turmoil, one can’t help but wonder if the king’s grand plans for a steel plant are truly the answer to Sanctimonia’s woes. Perhaps, instead of focusing on industrial expansion, the king should turn his attention to the more pressing issue at hand: ensuring that his subjects have enough potatoes to eat and a comfortable place to learn. After all, a kingdom built on an empty stomach and a restless populace is a kingdom doomed to crumble, even if it boasts the shiniest steel plant in the land.
