Wow! Haven't we as a nation mastered the art of pretending normalcy?

You know, that art of putting on a straight face and saying, "Everything's fine!" Even when our world is going up in flames?

It's like we are in a small boat in the middle of a storm, and as huge ships throw lifelines to us, we shout back that all is well.

The first lifeline was thrown by a developed nation saying we ranked somewhere far behind on the Hunger Index, and we shouted back, "We are okay!"

The next two lifelines thrown said we were losing our freedom of speech, and there was religious persecution in the country, but we threw them back, saying, "We don't need your lines, everything is normal. There's no water in our boat!"

And our pretension of normalcy continues!

Boy, do we have a masterclass in pretending normalcy right now! I mean, think about it. We've just had two of the most massive stampedes in human history – the Kumbh Mela and the Delhi railway station – and what do we get?

A big, fat, whopping pretension about the number of deaths.

But hey, who needs truth when you can pretend 'normalcy?' Right!? I mean, it's not like people are going to fact-check or anything. And even if they do, the death certificates allegedly reveal nothing!

They might make a noise in Parliament, but we have a majority! And nobody in the country notices the giant elephant in the room.

Nobody's even noticing our leader's hugs are not working anymore!

Everybody outside sees our boat sinking, but aren't we good at pretending it's staying afloat?

The government's got its best "nothing to see here" face on, and they're trying to project a sense of normalcy, even as facts and bodies pile up.

It's like they're trying to say, "Hey, don't worry about the dead people, let's focus on the pretty lights and nice music we are giving you."

Those pretty lights and nice music are the 'religious fervour being purposefully stoked,' the renaming of roads, the 'us versus them' propaganda and our taxpayers' money thrown into voter's bank accounts.

Meanwhile, our little boat sinks.

But, you know, folks, pretending normalcy only works for so long. Eventually, the facade cracks and the truth comes tumbling out. And when that happens, watch out. Because, let me tell you, the backlash is going to be epic.

So, go ahead, keep pretending like everything's fine. Keep putting on that straight face, and keep telling us that nothing's wrong. But, deep down, we all know the truth. And, eventually, that truth is going to come to light.

Until then, just sit back, relax, and enjoy the boat ride. Laugh at the waves, touch the water filling the boat, and keep believing you are having the time of your life in a five-star jacuzzi ...