We all know that fact is stranger than fiction but this is downright weird and is beginning to get scary. The kidnapping of  Dr. Rajkumar by Veerapan was a bolt from the blue and caught everyone by surprise. Now that he’s done it everyone is thinking that it was probably the most obvious and logical thing for Veerapan to have done. After all, the status that Dr. Rajkumar enjoys is second to none in Karnataka and nobody else can even come close. He has struck a chord in the common man that has rung true for decades and is now resonating all over the state.

People from all walks of life have come together to express their wholehearted support and firm solidarity with Dr. Rajkumar’s family who are having to endure a very tough ordeal. Everyone is angry that such a great man has become just a pawn in a dirty political game that threatens the very roots of our justice system. For if one man can get away with all these crimes for so many years then surely this will encourage others to follow in the same devilish direction.

There are so many skeletons in Veerapan’s closet that he is keeping the door shut tighter than ever. It is clear that his demands to the government of Karnataka and “Annavru’s” family are politically motivated. The authorities hands are tied and the forest brigand will keep twisting until he can extract the last drop of blood from a system that is beginning to bleed profusely. He knows how to play the waiting game, in fact he is the master of it. Now he wants the people of Karnataka to play the same game and adhere to his rules. This is a test of character, plain and simple. The bond of love is the most powerful thing on earth and can move mountains, even jolt the jungle.

We must be up to the task and conduct ourselves with dignity, decorum and most of all, patience. The power of prayer is paramount in these situations and serves to bring people together to form a consciousness that is unbreakable in spirit. For it is the genuine  power of the people that will defeat Veerapan in the end. They made him and they will destroy him. Let us not put our faith in anyone but ourselves, and our undying love towards a man who needs us more than ever.

In the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “you must be the change that you want to see in this world.” Keep your chin up and tell “Annavru” how much you missed him as well as how much you learned about yourself and improved as a person while he was gone. That will make him happy.