Out of ten incarnations (avatar) that Lord Vishnu took from time to time to eradicate evil forces, to restore the dharma, four were in the form of animals — fish, tortoise, boar and lion. Nine incarnations have appeared till now and the tenth will descend on Earth at the end of the Kali Yuga. The first four avatars of the Lord appeared in Satya or Krita Yuga (golden age). The next three appeared in Treta Yuga, the eighth and ninth in Dwapara Yuga. The tenth (Kalki avatar) will appear at the end of Kali Yuga. Lord Krishna, eighth avatar of the Lord, disclosed to the Pandava warrior Arjuna, as narrated by Vedavyasa in Bhagavad Gita (chapter 4, sloka 8) that he would appear on Earth during successive yugas to protect the devotees, annihilation of the miscreants and re-establish the principles of orderly life.

The foregoing legend, originating in the land’s ancient texts, called puranas, passes the scrutiny of majority in the land’s population, barring those having their origins in aliens who ruled over the country. While the Kali Yuga, according to scholars, may take several hundred years more, the present generation of the land have already come under the reign of miscreants disrupting order, disturbing peace, destroying property and dealing deathblow to society.

Two glaring diversities the land is hosting, namely biodiversity and socio-economic diversity, have not been managed to ensure peace and prosperity in society, a feature that can be traced to times many centuries past. The pace and scale of mismanagement of the two diversities have only increased several fold in our times.

Meeting the norms of orderly life, particularly in the country’s urban spaces, even as its headcount is witnessing steady rise, has already crossed the administration’s abilities in addressing the task. Protecting the country’s bio-diversity, as a popular slogan, has been translated into action only in pockets, with official declarations that all is well about the land’s flora and fauna. As for the country’s socio-economic diversity, the masses have been made suckers by the flock of vociferous speakers with varied ideologies only to fan their short term gains, specially to garner the votes and grab power of administration. If it was the discord among the multitude of kings and chieftains across the country in the past that made aliens set shop and rule, it is no different in present times except that the players are the vote-seekers.

The country’s people, barring exceptions, have to own the folly of sending unworthy representatives to the country’s Parliament and State Assemblies every five years. As long as statecraft is missing in the country’s administration, it shall be in ICU as it were in foreseeable future. The writing is on the wall.