The ultimate election campaign promise

Elections are approaching in Tamil Nadu, India. It has been the time honored custom to campaign by making promises of what the candidate would do if elected. These, historically seldom fulfilled, range from free rice to everyone to color television sets and free cable TV.

Not only actors, everyone who contests, seems to get into a theatrical frame of mind - talking about absurd and unfeasible things. But Durai Ramachandran, comedian of little renown and editor of film magazine Roja has decided to stick to his particular brand of theater - comedy. He has promised free cell phones with free connectivity, laptops for computer literates and - get this - ONE LAMB PER HOUSEHOLD.

No - not a lamp, but a LAMB. A lamb, like in a bleating, stinking, eating-anything- not-protected-in-a-concrete-bunker young offspring of a sheep. The plan is that when the lamb grows up and starts reproducing, the litter should be returned to Ramachandran - not for biriyani, but for further distribution to poor people - for biriyani for them I guess.

I have to appreciate the efforts of Mr. Ramachandran - a breath of fresh air in the mundane election race. Read more about this in The Hindu.