The UIN

Overnight in a sudden and unanticipated surge and splurge, the country seemed to have metamorphosed from a democratic outlook to a subtle fascist approach.

Consciousness found me along with my wife in front of a cinema theatre counter. As the transaction was taking place to my utter shock and disbelief, I was very politely told to get a clearance from the police counter. I wanted to know the reason. I glanced at the huge clock hanging over the other side of the street. The clock showed 11.55. The movie was to start at 12.00. Only 5 minutes left. The clock was on time. Most of the inhabitants of the city who were slave to time swear by that clock, not me included. However the time was drawing near. I requested and then insisted. The clerk gave me a smile and adamantly replied that without a police clearance I would not be able to purchase a ticket. After the preliminary shock was conquered, I was in a quandary. I could not make out the correlation between procuring a couple of cinema ticket and entertaining ourselves with a police clearance. Why was the police interested in giving a clearance for our entertainment?

Nevertheless, I asked for directions to the police counter. I found out that it was quite far off, about 500 meters from the cinema counter. We walked and reached there eventually.

To my dismay there were a number of people waiting to get a clearance. I observed that the police was taking down the names, father’s names, address, phone nos. and details of any identification card. Against this a ‘unique identification number’ was being provided instantly via the computer. An instant computerized photo was also being taken and stored against the ‘unique identification number’. I noticed some people were very uncomfortable and were actually trying to leave the premise. It was perceptible that they had some kind of a record which went against the system. Some just surrendered and got drawn to the system knowing fully well that they would be tracked at a later date. I asked a policeman near me the reason for this exercise. At first he replied that this was a ‘government order’. After a few minutes he volunteered with some information. This exercise was to track criminals and terrorist and provide a unique number to all citizens.

I was instantaneously taken back to my college days, where one was known only by the student’s room and roll number. We used to discuss and compare ourselves, not without remorse, with the Jews in Germany, Poland and other occupied territory. We felt like the inmates of Auschwitz, Sobibar, & Treblinka.

So now we need to settle down with an air of despair and submit that henceforth, we would, going forward, be all known and called by our unique identification number.

The days of name calling are over!

Later, I realized I had a dream last night.

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