The image of India appears to be positive, abroad. Back Home, it would be even better no? With a positive photo-op in my mind, I set out for the nearby grocery store. The owner quoted 200 for dal and 60 for tomatoes. I reminded him about the positive image of the country abroad and requested a discount; he declined to negotiate. I exited the store cursing him, my salary and my fate; how I wished I was Aamir. Ouch! Anyway, I continued to take solace in the country’s positive i...mage abroad, and realized how a pothole-riddled road outside my Home has been under a tri-weekly maintenance for the last 5 years; atleast someone cares! I hailed an autorickshaw for a 3 km ride Home; he declined. But then, he, too, seemed to be buoyed by the country’s positive image abroad, and offered me a ride for a minimum 35 kms. I declined. He sped away. On CNG. Enroute, I visited a Ram temple (oh no!) to seek more information on image v/s reality. I attained nirvana: the image was my imagination of standing before God’s idol; the reality was the VVIP queue. Bole toh, ab ki baar dhoti sarkaar, kuch na mile toh positive image se hi pet bharle yaar!