Don’t you think you are over­stressed today? Well, not only to­day; perhaps you have been in this state for a week, month, year, and decade. I am referring to that emp­ty feeling that persists despite having everything—a table full of food, good health, and a se­cure job. Nevertheless, there’s a melancholic situation we are going through, and if you realize it for a moment, you would come to know that it’s ‘insecurity.’

Even though it has been with us for de­cades, it intensifies when elections come around the corner. Political leaders take to the streets, travel across cities and prov­inces, hold rallies, and speak to people about their deprivations. They emphasize basic needs like food, health, and educa­tion to let their audience understand what they are deprived of. It sparks a sense of fear among them that these fundamental commodities are still beyond their reach. If they don’t vote for the person reflecting their reality, these basic facilities could become luxuries for them.

But wait, didn’t you vote for them in the previous electoral race, and before that, and so on? Yet, we find ourselves in that looming perspective that things are continually out of our reach. Isn’t it un­fair to us who go out every five years to choose our premier, only to witness the same persistent state in our democratic five-year plan? The only changes seem to be in the cabinet and premiers, not in our constant situation.

Recently, I’ve skimmed through ev­ery party’s manifesto, but unfortunately, they all seem to offer the same old nar­ratives when selling their ideas to the people. If there’s one thing we’ve con­sistently received from our leaders, it’s a concise and impactful tagline, narrat­ed effectively during their rallies: “Roti,........

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