It was not on purpose. Gloop was new to the roads of India. Every road goes both ways if you try hard enough. There is no sense of direction. It also doesn’t help that your UFO is a circle.Gloop never liked the word UFO. “Unidentified Flying Object.” He could always identify it. It helps that your UFO is a circle.Gloop was cruising along the roads, just floating that morning. He was not afraid of being noticed as he had affixed a frown on his green face. This was a new survival mechanism, people only interfered if they felt you were happy.There was a protest going on in the Capital. It seemed to fill every screen except for the big ones. Apparently the big screens were against the protest. The big screens would deride anything shown on the small screens. According to them everything was “proper ganda?” Gloop wasn’t sure if he got that right. But still, seems like they are perverts if that’s all they talk about.As he floated by, he saw the police attacking a school student with a flame thrower. Bit disproportionate to be honest.Rubber-necking has its consequences. Gloop tried reasoning with the Thar driver. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought such a big car on such a small road. Its literally a one-way.Gloop booked a dentist appointment.A tow came and took his now semi-circle to the nearest police station. This would be a great time to have the tool kit the big screens talk about.“You’ll have to leave your car here if you’re filing an FIR.”Gloop can do that. Its fine.“When will Gloop get it back?”“Once the case is over.”Gloop can do that. Its fine.The UFO was unrecognisable now. The glass dome and seats were gone. The SHO had a new suspiciously car-seat shaped chair. The insurance people had delayed the entire process. The Thar man got ten adjournments. Nine for a runny nose and one for a pilgrimage, which he went with the Judge. (“It was a courtesy pilgrimage. Perfectly acceptable.”)Ten months had passed. The protests were still ongoing. The government had still not interacted with the people Gloop saw. The Prime Minister in a “Monkey Bath(?)” had just announced;“In light of the protests demanding accountability for exam mishaps and others related to environmental, economic and social disasters, the Cabinet is proud to introduce the NSA or National Song Act. Anyone who does not stand up and salute when the National Song is played will be charged for terrorism. Let me know if you want to make the tone sound more fun or exciting. You have run out of tokens for further queries.Jai Hind.”Gloop would face an unexpected delay in today’s hearing. The corridors of the court had become blocked. People moved to the side and prostrated when judges walked past. Today, three judges met at an intersection.“Shit.” Said the Daffedar. There was a traffic jam at the junction.Which judge could move first? Would it go by seniority? Would it go by who had most public appeal? Would the judge who put the turn signal on have the right of way?“There needs to be a round-about at courts” Gloop thought, nose to the floor.Finally, the matter was resolved. The judge who upheld some new legislation about the national song moved first confidently.Gloop went to the court hall. Gloop had received scoldings at the last hearing for drinking water in the court. The Bar Council had specifically prohibited it along with breathing loud and breathing too shallow. This time he was prepared. When he passed in front of the bench, he bent over backwards just as the circulars prescribed. Apparently, you should bend forward when you pass the bench.A new hiccup in the form of contempt. Agitated with the system, Gloop joined the protests outside. As he saw people being mercilessly beaten, Gloop had a revolutionary idea. He played the national song.The police stopped. They stood in their places and saluted. They had no other choice. They wanted to arrest those who were lying senseless on the ground under the NSA. But that would mean they themselves would be arrested by themselves.Gloop left his speaker and UFO behind. The police stood saluting as the national song played.The media reported the next day;“Camaraderie at its peak! Police salutes demonstrators.”“India stands together to sing national song.”Gloop took the next interplanetary bus out.“What a sad country.”Aswin S. is a Chennai-based lawyer.This story first appeared on the author’s Substack and has been republished with permission.