A is for Anna: As in Hazare, the first person to press fast forward when it came to taking on corruption. One face of civil society.

B is for Babalog: After all the country appears to be going to the Babas. Whether it’s RahulBaba, the heir apparent for the Congress or Baba Ramdev, the messiah of the asses.

C is for Corruption: If this needs to be explained, you’ve been living in a cave, or in Abbottabad.

D is for Diggy: Mentor to Rahulbaba, tormentor of all opponents, whether they be within or outside the Congress. Brings the sort of dignity to political discourse that item numbers bring to a Bollywood film.

E is for Ediocy: Da bayziz of are kurant poltickel kulchur. Also, for English, which, apparently, many Indians ispeak.

F is for Fast: It’s the new dieting fad that’s seized the nation to help trim the fat accumulated by politicians. Fasts are as fashionable now as were the Go Slows of another age.

G is for Girls: An endangered species in India. Activists have started petitioning the Government for a sanctuary where they can be birthed.

H is for Headley: Pakistani-American terrorist, ISI tool, Lashkar operative, 26/11 planner, who proved that internal security is an oxymoron.

I is for Indian Mujahideen: Apparently a home-grown terrorist outfit. Regardless of the soil they may have grown in, fertilized by some cross-border manure.

J is for Jammu: That part of the Jammu and Kashmir state that is conveniently omitted when the stoned crew talk of the right to self-determination.

K is for Kalmadi: Played games with the common wealth, just to show he was a good sport about single-handedly embarrassing the country. Also, for Kanimozhi, his jailmate.

L is for Liberals: Sort of the bizarro world version of Gandhi’s three monkeys. Also for Ladakh, see J.

M is for Mamata Banerjee: The new Chief Minister of West Bengal and vanquisher of the Communists. Of course, she’s yet to figure out that Governments can’t pass ordinances while State Assemblies are in session. Or perhaps, she knows something the rest of us don’t?

N is for News: Or not. No news may just be good news since news may be paid news or anchored by one of Niira Radia’s telephone buddies.

O is for the Opposition: The members of uncivil society who have gone missing in inaction.

P is for Pasha: The ISI chief, who, if his hacked gmail account is any indicator, gets his intelligence from New York Times and BBC alerts.

Q is for Questions: Which the media never asks about megacrore deals, until a scam becomes just too large to ignore.

R is for Radia: As in Niira, who has emerged with more recordings played publicly than even Lata Mangeshkar. The voice of the times. Also for Raja, see K.

S is for Shoes: Increasingly popular manner of paying respect to politicians.

T is for Thug: The new four-letter word employed to describe an opponent who troubles the establishment.

U is for You: The common man (or woman), who’s about as frustrated about stuff going on as a Congressman (or woman) out of power.

V is for Vegetables: Which have become absolutely unaffordable, whether they’re at the grocery store or in politics.

W is for the World Cup: Which India won, and that period of ecstasy has given way to a period of agony.

X is for X-Rating: What the new wave of Bollywood films and their songs aim for, with or without a topless Salman Khan.

Y is for Youth: Of which Indian enjoys a bulge, or so it’s claimed. Goes well with an image of a country ruled by pot-bellied men.

Z is for Zero: What a scam costs the Indian exchequer, according to the math used by Cabinet Ministers. Part of the political zero sum game.