Reincarnation And Bureaucracy

It’s Friday morning and I’m feeling lethargic, but it would be a travesty not to blog this magnificent WTF headline:

China says it must approve Dalai Lama reincarnation

This is quite in line with the news I’d blogged about a couple of years ago, about China blocking Buddhist monks from reincarnating without permission. I’m amazed that we don’t yet have a Ministry for Reincarnation in India. I can totally imagine dead souls queuing up at a babu’s desk, applying in triplicate to born again as a rich person.

“You want to be reborn in the Ambani family?” asks the babu. “Hmmm. I get that a lot. Now, what chai paani can you offer me to, ahem, process your application?”

“Chai paani? But I’m just a spirit. We’re not allowed to carry any material possessions with us from Earth.”

“Oh ho,” says the babu. “Of course you are. You can carry spirits. You just needed to slip the dude at Crematorium Customs some remuneration for his services. Foolish man. Slumdog for you.”

(Link via email from Santosh.)