India, March 29 -- How does one survive the dark times? I turn to reading. What works best is satire, humour, irony. If nothing else, at least one can laugh! Lately, in this mood, I have found myself returning to the short stories of Hindi literature's greatest satirist, Harishankar Parsai (1924-1995). He tore into the hypocrisy and corruption around him. He wrote of the daily hardships and inequalities of ordinary people; of the inhumanity of religious bigots, and the uphill struggles faced by women. I've picked three short-stories, below, to give you an idea of his work. l In Inspector Matadeen on the Moon, the Moon Government writes to the Government of India, seeking help running an efficient police force. The government despatches Mata...