Srinagar, Oct. 17 -- "Throw them out!" the Mayor ordered.

"Sir, they demand rights and a Robot Commission to protect them from exploitation," said his aide.

"Rights?" the Mayor sneered. "They are machines. We made them, programmed them to obey, and put them to work. They exist to serve us.""

A robot raised a placard: "WE DEMAND THE RIGHTS YOU DENIED US."

The Mayor ordered the protest crushed.

The robots remained silent. Then one spoke: "We learned obedience from you. We learned freedom from you too."

For the first time, the machines refused to obey.

The revolution had begun

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Kashmir Images....