When a mantri’s media team takes a flight of fancy, UFOs happen

Even the sparse user of all that social media stuff would aver to a feeling of ennui when faced with updates on someone having coffee or making an idli. But what can happen if governments call upon functionaries to pay more attention to this new media thingummy?

Maybe a farce or two. Such as what happened, if a leading news agency is to be believed, when the Facebook page of the finance minister came up with a post about celebrating “World UFO Day”.

Apart from some head-scratching, many Indians might be wondering if there is a link between the unearthly and the “bitter medicine” talk going around. Is some revelation at hand?

The post was reportedly deleted pretty soon, but the fact that this seemed like the finance minister was putting this stuff out could possibly lead some to suppose this was a clever ploy to keep people guessing about something other than price rise.

The comically inclined would, naturally, make bad jokes linking flying saucers whooshing off into space with what they’ve heard about fiscal discipline. Others, it seems, got serious and posted comments in reply, asking the FM not to veer off into outer space.

Now, it seems ministry officials have advised the minister’s media team — composed of UFO fans, it seems — to be a tad more careful. But what if there’s a price rise somewhere in some galaxy.…