Popularity is Fleeting Like Pani Puri

The pani puri stall standing at the street corner,
A queue in front, a fair of excitement on every face.
The taste of the liquid in one mouth,
Praise in another mouth,
Beloved by all in a moment,
This is the earning of popularity.

The story of pani puri is also strange,
A crispy puri on the outside,
A shine of water inside.
Sometimes too much salt, sometimes less spice,
But the crowd seeks taste,
Doesn't always seek calculation.

The popularity of pani puri
Ends after reaching the stomach,
If the pani puri is spoiled, the taste is changed at another stall,
But if trust is broken
The people's mind changes.

No one asks—
Whether it will satisfy tomorrow's hunger or not?
Just as a momentary taste doesn't fill the stomach,
Momentary popularity
Doesn't build a nation.

The change lifted by hype
If it is without thought, policy, and result,
That too will be just a momentary fun like the taste of pani puri.

Because the stomach ultimately
Seeks food,
And the nation also ultimately
Seeks direction, vision, and foundation, not hype.