“What is truth?” asked Pilate, looking straight at Jesus.

It’s the kind of question only a politician could ask with a straight face — a bit like asking a doctor, “What is health?” while chewing on a batata vada deep-fried in last year’s oil.

And poor Pilate — he had Truth Himself standing in front of him. The Way, the Truth, and the Life. But did he see it? No. He probably thought Truth was something you could form a committee on, have a few subcommittees, submit a report, and then lose in the ministry files till the Second Coming.

Or maybe make a cover up like the election commission is doing by saying fill the forms and make an affidavit.

Two thousand years later, nothing’s changed. We still ask, “What is truth?” — except now it’s done on prime-time TV in our republic with two anchors screaming over each other and four “experts” nodding like bobble-head dolls. One channel’s truth is the other channel’s lie. And in the middle, the actual truth is tied to a chair in some dark corner, gagged, wondering if it should just take early retirement.

We’ve made truth as personal as a toothbrush. “My truth” and “your truth” — like it’s a toothpaste flavour. No sir. Jesus didn’t say, “I am a truth — available in mint, strawberry, and political-neutral flavours.”

He said, “I am the truth.”

That’s it. No alternate versions, no remix, no “based on a true story” adaptation.

The real trouble is truth is terribly inconvenient. It messes with your comfortable lies, cuts into your profits, and sometimes lands you in trouble. Right?

Pilate knew that — which is why he asked the question and walked out before Jesus could answer. In today’s India, we do the same. We scroll, shrug, and swipe past truth like it’s another boring WhatsApp forward.

And here’s the danger — lies don’t just stay harmless in a corner. They get promoted. They become policy. They enter classrooms, courtrooms, and dinner table conversations. Before you know it, a lie told enough times becomes the nation’s “official truth,” stamped and laminated. And the people who dare point it out? Well, they’re called “anti-national” before they’ve even finished their sentence.

By the way, Christ was branded an anti-national, so wear the badge with a sense of honour, if ever you are called one.

Which is why, dear reader, this isn’t the season to be a “cultural Christian” — the type who has an altar on their wall but no courage in their voice.

This is the time to stand up like Jesus did before Pilate: calm, firm, and completely unwilling to trade truth for safety.

Because if we don’t, we’ll end up like Pilate — with truth staring us in the face while we nervously wash our hands and hope nobody notices the dirt still there.

And here’s a tip — the smell of cowardice doesn’t wash off with soap…!

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