2 Cultures... Err ! .... 2 Planets !!

Welcome !

I was engrossed in today’s newspapers, thankfully Sunday, most of them carried the below analysis. If you have to marry your love who happens to be not amongst your caste/colour/region/state/country you will have to face a battle or boycott. Yes, real time, simple. Deal with the great "Khandhan" human emotions and the parent’s prestige. Don't panic. This is not going to be a review of 2 states - The book/ the flick. Enough spoken about that, I know, even you are bored. 

But... 

Why do we hate people or cultures out of our belonging? Didn’t we read “India is a land of diversity, tolerance and accommodation” in the 1^st page of our history books? Where did things go wrong then? Right here, in our heads.

When I was in my 6^th class, I had a friend. A good one indeed. My family also liked her, and things were all fine, until her mom asked my caste in a casual conversation. I was struck, I dint knew my caste name; thankfully I know that I am a Hindu as I wore bindi and visited temples. I went home and asked my awesome dad (Who still doesn’t talk of caste, I love you Dad!) regarding the same, he told me the name. Little did I realise the sense of false identity at that moment.

I told her and surprisingly, her attitude changed. She started bringing the caste topic too often. Oh, listen. She was a law graduate who runs a school. Well educated in all terms, not an illiterate as one could have presumed. I was deaf-eared as all that I cared at that age was paintings and long jump. Slowly, that caste bug intoxicated my little friend as well. It dint take long to break our amity.

 

Then, Scene 2. My neighbouring aunt. I befriended the poor maid of theirs and was helping her out in small stuffs. The aunt yelled at me for ‘unholy’fying our caste and economic status as she was an untouchable. I asked what that meant. She said, I should wash my hands ASAP with dettol. Right in front of that girl.

Infact, we face such scenarios once every week, if not less. Oh yes, we are civilized now. We don’t turn away our heads right in the face these days. We are educated. So, we gossip and marry within the caste, culture, status, and the same colour tone as well. It’s not our fault. Let’s go technical. It’s the psychological instinct called Labelling. We tend to attach tags to everyone around us, to buckle up human processing speed of daily chores and relations. Self-fulfilling prophecy.

The beggar - The watch man - The Teacher - The Collector.

What we don’t realise is it builds stereotypes which if aren’t looked keenly, become permanent discriminatory headings. 

The beggar.  The watch man.  The teacher.  The Collector.    See ?

We call him a Bihari, the ruthless. He, a Bengali, the orthodox. She, the Madrasi, yew, Sambar. She, a Chinki. Wow, straight welcome for sexual provocation. The gore/kaala effect is undisputable universally. Thank Fair and lovely and Himami for that. What I don’t understand is that a south Indian is not okay because she is dark. A north eastern girl is not acceptable because she is too white. Eh? Did you get it? For strengethening my argument - "A stigma is defined as a powerfully negative label that changes a person's self-concept and social identity.^[2]." Who said racism is a different thing altogether? I can see it right here. Just in another bottle.

The point of easy mingling of same cultural worlds is acceptable. Parents, relatives list out things like food, religion, customs which define the social life. Who asked to discard all of them? But I cant see how it is justified to draw lines around only a few domains, alienating the rest and terrorising the most.

Elections were fun in my home state. Apart from contributing the highest sums of fund money in the whole nation during police checks, my state, AP, this time did a caste blend. Two rival caste groups, who were sprinkling slush on each other’s faces till 6 months ago, suddenly became a political alliance. No names needed, everyone knows. The leaders are quite happy, taking sefies and sharing dais to give revolutionary speeches. How about the masses?   

I personally know two brothers in my street who have campaigned for these two diff caste (sorry) political groups earlier, have broken their blood relations. Now that these parties came closer, what do you expect them to do ? A Kabhi kushi kabhi gham moment ? Ridiculous.

It’s time we realise that these labels create unbridgeable rift valleys across people and their inclinations. For a change, let’s try defying the caste, region, rich-poor, religion, colour differences and see every one out there. Just like us. 

Well, if you ask me what a stupid article I have written, here goes my prayer.

“ Holy Mother India!  Why do you house so much variety in your bosom when your sons and daughters can’t even stand a similar neighbour?

Hamare Caste ki jai ! Bhagawan hamari Religion par krupa kare.

Aur Doosaron ko Maar de ! ”

P.S. Cross - cultural Salutes to Mothers, btw. Happy mother's day. You are the only one who keeps us sane in this trauma. 

The Great Indian Railway Apathy

It gave me Goosebumps when the headlines told about a 24-year old killed in the bomb blast in the train, which was running late. Near Déjà vu moment, just 4 days ago. I was about to take the Kerala Express to reach Delhi from Vijaywada (Near to Guntur). I have always loved railways, as it showed life as it is. Added, belonging to an average middle class, I felt air travel was beyond what I deserved, except for inevitable emergencies. So, I went through the 1^st stage - the Tatkal booking. Let the play begin !

Stood in the queue for 3 hours only to see my counter officer talking on phone, at 10:00 am - yes, the time when the bookings start like mad in the whole nation. People behind me - shouting, most of them even jumping the line and the rest of us were in suspended animation. We were not to miss his attention through that small glass opening as he would throw the form away, if the smallest detail was unclear (in my case, the full form of New Delhi, NDLS, dint work as per his rules.) After winning the race, I went home with the pride of winning The Bharat Ratna equivalent, only unaware of the perks I got free with it. 

I went to the station promptly the next day; it was announced to be late by 10 hours. The enquiry process is another feat - Half of those machines don’t work, the only saving grace is the Internet I thought. It was my 2^nd wrong step. 

 

Spot the train option in Indiarailgov.in was showing the expected arrival at 4:00 pm, enquiry fellow shouted at me (just less than swearing) for asking futile questions. He promptly leaves for the lunch break 30 minutes before and comes to the office 1 hour late. I had 10 solid hours to explore the station. Vijayawada was expected to be one of those decent stations in my state. Then began the waiting hall debate. I was requesting the lady to let my parents in as I was travelling alone and was not safe for me to wait till 12 in the night. The cold reply to my polite request was to  go take a hotel room outside “Can’t you afford half a thousand bucks when you booked an a/c chair car?” Yes, we the voters don’t get a say till the next election. We waited outside, drinking that watery coffee (note, standards aren’t maintained, in any level). Curiosity made me check that website which was still showing 4:00 pm arrival when the clock ticked 5:30 pm. The LOL moment.

I had been a cooperative citizen till then - I never litter on the platforms/trains and carry a bag for the waste, always bought the parking tickets and platform tickets, never used the lift which was for the elderly. But I lost my cool, when people there, showed that apathy is not just big word, but a way of life. These were chunks of their duty after all. In the meanwhile, there is this constant stick-your-eyes-glued phase, watching that little TV showing various train arrivals. It resembled a world cup match. Uff's of people whose train is still not displayed, and swift joy for those who had a platform number shown. The train finally arrived at 11:45 pm, actual arrival being 10:15 am. 

My worried parents asked the family in my coupe to keep a watch on me. Yes, ladies have the cumulative disadvantage in such scenarios. 2nd Class Sleeper berths aren’t safe in the first place, nobody checks who came in or jumps out. So book the A/c car, whether you can afford it or not, if you have to travel alone. Yes, the very next morning started the typical Indian male flirting. What could I do, except for dissecting that in my head? There is no place I knew where I could complaint/ write a grievance against that in the whole train. TTE (The Travelling Ticket Examiner)comes only if he can make some money in letting an authorised passenger. As it takes almost 25 hours to reach your destination, you tend to get befriended with the Co- travellers, but, yeah, wait. This rule is dangerous for women, fate ! Poker face is the best and then look away. A new tool I found, speaking in English and reading an English newspaper. 90% of the nuisance cut down. Food. Oh yeah. The best I had ever got, only charging twice its worth. Well, better that those movie scenes, which carried cockroaches and papery papads.

My point is simple. Why to torture the passengers who are in concordance with the rules. We never did dharnas for the railway price hikes. We never complain for the stinking shitholes, sorry, the bathrooms in the train. We don’t destroy your berths with marker ink’s “praneeth loves radha”. Is silence considered the new helplessness ? I wonder.

If I had to take a pro-government stand in all my views, I can rant this paragraph “ certain committee recommendations are to be stringently followed, there is need to awaken and empower the civil society, draft new rules as per the changing demands and allow holistic international collaborations”. Common man just doesn’t get all that. Remember, a particular class of people have already discarded railways and shifted to air travels. Safety has already given a blind eye, so far no one spoke of it in the plan documents nor amongst serious academic discussions. Indian railways is the largest employer in the world, yet such service availability is not a good way out. Improve it or please remove “Athithi Devo Bhava” from Incredible India’s tourism promotion. It’s as if we, the passengers are made gods, deprived of a chance to articulate our legitimate say. 

This is not to blame the system per se, we, the people also make significant contributions to make it dysfunctional. Start with spitting on platforms, jump the queues, avoid buying tickets. If this proceeds, Railways The life line of my nation, will not take longer to become the dead end. Of zero hope and null growth. 

P.S I want to quote my friend who says, Govt most often doesn't serve us, it assumes charity tone, assuming we are passive recipients and Citizens assume no resposibilities and want all rights, in the most prompt way. Any debates ?