Nothing in my life has ever been achieved without provocation. This post needed just that to transform from a concoction in the brain. This one is grim. When I read this many years later (I hope Google has an insurance policy after what I heard from the Late Steve Jobs about Android in particular and Google in general), I may feel an alarming sense of pessimism but I will also hope this situation would have headed for the better and not the worse.
This is not about the presidential race, neither is it about Gangs of Wasseypur. This is also not about Euro 2012 or the spat between Bhupathi and Paes. Contemporary themes have something about them that just makes us ignore the many more important things transpiring in the universe. Contemporary themes are good ploys for people who distract the masses and flee with their money and pride.
While returning from work a couple of days back, I struck gold. While on the train that now ferries close to 2 million people a day, I learnt some harsh truths about the collective conscience of our nation. It is dead. In the strictest way the dictionary defines it, conscience is simply the sense of right against the wrong. To me it just means the consequence of my action/s. Yes it also means a whole lot of other things but this is most important to me.
The first scare: Here, in our great nation, the concept of public property is lost in the swamp of people. Drive by their own beliefs and nothing to inspire but corrupt leaders, unaccomplished dreams, cable TV egging them to dream big and no water or power this lot is now turning to its oldest known instinct. Every man for himself. Take the case of the three 20 somethings that I 'ran in to' while boarding the train back home on this trip. This is the train where Delhi’s heart lives. This is Delhi’s screenplay, punctuated with attitude (of the wrong kind), conversations, bad language and body odor. In a packed compartment where space to shrug yours shoulders is at a premium, these 20 somethings took to the floor like a child takes to the playground. As they parked their butts on the floor, almost falling short of taking their pack of 52 out for a quick game, the announcement blared in my ears – ‘Please do not sit on the floor of the train’. Suddenly, it felt like I was the only one on the train. Since I was the only one who heard the announcement. They must be excused, some were on their phones, others with their music and the ones that remained probably didn’t care enough. Needless to say the protagonists also conveniently ignored the message. When fear and anger combine, great things happen. As I approached them with my suggestion to stand up and make space for the other passengers, they feigned ignorance. Upon another reminder, they simply asked me to mind my own business. In another world, I would have beaten them to shreds but that world is in my dreams. Who has seen an Iyer boy get into a fight with the Jat friends. I did what I was told to, mind my own business.
Another scare: Many posts back, I had written about the Youth. The mis-phenomenon of this country as I see it. I hope I am wrong on this count.
As I walked out of the station and headed home, I was stopped but a ‘dude’ in a hat and dressed in a manner that made him appear to have jumped straight out of a punk movie. He had a pretty woman, who looked like a foreigner, for company and he also spoke English. That variant of the language that you will only hear in this part of the world. I was clearly distracted by his presence and in the process missed two auto-rickshaws that would have taken me home. As he bypassed several other people and approached me, as if with a purpose, I noticed that he was actually coming towards me with a deep intent. He walked up to me and asked me ‘Dude, which way to Hauz Khas village?’ as the PYT accompanying him looked on. The fraction of a second that I took to tell him the best possible route was enough for him to decide to rubbish me, wave his hand at me in disgust, turn around and move to the woman standing next to me for directions. If I had a stop watch, it would have said that it took our dude exactly 60 seconds to fully comprehend the directions that the woman gave her (including the time to think which I was denied). Not that I feel denied but what happened next was the clincher. When finished with the route, our Dudes tell the woman that the route the he was told would take half an hour to walk!!! Well, punkhead if you did know the route, why would you waste someone else’s time and pretend yours is at a premium? The PYT with him was the answer.
So what is it that makes us the way we are? Nothing gives us the right to break the rule of law and take it in our own hands. Education, or the lack of it, is the most critical ingredient in making a good citizen. The two experiences that I had got me thinking about what drives us to our actions. Does confidence come from your own ability or demeaning another person’s ability. The economy is playing its part in equipping the youth with money but no sense to understand what to make of it. The lack of complete education prepares them for the foreseeable future but not for the long haul. Nouveau Riche as they are called, is a fast growing segment of the population that is breeding ignorance. Mr Obama’s plan to pull these jobs back might just help this cause in the long run.
