You must watch this movie

 Indian movies are either too commercial charting the dominant prejudices or too pretentious mediocre art fair. Between these you do come across some brilliant stuff. I as an audience at one point was into film festivals, and can claim to have sensibilities to recognise good movie. ‘Court’ is such a movie, it is a brilliant effort. This multilingual movie is one of the best movies I have seen for a long time (‘Peepli live’ ‘Wednesday’…too were good movies). It quite succinctly brings out the tardy system and unconcerned individuals, as the marginalised pay the price of mediocrity.      

Visiting the religious pit

I have visited Haridwar many times, as it is near to Delhi I used to drop in quite often. Rishikesh is a better option, hanging around with foreign tourists was a preferred option. Haridwar is a Hindu pilgrim centre for thousands of years, and that makes it an interesting study. Very soon you realise the primitive template that defines Indian society, the psyche, its origin and crudeness. Indeed it is quite true to all Hindu pilgrim centres, temples and pits. It is excruciating to watch hapless people trapped in rituals that bring them here, believes related to death of near one and solace they seek make them vulnerable. Any social system, in particular the religion –that positions itself as moral bearer,  would have evolved empathy and wellbeing of grieving individuals on these matters. But that is not what you witness in Haridwar. It is an amazingly brutal world. Scoundrels masquerading brahmins have spread their tentacles to squeeze the hapless people. It is heart breaking to see them pounce and cheat people in their most vulnerable of situations in life. Very soon you realise that these scoundrels have spread across all walks of life and are responsible for general degradation of society, for serious lack of ethics and exploitation of weak.

I was sitting at the bank of Ganges, the sacred and most polluted river –this irony in itself explains the nature of things, and observing a ritual being conducted by relatives of deceased on quieter part of the river. It was clear that the family was economically not very well off, the reason they choose these less crowded part of the river was to seek reduction on cost of rituals. They were clearly distressed by the loss of dear one, and most likely wanted the best of other world for the departed soul. As I was watching the absurdity of the ritual made comical by lackadaisical disinterested ‘brahmin’ (it is amazing that some take it as matter of birthright, and taken these primitiveness as identity), in the meanwhile as an observer I felt for the family and identified with the tribulation they underwent. A street photographer, who couldn’t get any customer, too was riveted by the spectacle. The wily ‘brahmin’ was adept, he slowly and deliberately made his moves like a predator hunting the prey. The victims not very assured on these matters generally gave in, not to incur any wrath or bad omen. Sample few of the tactics he adopted to fleece the money. “basm ka kriya alagh or brahmin ka kriya alagh” meaning the ritual associated with ash (of the dead) is different while that of ‘brahmin’ is different, meaning (these scoundrels are adept in layers of niceties) the cost associated with rituals related to dead is different while the cost associated with ‘brahmin’ is different. Meaning, dead will have the cost to negotiate into heaven but as an ordained agent he has a price. Meaning, he will have all the money. The man was relentless and played cruelly on the vulnerabilities; it could even easily anguish anyone witnessing these cruelties. Other words thrown in were “puniya ka qatha” (“deposit of good deeds”. Some people are high on these and quantify it by distributing greasy food in cities), “Brahaman ka bhoj ke liye dhaan” (donation for feast for ‘brahmin’). Fleecing over dead is a tradition here. Disgust. Finally he managed to squeeze 50R more, and made a tidy sum of 150R from the poor people for an effort lasting 15odd minutes.

I told the photographer instead of investing on costly equipment and haggling for customers why doesn’t he put on a thread, do the same as the miserable ‘brahmin’ and earn easy money. The photographer’s response was telling, he said that will be cheating, amazingly he didn’t see the irony of what transpired in front of us. In his tutored worldview we have a role assigned and within that roleplay you could cheat! Indeed he would do the same in what he was doing, it is a replicated behaviour pattern. As I was interacting with him he told me that these punds i.e. the ‘brahmin’ scoundrels adept in squeezing people off their money, are small time punds, they are chelas. Indeed under the tree relaxed two more, apparently they had the share of the money, a kind of rent seeking that gets magnified in big cities. It was a racket and each area divided for the spoil. The photographer pointed to the crowded side of the river “the punds there are gudhi ke pund (loosely, high seated/cushioned ‘brahmins’), wo tho loot ke nanga kar thenge (they could easily loot you into your underwear). They easily earned in thousands on daily basis. The petty photographer had other aspect of his character. He mentioned about having eaten food with ‘valmiks’. He was quite repulsed but maintained that they too are human and should be treated as such. I glimpsed little Gandhi peeking out of him. An amazing unity in diversity. Herein you get another template that Indians flourish in and that is you supplicate to the force above you in the meanwhile brutalise the people below you. All these done in a peaceful manner that the protagonists come out agreeable souls, indeed in some case astoundingly liberal. This exploitative mindset is something that comes as a second nature to Indians. This insidious nature you will also see in state machinery. It also means if people are vulnerable they could be brutalised. Insensitivity to the plight becomes a negotiable factor, karma and other sophistry will provide explanation that take the perpetrators out of the picture and place it into some cosmic laws. This also provides explanations for easy money for elite, as is the case of the fleecer at Haridwar. Hence corruption is a good given opportunity, it’s a divine favour to augment one’s position. The debauchery of richest temples (includes the putrid pit at Tirupathi) is an exemplary testimonial, it is not at all ironical that Indian elites vouch for miracles happening within the precincts of these temples, therefore are seen stampeding these sights. A template that is viciously emulated by wanabees down the ladder, who are now double certain of these miracles. To take a minor example Bellary brothers saw an opportunity to cut the mountains and sell the minerals, this opportunity was definite divine message (market calls it opportunity, hence these are quite effortlessly market tuned for bigger causes).   The hindrances were removed with god grace, that needed wily squatter’s rituals specified for these purposes, if you can bribe the god then ordinary mortals are easy game, the politicians and officials (who themselves considered these as another of god will for fast money, they only conduit in this fairness). In these worldly miracles mountains vanish without trace and became land of millionaires. As lives of people move to one more misery. The divinely graced Bellary brothers now return the favour by donating gold throne. The squatters are happy, gods have expressed their wish. Unfortunately these are regular happening as law can be manipulated (another divine grace) or too tardy with loopholes, a British legacy graciously carried on with clear manipulative intent

Later that day I was interacting with a rickshaw puller, who had migrated from nearby Bijnour. His rickshaw is taken on rent for 40R daily. He generally earns 20R for back breaking effort of one way trip. Battery operated rickshaw, he blamed, take chunk of passenger as they operate at much cheaper rate. Next day I was lone passenger in the battery rickshaw, the young man had taken it for rent for 200R on a daily basis. He says he comfortably earns about 300R after paying the rent. Yes he would like to own one of these and had even approached the bank but he has neither hereditary possessions nor any guarantee, as he belongs to landless farm labours community. Lack of land reforms has seen to it that some people have huge holdings that are transacted hereditarily. Landed farmers are like organised workers, therefore these concerns of plight of farmers needs to be seen in that light. There is a vast section that are landless and marginalised, exploited as farm labours and unorganised sector. The areas that doesn’t reach the sight of policy makers or political parties.

So here it is, some cheat in the name of god and make easy money without as much as a drop of sweat while others are drained off their blood to make even fraction of it. This is happening for centuries, and therefore the easy money brethren invaded the prime spots in cities and multiplied their ill-gotten money while some moved abroad and came back as liberal saviours. In the meanwhile the vicious ways are intact, the reason for mediocrity and general apathy. In this travesty their concerns are fixated on conduct of others and ego issues herein.

The picture is that of shop that has casteist family tree as its banner, it’s a camaraderie time for sharmas of the world!! I make it a point to not visit any shop that has casteist references, indeed please avoid ‘prachin’ eateries; they invariably are tasteless greasy fair like the iconic American products very judiciously promoted through TV channels for liberal reasons. In Haridwar people queue to Mohanji ka puri wherein the nearby shops serving the same greasy crap is deserted.    

Please don’t vandalise, demolish: little scribbles on the walls of Hindu temples in West is understandably a major concern for Indian media. If the temples are following the same casteist primitive framework of entitled world, and they very likely are since the elites are quite Machiavellian mediocre bunch adept in sucking on feudal status quo, then this blogger will request the people who are indulging in vandalism to please demolish the temples. No civilized society should give space to uncivilised practices and norms. Hindu temples are the pits that have nothing to do with Hinduism nor its ways, these are places of power struggle, influence cult, primitive norms and swindling money, which most hindus find regrettable but are powerless to act tied as they are to vulnerabilities. If India is declared as a racist country these will be scrutinised closely and actions taken. Freedom of practice of religion need to follow civilised norms otherwise these sensitivities should be thrown into nearest dustbin.