It is a common knowledge that in any Indian city the prime properties are held by certain sections, and they transfer it as
legacy to progenies with much help from the government. Indeed the self-serving
feudal leaders over the decades have been quite helpful, the ideas of democracy having had no effect on them nor on their conscience as they proceed to exploit and accrue. One could even assert that these
amazingly mediocre leaders actively connived to perpetuate these inequalities,
while they dispensed patronages and trapped people in disgusting traditions for votes. This could be
said of almost all the disgraceful ‘leaders’ from 1950s to 90s as they
benefited and perpetuated feudal and casteist exploitative norms while they consolidated
their benefits. The foundation was always weak and they were least bothered
to reform. Feudal lords still hold prime properties as they multiply money with
desultory ease while negotiating their primitive self with modernity. The progenies
meanwhile act as harbinger of competence and freedom, you could tell it from amazing level of mediocrity and complementing arrogance posturing as achievers. Forget land reforms even the token
action of hereditary transaction tax was removed by none other than Mukherjeeji
(to reach where he is now needs consistent degradations that some expertise). This
blogger has mostly lived on the fringes of big cities and has seen the differences, where the civic authorities are active where they conveniently neglect, where noise
is normal where it tends to become pollution, where people are crowd where they are citizens... It is only when Supreme Court judge notice his progenies wearing 'ninja like mask' to protect from air pollution that
they wake up from habitual neglect. It needs something like Nirbhaya to blast on their face for them to think about reforming laws and be aware of problems of the people, otherwise they seem amazingly immune to the reality. It is a characteristic trait. It
is these dubious type of leaders (essentially crude casteist mediocre people), over the last many decades, who
have consistently allowed the government machinery to be degraded as they tightened
their hold over people through status quo of primitive societal norms.
There are weekend markets held in
poorer parts of cities, mostly on some vacant ground (that in itself is
shrinking) or are on the outskirts. While in bigger cities the crowd, of
sellers and purchasers, can be generalized as from mostly lower middle class,
in smaller cities these market milieu tends to be bit complicated. These weekend
markets in smaller cities tends to replicate the social system quite acutely as
they haven’t faced the uprooting and jostling that accompanies the crowded
spaces of big cities. You could easily sense the demarcations as the prime
spots (includes the entry as also into the middle) held by sections that are
dominant men and then women, evidently not for their quality of goods or wares
but quantity as also the confident vociferous haggling and dismissive arrogance
towards customers, while as the market fizzles outwards there are marginalised
and eventually you end up with single women, and then lastly the silent old
lady sitting open to the elements. The quality of the vegetables aren’t different
but quantities are quite less but much cheaper. Bundled in bunches for ten rupees
each and they will add more vegetables as they sell it to you probably as an assurance. And
this is where I make the choice of purchase. To be able to empower that elderly
woman with meagre collection of vegetables (brinjals/tomatoes/ladyfingers), probably
from her small land holding as she claims, or maybe she is lying and if it isn’t
a lie then it is most likely organic/pesticide free, is satisfying.
This framework needs to be kept
in mind, particularly in case of issues like women’s reservation, wherein we
have CrudeWoman sharks salivating for big bites in the name of emancipation and
amazingly fortuitous camaraderie.
Tailpiece:
A thought occurred
to me the other day while I negotiated
the crowded bylanes
The distance from Ambedkar Nagar to MG Road is always a long one
