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Anne Marg" was vacated. End of an era, victory
for my hidden elite mentality. I thought it was
a time to celebrate but somehow could not even
feel happy.
I always felt amused when I saw people favoring
Laloo even after all the backwardness of Bihar,
after all the disgrace. Often I tried to
convince myself they are naive, brainwashed,
selfish, uneducated. But when I met a top class
doctor who was supporting Laloo somehow I could
no longer convince myself that people who
support Laloo are really all naive , brainwashed
, selfish or uneducated. I have tried an
introspection, thought hard why Laloo? Why Laloo
for 15 years? I have not lived in Bihar even for
a month continuously in Laloo era but I can feel
so much pain then those who are living there how
can they are not feeling that pain? Or is that
all power of lathi? Then I started thinking as
far as my memory goes. Laloo is gone at least
for the time being. I think we can think about
him, both side of the coin.
In early '80s I read a story about "Man-eater
Zamindar of Manatu" in "Manohar Kahanian". A
zamindar who used to kill poor tribal people
without much provocation. Tribal women were
treated like prostitutes for free. I felt hate
for the zamindar and felt sympathy for poor
sufferer. But did I really feel pain and
suffering of all those people? Did I feel that
dignity, respect of all those people were no
less than that of my family?
What is giving me pain today? Kidnapping and
killing of a rich businessman or their kin and
killing of poor Mahto family. Both are painful
but is there any difference in feeling of both
pain? When I see Prashant Jain, I can feel that
my brother can be on his place . Can I actually
think that my father also be burnt like old
Mahto? An IAS officer is slapped, a leading
cardiologist is murdered. Both are very painful
no doubt but a poor chaprasi is slapped, a dalit
landless laborer is murdered. Is that any less
painful? Eve teasing happened on the roads of
Patna near girls' college. I felt shame, I felt
pain. My sister could be there in crowd. Did I
feel same pain and shame when I saw SC girls and
female taking bath either nude or semi-nude in
village pond or nul?
Nitish Kumar, an engineer has a vision, he wants
to open computer centers in every village. How
honest and great I think that vision is. An
engineer thinking like an engineer. But was
opening of "Charwaha Vidyalaya" really a drama,
a farce? Did I believe a "Charvaha's" vision of
"Charvaha Vidyalaya" could also be honest?
Then I realized that pain was there. It was
always there even though I could not feel it, I
could not sense it and I could not smell it as
it was not visible to my eyes but was there.
Dormant, slow but steady stream of pain was
flowing in the vein of poor and subaltern for
long time. In dalit malnourished children and
semi-nude poor woman - pain was always there
which my healthy eye could not see, which my
thick skin could not sense.
Was there some pain which Laloo could feel and
that is why many people thought and still think
he is their messiah? Could it be that Laloo felt
pain and suffering of those poor? Was he feeling
the pain of killed dalit as his own brother even
if he could not actually stop it? Was his mother
more like poor and dalit women of rural Bihar?
Were his brothers more like the one in poor
Mahto family?
No, I am not trying to justify all backwardness
done in Laloo era, I am not trying to absolve
him of chara ghotala; actually I am not trying
to think about Laloo at all.
What I am trying to think is the pain of the
poor, suffering of poor, suffering of dalits,
suffering of Adiwasis. Can we all agree in
principal and at least ideologically that
killing of five dalit landless labourers is not
of a lesser crime than five rich businessman?
Can we say the pain of a daily wage worker is
not less than that of a engineer? If a minister
has no right to abuse or slap an IAS officer
then can we also accept that we have no right to
abuse a chamar mochi.
We can give all the ideas to Nitish for opening
computer company, all idea for controlling law
and order, he can get all the consulting for
power plant creation from foreign consultants,
all idea for improving economy he can get from
Amartya Sen but one lesson, just one lesson, he
must learn from his arch rival and his
predecessor Laloo Yadav "feeling pain of poors".
"Durbal ko na sataayiye, jaaki moti haya Bina
jeeva ki haya se, loha bhasma ho jaye.
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Comments: |
First
of all, I really liked your thought
provoking article for its less
political, more humane theme. Before
coming to IIT and US, I was raised
in a small village near Nalanda till
I was 12. When I read your article,
I could feel for some of the
pictures you are trying to draw. I
have seen stark naked poverty in my
own house, what could I say of
others. When I was growing up in
that village, the curse of poverty
was so pervasive that I used to wish
if I had money, first thing I would
do is to give it all to this village
so that these poor guys can have a
better shot at life. I mean what and
why would they care if they don't
know where their next meal is coming
from. Vagaries of monsoon seemed to
be the biggest and only worry.
In all this, we had to worry about
few mighty landlords who used to
beat anyone whenever and howsoever
they feel like and for any reason
whatsoever. Once when I was coming
from school, I saw one musahar
getting beaten up. His fault was to
come back from paddy field early
because he was not feeling well.
Sometimes all these images still
scare me even in US. To be honest, I
feel more pain I see these hapless
poor people getting the burnt side
of the bread, short end of the stick
always. Well, at least rich people
have the source, connections and
might to get themselves heard. Who
cares about these guys who think its
their fate. I don't know coming from
these kind of village and
background, I was so elated to see
Laloo getting elected. Looked like a
big relief. I thought now probably
someone would hear about this poor
village. By that time, I got
scholarship from Govt of India,
moved out of the village but used to
visit often. I could see their faces
used to light up with hope. But who
knew that it was going to be even
more of a joke. Laloo was such a
disappointment to them.
Cynicism started to grow, hope
started to die. My soul was bleeding
to know how could Laloo, the messiah
of hope could do such things and end
up doing same things which he
promised to wipe out. Fifteen years
would appear like a century when you
happen to one of those fondly called
BPL aka below poverty line. In these
years, I have seen my village going
from bad to worse, people growing
more and more cynical about the
promised development. I have seen
the humble innocence of my village
disappear, these poor people being
misled by some self-serving local
kingpins by giving them guns in
stead of a sickle.
In my last visit to the village, I
was terrified to see that each and
every family was boasting about
whose gun is by far the best. Little
do they know that all this is a
doormat to the hell. However Helen
Keller has rightly said that God
does not close all the door at the
same. When He closes one, He opens
one too. Without being political and
casteist, I hope Nitish not only
talks the talk, but I pray he is
able to walk the walk too.
Otherwise, I guess I would have to
wait for another ray of hope in next
fifteen years. - Ravindra Kumar -
Feb. 9, 2006
Mr
Ravi, you have raised a sensitive
issue. Guru Nanak said 'Jaake pair
na fati biwaai, so kya jaane peer
paraai'. One cannot empathize with
others for a pain that he hasn't
felt himself. True. But true again
is the pain that Gautam Buddha felt
as soon as he came out of his palace
to see the world.
Mr Ravindra, Hats off to your
achievement. I am sure you are
extending support to other students
of your village. I like the way you
have commented to this article, each
word is written honestly, which
makes it a great comment. - Kumod
Jha - Feb. 9, 2006 |
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