Seriously, I had no idea India was so vast. It’d been ages since I had travelled by train so when an opportunity arose recently to take a quick trip to Bardhwan in West Bengal with my father I agreed. It wasn’t the holiday I was looking for but hey, who’s complaining? Something was better than nothing I thought.
So there we were on a hot May afternoon waiting for the Purva Express to roll into the station. It was horribly crowded. Travellers, coolies, cops, everyone was trying to get their job done and managing to shove and push in the bargain. Dad began popping sorbitrates in panic. I fretted that the coolie would walk away with my luggage. Anyway, our boarding was easy compared to the folks at the unreserved coach next door. There was a mile long queue (thanks to the cops) with people who unlike me had more important things than the heat on their minds. Our coupe was not particularly clean, the airconditioning was either too low or high and there was a tiny mouse exploring my bag throughout the journey.
But that wasn’t what bothered me that much. It was the view outside my window that had me thinking. For over a day we passed miles and miles of countryside. Lean farmers harvesting wheat, mustard and other crops my city bred eyes didn’t recognize. We passed small insignificant stations with people waiting for their trains. Waiting with their tired eyes, meager, shabby belongings and a swarm of flies that had made a home on their faces. I saw so many children working that I wondered if the ban on child labour was a dream. Within hours I began to despair. How far removed from reality are we? If India is marching ahead in the world who exactly are these people? And if this is the real India then who are those I left behind in the glitzy malls riding their swanky cars and living in air conditioned comfort?
It's not just the rich and poor divide I am talking about. It's also the gap in outlook which we need to bridge. The couple we stayed with at Bardhwan were a classic example. They looked like they have come into good money recently- new car, two storey independent house and a cook among other things. But they still carried the hangover of difficult times. They refused to turn on the AC in the car even though the heat and humidity was stifling, they dumped their trash in a huge stinking drain that ran straight in front of their house and allowed their pet dog to poop around the house! But the last straw was when they served cucumber slices at breakfast! I was rendered speechless....! (why do I sound so horribly vain?)
So there we were on a hot May afternoon waiting for the Purva Express to roll into the station. It was horribly crowded. Travellers, coolies, cops, everyone was trying to get their job done and managing to shove and push in the bargain. Dad began popping sorbitrates in panic. I fretted that the coolie would walk away with my luggage. Anyway, our boarding was easy compared to the folks at the unreserved coach next door. There was a mile long queue (thanks to the cops) with people who unlike me had more important things than the heat on their minds. Our coupe was not particularly clean, the airconditioning was either too low or high and there was a tiny mouse exploring my bag throughout the journey.
But that wasn’t what bothered me that much. It was the view outside my window that had me thinking. For over a day we passed miles and miles of countryside. Lean farmers harvesting wheat, mustard and other crops my city bred eyes didn’t recognize. We passed small insignificant stations with people waiting for their trains. Waiting with their tired eyes, meager, shabby belongings and a swarm of flies that had made a home on their faces. I saw so many children working that I wondered if the ban on child labour was a dream. Within hours I began to despair. How far removed from reality are we? If India is marching ahead in the world who exactly are these people? And if this is the real India then who are those I left behind in the glitzy malls riding their swanky cars and living in air conditioned comfort?
It's not just the rich and poor divide I am talking about. It's also the gap in outlook which we need to bridge. The couple we stayed with at Bardhwan were a classic example. They looked like they have come into good money recently- new car, two storey independent house and a cook among other things. But they still carried the hangover of difficult times. They refused to turn on the AC in the car even though the heat and humidity was stifling, they dumped their trash in a huge stinking drain that ran straight in front of their house and allowed their pet dog to poop around the house! But the last straw was when they served cucumber slices at breakfast! I was rendered speechless....! (why do I sound so horribly vain?)
3 comments:
Its interesting that you talk about bridging the outlook. But isnt it quite natural for poor people to have a typical outlook and likewise for the rich?
The concept of sophistication is seen to be highly correlated with how much money you have and how long you've had money. The new rich seem to be pushing themselves up the ladder but facing hiccups while trying to integrate into high society.
exactly- the gap has to be bridged with education and better values perhaps? People forget that money does not give you class just as being a member of the high society does not necessarily mean you have better values and more sophistication...get my point?
There is no chance of bridging the gap... its chasms apart. Nowadays education has become a tool for the rich to become richer ....the poor dont get access to education anyway.
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