(July-2000 at Chennai, India)
Chapter-1
: Initial Hiccups
Chapter-2
: Procession and band party
Chapter-3
: Beefy South Indians
Chapter-4
: Shanty Accommodation
After much of
bickering and after many office orders were superseded, I was transferred to
North Chennai from Ranchi. I had never thought that I would be transferred for
six months, such a long time. Totally confused I was not able to comfort
myself. My wife, Rekha and my daughter, Minnie rather put up a brave front.
They encouraged me not to worry about and that everything will be all right.
They told me to simply proceed and join the job in Chennai. Three days were
left to make all the arrangement at Ranchi, I left for Chapra, a small city in
North Bihar, to bring my aged grandmother so that Rekha could go to office
unfailingly and Minnie could be looked after affectionately by someone who
should be responsible. With mother in Delhi and mother-in-law in Jaipur this
was the only possible solution in sight. I was not sure about how they all
would get along. Grandmother was a total alien to Rekha & Minnie as we had
just met twice in six years after my marriage. Last time we met her in Chhatha Puja when Minnie was not even born. But I had convinced
Minnie that she was going to have very nice time with grand ma that she was
going to have a lot of bed time stories from grand ma. I told her that grand
ma has got addiction of telling jokes and stories of Akbar and Birbal and she
can make you laugh even when you are crying. She asked, " and what more
she can do, Papa!" and "Papa tell me", she asked, " Can
she play cricket with me? ". She inquired, " Papa! Tell me, who will
win in Antakshari (Song Competition)
me or grand ma when we play when light goes off . " She quizzed me,
"Papa, Who did use to win when you and grand ma use to play
Antakshari?" With lot of worries in head and innumerable problems
dancing in front of eyes I ducked all her queries.
And when grand ma arrived Minnie came to me and told many
things that grand ma was very old, she didn't look good, her skin was sagging,
her teeth were protruding out, she had got very hoarse voice and above all her
Bhojpuri (a very popular dialect of
Bihar & UP), she was unable to grasp. I told her, "Our grand ma is
very old. All old persons look
like her and one day everybody will grow old including you. And our grand ma
was very beautiful like Aishwarya in
her youth". This mellowed down the little soul. This also resulted into
curiosity. Curiosity created humbleness towards grand ma. Humbleness fostered
friendship and friendship generated lot of warm moments for both of them. With
this arrangement I left Ranchi.
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I had bitter experience of getting cheated by taxi and auto drivers in
Chennai in my previous tours. I started arguing with auto driver who was not
ready to bulge as soon as I came out of Chennai Central Railway station. He
told, "You pay me Rs 50/= only after consulting your warden in the guest
house." The distance between Chennai Central and Anna Nagar is not less
and actual fare is Rs 80/=. Caretaker of the guesthouse was waiting for me at
the gate and told me the actual fare. Then I told him to keep quiet and see
that my luggage got unloaded from the auto. I paid Rs 60/= to the poor driver
and he accepted the same with a very wide grin, successfully hiding his
disgust which normally I could never do.
My train was seven hours late at Chennai. It was one O' clock afternoon
when I came out of guesthouse. I was very hungry. As soon as I came out of
guesthouse, I heard the sound of Band Party. I knew that marriages are
solemnised during daytime in South India. "This must be a Barat
Party which is going to Mandapam",
I thought, "and if possible I will dance with Barat Party as I used to do in Patna and in Delhi when I was
studying there. "Begani shadi mein
Abdullah diwana (Some body else is happy in some body else's marriage.) We
use to do that. Even without knowing anyone in the Barat Party, we used to sneak into the dancing group, whenever we
came across marriage procession. We would dance vigorously on the tune of Khaike
Paan Benaras wallah trying our best to imitate Amitabh Bachchan, The Big
B, in each step. We would go on dancing till more enthusiastic dancers would
overtake us. So with sweet memories I waited for the Band Party to come near.
My thought started exploring the possibility of dancing on Chennai road in a
South Indian Marriage Procession. Next moment what I saw was a real shock. I
felt myself along with my thoughts sinking in quicksand.
Somebody had pulled the carpet beneath my feet. I recovered very fast
when I saw a clean shaven man with shaved head was walking silently holding a
earthen vessel with wood fire in it. He was wearing white dhoti
with deserted look. The crowd in unison was saying something similar to
" Ram nam satya hai ( Only God
is true)".
It
was not marriage procession, it was a antim
yatra, the last journey of somebody.
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With
mournful mood I walked into one ordinary restaurant of nearby Twenty Four Shop
Complex. I ordered for Masala Dosa
and tea. Masala Dosa is the most
popular dish after Chowmin in North India among other than North Indian
cuisines. I turned over the Menu, which was lying listlessly over the table. I
saw one item starting with word "Beef". My face turned red. My blood
turned blue. I started feeling guilty of some crime, which I never committed.
As if somebody had hit me on head and I felt giddiness. This was the first
instance of my life. I had never seen that forbidden food item in menu of any
hotels anywhere in Mumbai, Calcutta or in Delhi where I had been staying, even
in starred hotel. I was about to take meal where beef was being served. No
way. Completely perplexed, I got up and walked out of the shop.
The
waiter came running and asked, "What sir! What problem".
I
replied, "Beef illai ( No Beef)
Please!".
He
said without disgust, "Hindi Sir (North Indian Sir)!"
I
said, "Yes!"
He
smiled and told, "No Problem, Sir! See you Sir!"
I
remembered very clearly. It was in 1983 in Patna. I was in Intermediate that
was class XIIth in Science College, Patna. Our Cavendish House hostel mess was
closed. My friend and I went to nearby restaurant. We ordered our lunch and
started gossiping. My friend noticed that there is no photo or idols of Lord
Ganesha or Goddess Laxmi, which is mandatory in all Hindu shops in India. This
is the only difference between a Muslim Shop and Hindu Shop for us. We use
this criterion to find out the shopkeeper's religion. "Oh! God, this is a
Muslim restaurant," We murmured to each other. "We should get out of
it immediately." My friend started complaining of severe stomach pain and
we walked out.
I
knew, "Why are we so fussy in taking meal in Muslim restaurant?"
"They may mix up beef in our food, they may adulterate mutton or chicken
with beef." I have been hearing this since my childhood. And I still
remember the words of grandfather when I was going for NCC camp to Saurath
near Madhubani in 1979, "Never take food in Muslim hotels." I was in
class eighth in Zila School Chapra. I did not argue much at that time with
him. But when I came back I asked him, "Can you manage your life without
Muslims?" I continued, "The fruit you take, the double bread you
eat, the green vegetables you like, the shoes you have, the watch you see, the
clothes you wear, the perfume you use these all are supplied by Muslims."
"They are every where. Your favourite actor- Dilip Kumar, Your favourite
poet - Rahim, Your favourite king - Sher Shah, Your favourite friend - our
cobbler as you say he is the most honest man on this earth", I explained
to him emphatically. He smiled
and smiled only. He did not tell anything. This signalled my victory. First
time I had won the debate against him. "You are just thirteen but you
will come to know when you grow up", he told and became quiet. He used to
shut up me quoting Tulsidas, Kabirdas, Rahim, Gurunanak, Surdas & Meerabai
on any issue if we debated after listening to All India Radio night Hindi news
of 8.45 by Vinod Kashyap. But he did not answer my question and it is still
unanswered. He is no more, and I am grown up. But I still search the answer.
The
life of all Indians rotates like wheel and axle of the wheel is maintained by
Muslim brethren. If they do not maintain it our life will come to a
standstill. But come what may the Hindus are not going to change the attitude
and knowingly they will never walk in to Muslim hotels and have their lunch.
Because eating out beef means committing suicide. It means murdering our own
soul. No body has taught this but some how it has been imbibed. No body has
ever explained this but it is very much understood.
Later
on when I visited Kanyakumari, the southern tip of Indian main land and
Trivandrum of Kerala, I discovered the beef eating is very common and people
have compromised with their souls and the souls of their ancestors, they have
revised their religion. They have reformed their culture. Kerala is the state
in India with highest rate of literacy. People have embraced Christianity
here. Kerala Tourism Development Corporation is selling Beef Curry and other
beef items openly in their food outlets. Some how this fact is not easily
digestible to the people who are coming from North India with religious
feeling to perform puja in
Padmanabha temple. May be when literacy rate is hundred percent and people
start embracing Christianity there won't be any qualms.
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Next
day I reached my guest house at Project Site, at North Chennai Thermal Power
Station at Athipattu Pudu Nagar. This place is just 22 Kms from Madras Central
by rail and is 40 kms by road. The nearby creek of sea makes all the
difference. The rail crosses the creek and road circumvents it. The power
plant is located on an island. The hundred feet road connects the plant
through a bridge to the adjoining area. There is hut type settlements in very
shabby condition, which have been built for the construction workers. It is
called Athipattu Camp. All non executive staffs of Tamilnadu Electricity Board
stay there. The employees, irrespective of their grades, of Public Sector
Undertaking involved in construction work also stay there. Electricity Board
has got the surplus quarter, as their executives do not stay in this camp,
they stay in nearby Vallur Camp which is on the main highway. There are EPI,
RITES, AFCONS and of course MECON who have posted their General Managers and
Chief Engineers in Atthipattu camp where even basic amenities are not provided.
The camp is poorly maintained. There is no pest control. No cleaning
facilities of houses, no clothe washing facilities, no drinking water in the
quarters, no cooking facility, no emergency transport facility and no first
aid measures. As per the rule of the company, these all have to be provided at
the place of posting. These all have been denied in the name of austerity
measures as company is heading towards its bad days. The camp is full of
mosquitoes, lizards, street dogs and snakes. They are at large. There is no
effort to control them. Residents are at mercy of God. I got accommodation in
one of such ill furnished houses. I had to stay in the guesthouse for three
weeks till my quarter got ready. The guesthouse has no caretaker. No sofas, no
curtains, no tumbler, no drinking water were made available. If you were
thirsty in the night you are finished. Live on your own. The guest house was
more like hostel rooms of my Zila School, Chapra. Even those hostel rooms were
better and very airy with very high ceiling height built by Britishers. I
checked in the guest house anyway.
I was trying to sleep in the night. I am very
bad at sleep. I am not insomniac. But I call myself semi-insomniac. I can not
concentrate my mind at a place in the night. All the Yogas, Art of Living
classes and its Breathing Techniques and Pranayam have failed in my case. I
thought of, "My father, who is no more, about my childhood days, about my
mother, who was so cool and calm when father was there and about her present
condition how she has become so unyielding so obstinate like small kids."
I drifted with my thought. I started taking stock of different situation of my
life. My mind started flying like kite. I floated with it. I felt my wife
snoring beside me. I saw my daughter smiling in her sleep and trying to locate
my hand and to hold it as she always did while she slept. I thought of,
"My grand mother, whether she will be able to cope up with new
responsibility and whether she will be able to adjust with new environment of
Ranchi?" My thought drifted
discreetly, "Chennai, project site, camp, Tamil people, Tamil language,
local villagers, so underdeveloped North Chennai under the backdrop of Chennai
metropolis, no P&T phone & no Internet Center. Life would be very very
miserable here." I heard the
sound of local train amidst all these thoughts disturbing the peace of night.
I started thinking about the railways, about the British people who introduced
railways into India. Their life would have been more miserable at that time.
When they would have come to India what facilities they had?. No safety, no
telephone, no camp, no houses, hostile unknown people they all had. They
worked in plains, in the mountains, in the dreaded forests full of leopard,
tigers and lions and in the area where Cholera, Chicken pox, Small pox and
Kala-azar were rampant and about to break out any time. When lakhs of people
use to perish due to famines, who did protect them from the vagaries of
monsoon, devastation of flood, from the scorching heat of summer and from
biting cold waves of December? It was their will power who made them stay here
and forced them to write a new chapter in the history of Development of India.
There were from the ruling class undoubtedly. But they had everything against
them. They must have enjoyed their work. They must have thought that what they
were doing was going to help the mankind. They had done personal sacrifices
for the benefit of the masses. They had risked their life for British Empire
who was trying to develop a network that would facilitate them to rule India
easily. Yes, this was the truth, an absolute truth. But as a construction
engineer What I visualised and what I faced here were not much different from
their situation. Quite far from family, put among totally unknown people,
unknown place and unknown language. I got the solace out of this comparison.
My mind moved further, “I am not foreigner. I am working in my own country.
I am working with my own people. I am working for my own nation. I am
working for the development of my own beloved motherland. When British people
could risk their life and could shun the pleasure of their family life, why
can not I sacrifice my own selfishness and leave all the worries to Almighty
God.” Once again I thought about my father and his words, “Our country
needs more of doctors who can take care of malnourished poor masses. Our
country is producing lesser number of doctors and large number of engineers
each year. You can save the life of many when you become doctor. You can just
make life better when you become engineer”, he reacted when I did not opt to
become doctor and took mathematics instead of biology against the wishes of my
father. I thought, “I may not save any life but if I work in this External Coal Handling System Project I may be able to contribute to the power
generation of Tamilnadu Electricity board. Thousands of hospitals, nursing
homes, pathological test laboratories, medicine shops, pharmaceuticals
research centres, X-ray centres, etc need power and due to shortage of power
many lives are lost. If we build this coal handling system there will be no
power shortage in Chennai and coal supply demand of power plants at peak
summer time will be easily met. May be this way I will contribute my part to
the service of humanity. This will partly fulfill the dream of my father who
was always involved in community service". I remembered, "How much
happy he was when he got his Night School inaugurated by District Collector of
Chapra and his tears of joy when he started teaching his first batch of
disciples, all rickshaw pullers and how proudly he hugged me afterwards."
"His helpless face with blood oozing out of his nose, when he was on
death bed and all doctors were on strike, oscillated in front of my eyes, next
moment he was dead with his hands stretched out for me to hug and before I
could hold they became still. I wept and after some time overpowered by sleep
I slept, my mind might have been very tired after that much wandering.
Next day I got up fresh. I decided, " I
will never complaint against any thing. I will always have positive attitude
towards all my colleagues. I will respect my seniors and will guide my juniors
with all my sincerity. This way I may fulfill the dream of my father and
complete my transfer of six months nicely."
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This
Article is not intended to hurt feeling of any people. It it happens I
apologise very sincerely.
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