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CommonSpeaks
sumandro ‘riju’ chattapadhyay
riju_caballaro@yahoo.com
(LSS Ahmedabad 03)
Living in small town
India,
much of my time is spent having ‘adda’ at small tea-shacks. The same are
also frequented by wo/men of various professions. Followings are
insightful quips overheard in such places.
#1
A very annoyed looking guy is talking to his friend. We understood from
the conversation that the guy had some important thing to do at Suri
(the district center) but could not go there due to a bus-strike. The
strike is against the government’s refusal to allow new private buses to
operate to and fro Suri, so that government buses can have the lion’s
share of the business. His friend is a rickshaw-puller. He says, ”Damn
the Sarkar. Today they want to drive buses, next day they will say they
want to drive the rickshaw! No thanks, I can drive the rickshaw better
myself”.
#2
The concerned tea-shacks are situated on land owned by the local
municipality. The municipality grants certificates for the tea-shacks
owners, stating the fact that they are allowed to use the land for a
certain period. This period needs to be renewed from time to time. The
events of the municipality evicting shops from street-sides are not
rare. Months ago a group of shop-owners (having shops on municipality
land) requested the municipality to allow them to buy the land from the
municipality, so that they can have more security and also collateral
that is accepted by banks. The municipality refused. One of the
tea-shack owners stated with despair, “The damned municipality does not
want us to get rich. Otherwise how will they be able to rule us?”
#3
29th September 2005. Left parties all over India is
celebrating strike. They want food, shelter, education, job and whatnot
for the deprived (read comrades). I am sitting with a friend of mine in
an empty tea-shack, which is a two-side open thatched structure of
bamboo and clay. In the opposite side of the street there is
cigarette/candy/paan shop – the only open shop around. My friend goes
and asks for a cigarette. I yell sitting where I was, “What happened?
How come you are open today?” The owner of the shop was preparing a paan
for a customer, she yells back, “Strike is for those who need not have
to think for food if they go without income for one day.”
More some other time...
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