(Recap — In the first part of this blog, I described about some “local spots” in every locality where people of eccentric mindset happened to gather regularly. Further I described about their categories and their favorite topics of discussion. In continuation to that ….)
As I told earlier, such places or spots of chatting or idle talk are local tea stall or or corner kiosk of some park. In this “hanging out and chatting” mostly political issues are discussed in the debate. Majorly in the discussion, two sides are often present to express their views. One group consists of ruling political party and another of opposition party. People from the ruling party happen to exaggerate the achievements of their party, whilst opposite group incessantly try to find the holes in that gasconade. Sometimes schism reaches to the height. This impels both the groups to be detached from each other and in annoyance form their own two different group sitting at a distance from each other. There, they mollify their sentiments by sharing their own logic and argument inside with their own like minded people.
In such separate conclave, people with ideology of opposition party happen to project with facts, as if, in their imagination; they gleefully find ruling party in so fragile position to exist for a long, and is about to topple down very shortly. It helps mollify their ego in this way. Further in this conclave, they are given to form in their imagination their own government in place of ruling party at the Center as well as in various provinces of the country. For so many years, I too have been inclined to entertain their this kind of foolhardy drive of forming imaginary government and toppling down the ruling party government. After discussing the political issues, a “paradigm shift” about the topic of discussion takes place. Now, they concentrate about the issues of corruption prevailed in the public domain.
For an instance, they can initiate the topic about the prevailing corrupt practice in the local electricity department. Here, in their fusillade of argumentative talk, they happen to register their protest about forced charging of addition tax in the billing in the name of “cess.” Along with, they declare the regular monthly electric charges as “invalid” one. Not only this, they are offended by the government scheme to install the “smart meter” in houses, in place of old traditional electric meter. To them, this smart electric meter is too sensitive to count the minute reading. In support of their allegation, they argue, that if induction appliance or air conditioner is made “switch off” remotely and not “switched off” from the main switch board and Operating indicator icon is blinking, even in that case the minute electric supply this smart meter registers in the reading.
They in anguish recall the old conventional electric meter. Since, they had had the facility to slow down the meter reading by fixing a heavy magnet piece on the top of it. This helped them to use the electricity lavishly and pay quite a lower charges. Along with, they in connivance with department’s corrupt staff could easily make the “meter reading” be displayed in adverse fashion. This were done on minimum bribe given to the department’s staff in old time. Meant, at that period of time, if electric meter displayed one thousand units’ consumption, that could easily be reversed back to merely two hundreds units on display board.
Apart from that, they could enjoy the facility of “illegal connection” additionally by throwing a hook on the bare main electric wires. That facility was now a perilous one, since government had now introduced a police vigilance squad to check this theft. In this gathering, petty traders, grocery shop owners boast how they used to befool their customers in weighing the provisions and sell the items with extra-charges on billing. Journalist found boasting, how they “black mailed” government officials by intimidating them to publish false news about them. And gleefully they boasted of how they succeeded in collecting handsome ransom in lieu of that.
Lawyers too were found bragging about their malpractice about “greasing the palm of magistrates” to obtain the favorable orders and collecting the sum of cash in the brokerage. Petty social workers too been found in swag about their misdeed in earning the extra money when helping poor people in providing help in issuing and renewal of ration card or Unique Identification Card (Aadhar card in vernacular.) All they had the long list of their own malpractice. But when a dialogue they initiated on “corrupt practice” in public domain, about that, they all were unanimous to eradicate it and it was the liability of the government solely. Was their this behavior to ask for the eradication, while they all engaged in that, in this or that way was not “eccentric” or ” weird’ on their part?
Whenever and wherever each and every one of these people had the opportunity to extract the money illegally, they did that all candidly or overtly. But to eradicate the “corruption” was the liability of the government solely in their eyes. Again, they having their own own long list of accusation. In that segment of allegation, they know (the source if information is their own and secret,) every member of the the legislative assembly in the State is corrupt. Whilst Ministers in the government are mega- corrupt. About bureaucracy, they have a firm opinion that a person opts for bureaucratic services to enjoy the facility to hoard the pile of money by corruptible means only.
Truly say, on coming in touch with this congregation of idle talkers, I became frustrated. Their dialogue and discussion made me feel, as if, I have been doomed to live in a world packed with corruptible and sinister people only. But aloof from that, When I used to pass by some construction site of a building and noticed a laborer working hard, my that impression melts away. The idea that this laborer working hard to earn his bread and and what ever money he earned out of that, he will live his life satisfactorily with that, soothes me. When he is working hard, he listening a cine song on his old radio transistor set. The melodious song helps him forget him his bone- rattling hard work.
Again after some paces in the small market, I take notice of some woman tailor engrossed in stitching her women customers’ costumes. The expression of earning from her sartorial work are obvious on her face. Likely to that, so many laymen engaged in p lumbering, private electrician, or other kind of livelihood or teachers of private schools come to my sight with happy expression and vanishing into the crowd of the market. All they look happy with with their hard working life style. Not from any angle, I find them involved in any corruptible practice. All this scenario send a happy, soothing message to my mind. After all, this world yet not grown poor in number with honest and sincere men. I send a “damn” to the congregation of those “fool hardy and off the track people” and tread in a light mood to my home. ( End of the blog.) Penned by — Vinay Pharasi —–
