Common places
In small cities of India, you often find small shops, makeshift kiosks or small corner shops etc of petty vendors. Vendors vend there tea and snacks, betel leave added with smoking goods etc. These small shops occupy an important place in the diurnal life of local people. In fact, these are points where people in a routine, visit the place at a specified time. In common, kiosk of betel leave and smoking goods are generally located at some nook of the lane of old locality. People from surroundings as per their easiness use to gather there.
Generally, people after coming back from there vocation happen to visit such place in their leisure time, mostly at the evening time. Such “public points” are very interesting one. Here people are found in enough numbers and some of them are regular and permanent as well “prominent orator” by nature, who easily find a good number of audience in the crowd present there.
Here we find discussions on various “topics” that may sound deviated from the routine banal life. Discussion and narration about some stories related to present and past. Believe me, such gossip ‘adda’ provide you such an interesting ambiance as an audience or orator or participant. This sort of enjoyment you can’t enjoy at the home watching on TV some political debate. There is no advertising commercial break nor you are forced to encounter the biased speech of panelist. If you are present there as an audience with your all senses on alert mode, certainly you may enjoy the sequel of interesting events.
Hot agenda of the day
On an occasion, I happened to enjoy such discussion of “local orators” as a ‘perceptible audience.’ A gentleman initiated the topic that seemed he had prepared mentally with a homework, “come on, bros…. I just would like to bring an order of the district police chief into your notice. He has issued an order that at evening time, every vehicle rider be “checkup” for his drunk status . For this an alcohol meter is provided to every such police team. Such team will forcefully insert that alcohol meter into the mouth of the vehicle rider. On finding his breath tasted drunk, such vehicle rider be booked by the police.”
Before getting ahead on the subject, I would like to put this fact into the knowledge of the reader that my city is a foot hill city. Here, about the drinking habit of people a proverb is in fashion, “no sooner son sets, every one goes for drink’s taste.” And the drink habit has become the part and parcel of people behaviour (mostly of men) that you can’t judge them as a drinker externally. They don’t become rude or rowdyish after hard drink rather behave more soberly after taking drinks. If you find some people engaged in some skirmish, may that be owing to their taking cup of tea but not of hard drinks. Here people adore alcohol as a most favorable drink and are in the habit not to commit any wrong in drunken position that may lower down the esteem of the hard drinks.
Now back to the issue about the “alcohol meter” debate that had become a ‘hot topic’ since it being related to “public interest.” Every argument about the topic made the crowd prick up the ears since it somehow directly hit their fundamental right. The gentleman who caused the debate, pushed ahead the topic provokingly, ” Isn’t the drive of police irksome?” An another participant, who already had had sufficient quantity of alcohol inside his stomach, jumped into the debate, ” certainly! Now police party will raise barriers on various spots on the road to stop the traffic for such tasting and would create the traffic jam.”
Tragic situation
This suggestion slightly put the initiator of the debate “off the track”, for he had not envisaged this angle. Though he had come from his home with an anticipatory debate with a win win preparation. Here, this suggestion changed the situation. People seemed to assent to the problem of the traffic jam that might lead to other problems. Even after that, the initial orator continued, ” my advice is, firstly, police chief should pass the order to prohibit the alcohol selling on “licensed shops” and along with “bars” of the city be closed. Just you tell me, on the one hand, district administration issues the licence to sell the alcohol and run the bar. All this facilitate people to consume alcohol, What a customer will do after consuming the hard drinks? It’s but natural he will head on to his home riding on his vehicle! And be captured in between be booked!” Crowed cheerily supported his arguments.
The cheerful applaud encouraged him and he continued, ” Can it be possible for district administration to issue an order that every one should consume the alcohol inside the home only and not to step out from his home?” An another gentleman who intently hearing all this argument got excited upon this suggestion and burst out, ” what about the poor creature who consume the alcohol concealing the fact from his wife? Where he should take resort?” In answer to this a voice from behind the crowd floated in the air, ” he can approach his neighbor to help him provide the facility of drink in such matter.”
Upon this suggestion, the initiator of the debate put up a defiance, ” is there any neighbor who is not scared of wife? Kindly raise his hand to provide such facility.” The question was so alarming and daring that “no hand” was raised. All they were neighbors and greatly intimidated by their wives.” Look! What a grave situation we are going to encounter in days to come! Is there any person who has got solution to this problem?” Unfortunately, the proprietor of the kiosk of betel leave and smoking goods on whose shop this entire arguments were being generated, from behind his counter chirped, ” of course solution is there!” The entire crowd pricked up the ears and unanimously asked, ” suggest that bro!”
He detonated the bomb. “the government must strictly implement the policy of prohibition!” this suggestion turned up the crowd into a violent mob, ” you scoundrel! Why shouldn’t your shop be boycotted totally for such a sinister suggestion? You are instigating the government to adopt a policy that is against the “public sentiments. Don’t worry, we are ready to face the police injustice of alcohol meter but from this moment onward, we boycott your kiosk altogether.” The entire crowd cheered up the resolution of boycotting the kiosk and in real sense for coming some days kiosk remained closed. He dared not to open the shutter of his kiosk. Penned by– Vinay Pharasi…..
