Tag: discrimination

Money Matters

festival of darkness

“We’re using last year’s left overs.”

“Left overs!” Prem snorted, “At least my kids are luckier than yours! They wanted crackers for 2000 and I got them for 3000 rupees! Besides, It’s just one day.”

“Sir?”

The trash collector had come for his festive bonus. Prem groaned as he rummaged in his wallet. He peeled out a few notes, picked the oldest looking 20 rupee, and handed it to the shabby man.

He left, crestfallen.

“Maybe you should have given him more,” his wife suggested.

“Salary’s a few weeks away, why waste the money?”

October 22nd was Deepawali/Diwali here in India, and fire crackers are a major part of the expenses. This is another story for my Flash Fiction collection, based on what I’d like to call The Festival of Darkness.

Incredible India!

India is known worldwide as a country that promotes “unity in diversity”. Well, I don’t know about unity, (or to be more specific, I’d rather not talk of it) but ‘diversity’ — that I can guarantee.

It’s not really a surprise, is it? India is a diverse land, that’s what we’ve been told all our lives.

Now, a few days ago, I had to travel to Chennai from home. A journey that, on Indian Railways, takes 5 1/2 hours during the day and around 7 hours after sun down. On that day, I was on a night train, a non A/C compartment.

It was my first time travelling non A/C. Now, I love third class A/C. (I haven’t been on the first and second classes, so I can’t compare.) You have a bottle stand, a book stand, a comfortable white bed sheet and a super-warm blanket. Sounds cozy? Yes it is.

I, being oh so naive, expected at least a bed sheet in non A/C. Disappointed, I was. As always with Indian Railways.

There was no bottle stand, no book stand, no bed sheet and absolutely nothing warm. And it didn’t help that ‘twas the coldest month of the year here in the South. There were quite a lot of mosquitoes though — OK, I don’t blame the Railways for that — but for the rest, I wouldn’t say I don’t.

But there was one thing on the non A/C compartment that wasn’t on the A/C ones: ceiling fans! And guess what, I got the upper berth. Some good guy thought it would be warm during the night and decided to click on those switches.

Oh, yes it got worse.

Having no book stand, I didn’t know where to put my specks, so I clutched on to it in my hand and tried my best to fall asleep without shattering it. The good thing is, my specks remained intact, but I lost sleep. The cold was too much.

That night was an eye opener. (Literally as well) I thought of all those days I had comfortably settled in the A/C compartment, when there were people, just compartments away, shivering.

OK, maybe that sounded more emotional than I intended it to. It’s the cold fact.

That night, I was reminded how much we value money. If you have more, you get to be comfortable, if you’re willing to spend a little less, then settle uncomfortably. There’s the first, second and third A/C, and then there’s the non A/C. Not to mention the unreserved compartment where you’re not guaranteed a seat. Such diversity. In a single train.

It’s the same nation-wide. Every day, we see incidents, people and habits that are so diverse in nature. And although it’s common world-wide, India always has a special place in my heart.

Not much of a surprise, right? India holds the record for most number of castes in the world. And no two castes are similar. I don’t even need stats to prove it.

Then there’s the financial status. I don’t think I have heard of low class, middle class, lower middle class, upper middle class or the upper class, all mentioned in one place.

Incredible India, huh?

The caste prejudice

Our society feels proud to say that there’s caste discrimination among them. Surprised? Attend a family wedding and you’ll be shocked. People are so clever as to hide this attitude from outsiders though. Because, in the civilized society, people consider it quite rude and uncivilized to admit one’s caste hunger in public.

But as far as I have noticed, (and honestly, that isn’t much (so forgive me if I’m wrong (though I’m quite positive that I am not))) this is a line of thought prevailing mostly in India, or more specifically, Indians throughout the world.

I’ve personally met a few people who are so much against inter-caste marriages. But they hold their tongue in common presence; they are careful not to allow others to decide their character because of their uninterest in accepting an outsider as family.

These folks – I like to call them ‘insufferably narrow-minded people’ – cause so much confusion and disorder if an unfortunate person is to suggest a different-caste helper, let alone marriage. The ones most prejudiced are the Oldies, and they take extra care to educate their generations about this.

There is one problem, though. This is my question, which I direct towards the “insufferably narrow-minded people”, why is it that these people, who feel ashamed and hesitant to accept an inter caste marriage, are proud to declare that their sons or daughters have settled themselves in a foreign land?

You might wonder what the connection is, here’s what it is: when I spoke to my mother about this, she said that the main reason for underlining caste differences is because it is socially difficult to adjust with people of other castes, or as they say, ‘people of other family and social backgrounds.’

How then, can they easily adjust with people of  other national backgrounds?

Whenever long-unmet people meet each other, (particularly at a family gathering) they have the most irritating habit of inquiring of the activities of each other’s children. And what pride they have in saying that their children are residents of the Western world!

I abhor their pride and pity their prejudice.

The very fools, who feel distressed to accept people of other castes, because of their different way of life – which, by the way is the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard of – find it prestigious to admit that their children have abandoned their nation and have gone to live with ‘people of other family and social backgrounds.’

Suckers!