‘Dilli hai dilwalon ki’ is the common saying in here which I’ve been listening for quite some time now. However, I’ve no more concurrence with this statement off late. Rather I’d say ‘Dill tow hai paisewalon ki’ (translation). If you’ve bucks in your pocket things go so very smoothly else one has to die every moment to live in here. The gap between richness and poverty is huge and overwhelming.
However, this statement would be difficult to make for public figure (or the well known faces who interact with the ground realities on day-to-day basis) but I being one of ‘common man’, with few extra bucks in my petty, have had liberty of living in these dual avatars – as a ‘common man’ and as a paisewala - on and off for last few years, and also don’t feel any pressure while expressing my opinion on the same.
In my ‘paisewala’ avatar, I’m an executive of a big corporate house. I lead an outstanding life while on business – stay, dine in five stars, commute in luxury cars, shop in biggest malls and meet best breeds of the town – and the city appears to be a heaven on earth as no weather atrocities haunt me, no waiting/queues, no corruption, no poverty, no littering, all green all clean (clean Delhi green Delhi utopia comes alive). But, the very moment I switch to my second avatar (like Snow-white turns to rags once the clock struck 12) as I can’t afford ‘paisewala’ avatar in my real life and live in a small house in a very congested locality where frequent power cuts, water shortage, blocked drainage system, dug-up roads, with all dust ‘n smoke and bumper-to-bumper traffic jam is a everyday story and woos no one if one raises concern (thanks to our ‘sabb chaltaa hai’ attitude). Long ‘n never ending queues at each public offices, with corrupt babus/policemen opening up there greedy mouths every now and then, suddenly makes the life worse than hell in the same city which looked perfect in the first avatar (Is it one’s miseries paying for other’s happiness). Someone said born poor is not your fault but dying poor is of course, but it’s excessively difficult for a poor to lead a dignified life in this society of ‘heroes and zeroes’ (as Dr Kalaam says) where it’s very difficult to appear at the surface as heroes in this population rich country and where rift between riches and rags is increasing with unprecedented pace. Everyone is not a maverick and I still see hundreds of them around me killing their lives and skill in extreme poverty.
Though I soon switch to my first avatar, mostly for a longer duration, but the agony of the horrendous experiences I go through while being in ‘dilwala’ (or common ‘dilliwalla’.. however recent talks say there’re only a handful who really are dilliwallas, most of ‘em outsiders with no real attachment to it) keeps haunting me all through my days spent in my second avatar. I can’t stop myself scanning the faces that I leave behind while travelling in my luxury limo or the staff that keeps my grin intact by giving his/her extra, at that horribly unaffordable cost. We Indians believe in short cuts not because we don’t believe in long cuts but just because of the experience that long cuts are the hopeless option and would even cost a lifetime to get something done passing through the proper channel (we’re in herds not in numbers wherever you approach in public.. In Mata’s jagraata yesterday night people were fighting while queuing up.. for what? For paying donation and getting name announced in loudspeaker!) Most of us believe that the same is easily achievable with far less efforts by being “practical and smart” (I spent two years to get my passport without being assisted by a commission agent).
Basic hygiene is generally deeply rooted into the respective cultures though bit challenged by poverty and incompetent civic authorities (I find my pockets full of my kid’s candy wrappers by the end of the day as I often don’t find any litter-boxes in public places. I was stunned to witness devotees littering used ‘prasadam’ plates next to goddess idols, yesterday during Mata’s Jagraata in my locality, without any guilt feeling.. disgusting!) Thanks to the geographical position of our country and the element s adding up to the fast disruption of the ecosystem of this city that further adds up to our woes. History says this city was built seventeen times but I feel this would be the last iteration as we’re not building (of course building the concrete jungle!) rather destroying it’s ecosystem. Still the remaining greenery belongs the older period and we can count the leftover trees on fingers that too planted by our forefather. Which direction we Delhiites going?
‘Kal ho jayega’ is the common answer if one asks for the deadlines – completely unprofessional attitude and comes with the requirement of ‘chai-paani’ which’s the pre-requisite for even having a glimpse at your case file.
Littering and honking is a very common habit we’ve developed over a period of time and often I’m a subject of humor when people around me find me shying away to do so. It doesn’t raise an eyebrow if you violate these rules of basic hygiene (rather they may raise when we do so!) that turning our beautiful city into a garbage dump and water bodies to smelly drains. I turn the pages of history that tells Indus valley civilization was among one of the oldest civilizations that makes us proud.
Thanks to the rapidly changing climate, energy shortage and eating habits that further adds up to the aggression, impatience, unproductiveness we show in our daily life which’s synonym to our behavioral attribute. More than ¾ of our city population faces the curse of electric power-cuts every summer which’s getting longer every year. As most of ‘em can’t afford inverters and hefty electricity bills like few ‘paisewallas’). That’s a different topic that sill lot of electricity is getting stolen (I came across an article recently which says our 7000KMs coastline can contribute to 25% of our energy needs through wind energy and another big lot through solar energy, and provide us immense employment option). Look at the traffic intersection and especially the two-wheelers on regular office routes. Honking is a fashion statement (or a disease?) and bikers preferring car horns. Home minister asks Delhiites to practise basic etiquettes and groom good behavioral attributes in wake of forthcoming commonwealth games. We natives of great Indian subcontinent need to be taught that we should learn basic behavioral manners and that too for hosting an international event is extremely shameful.
As a country eyeing a developed status by 2020, do we still need to emphasize that we need round the clock power, at least in our metro cities, to thrive for that essential growth and stature (or to be really called a metro). If this ‘common man’ is not sleeping whole night due to these power cuts how are we expecting him to be productive next day? Do we still have doubts that we need proper public sanitation system and responsible public administration before even called developing nation?
-Bete Noire
