A Welcome Relief After 163 Years

There are far too many things we take for granted. One of them happens to be the ubiquitous trains that criss cross our country of continental dimensions. We all expect them to come on time and be stench free (nothing wrong in that) and while waiting at level crossings wonder why they take so much time to come. As it trundles past little do we wonder about the people who actually make it run and the challenges they face.

Among the 'running staff' it is the Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) who is the most familiar to us as we gingerly produce our tickets when he comes calling. Once he gives his satisfactory nod and returns the ticket and does some marking on his clipboard, we breathe easy. If the ticket is RAC or waiting list we are quite literally at his mercy and treat him like mai baap, and some are more than willing to play that role.

The next in line is the guard. A very shadowy figure confined to the rear end of the train, waving red and green flags. Very little is known about their other functions.

However the most elusive among the lot is the train driver, who nowadays has acquired a more gentrified nomenclature - locomotive pilot. We may catch a fleeting glimpse of them when the train arrives at the station or chugs past a level crossing. Since they are rarely seen, it is out of sight out of mind for most of us.

We happily retire on our allotted train berths during night after setting snooze alarm on our smartphones, with no thought of how the engine driver keeps awake till dawn, or how he manages to spot dimly lit signals during rains or foggy weather.

But what I read the other day came as a rude eye opener. These drivers cannot respond to nature's calls or have refreshments during their 12-hour shift! Just for a moment I thought of how I would cope with such a pre-condition for my eight-hour shift - both my bladder and tummy did not take it kindly! The railways have been operational in the country for 163 years and it is hard to believe that so far lakhs of engine drivers, spanning 3-4 generations, have worked all their lives under such conditions.

Only recently the Railways introduced its first locomotive fitted with a bio-toilet. The doors of the toilet would open only when the speed of the train reaches zero. The locomotive pilots won’t be able to answer nature’s call while the train is moving. And whenever the pilot would go inside the toilet, the brakes of the engine won’t be released by any system. Hope more and more such locomotives are put to use to make the drivers' lives easier.

I shudder to think how horrid their working conditions might have been while they were driving the now defunct coal fired steam engines.

Also Read: Bangalore Beat

For Whom The Bell Trolls

Fresh from a thumping win in the 2014 general elections and on his maiden visit to the US after becoming Prime Minister, Narendra Modi suffered a Freudian slip while regaling the fawning NRI audience at Madison Square. He referred to fellow Gujarati Mahatma Gandhi as 'Mohanlal' Karamchand Gandhi. Hailing from an organisation not favourably disposed towards Mahatma's brand of politics, it was quite understandable, even though 'Mohandas' is neither difficult to recall nor a tongue twister.

His 'Mohanlal' gaffe didn’t create much of a flutter elsewhere, but it did ring a bell and drew light hearted titters in the deep south of the Vindhyas, where an actor by that name enjoys super star status and even has a fans' association. Mohanlal carries his plus size frame with rare agility and  elan. And his dialogue delivery, especially the punch lines, are always lustily lapped up by his first-day-first-show fans.

Now two years down the line Modi's path once again crossed with Mohanlal and it is anything but light hearted.  This time it was one of those one-liners, of nearly two-decades vintage, that has morphed into a hashtag #pomonemodi and set off a Twitter-tsunami.

It looked more like a poetic justice. Because it is the Hindutva keypad warriors who were notorious for running down their opponents by posting nasty comments and trolling was considered their forte. But now Modi was getting a taste of his own medicine.

During his whistle stop tour of poll-bound Kerala, he remarked that the condition of Adivasis in Kerala was akin to that of people in Somalia. This badly ruffled the Malayali ego, which takes pride in its enviable Human Development Index, which is on par with Scandinavian countries.

However, it needs to be pointed out that the HDI among Adivasis in Kerala is not as impressive as its general population and leaves a lot to be desired. The governmental apathy and agricultural distress at the state's tribal belts have taken a heavy toll on their well being. But even then they are much better off than Adivasis in other states.

Modi's remark sparked off an unprecedented mobilisation of Malayalees on Twitter. Even those who had settled down elsewhere in the country or abroad decades ago, used to berate Mallu accent and were dismissive about the state in general, they too got galvanised to join the Twitter hashtag bandwagon and fire 140-character salvos at Modi.

The type of humour ranged from light hearted sarcasm, often accompanied by memes; some disputed Modi's claim using graphics, but some even got into the avoidable territory of racism, making fun of dark skin of Africans.

The popularity of this hashtag led to a counter hashtag #pomonechandi but with limited success, and a wag exhorted them to try something more original "like #solargirigiri or some such thing" to highlight the infamous solar scam for which the current Oommen Chandy government is drawing lot of flak.

Also Read: Bangalore Beat

Leicester FC: Suddenly Something

Gambling jargons have always gone over my head, as my measly salary and risk-averse nature kept me away from such 'wallet-lightening' pursuits. So when I first came across the news that punters had given '5000-1 against' chance for Leicester City FC winning the English Premier League, it did not ring any bell. Until somewhere I read the nearest possible analogy - Elvis Presley being found alive this year! Maybe in the Indian context Elvis Presley may well be substituted by Subhas Chandra Bose.

Now those minuscule few who were crazy enough to put their money on this club may well be whistling Elvis songs on their way to the bank. In this era of hard as nails professionalism and big money in football, Leicester quite literally rose like a phoenix, as its past credentials were hardly inspiring. The foxes' (as they are called) quietly went about their job of craftily outwitting fancied opponents and it really took a while for many to take notice, amid their smokescreens of scepticism.

After all who would even give chance for a team that had suffered near relegation last season to show any promise this year. The coach, Claudio Ranieri, had trained many biggies like Chelsea, Juventus etc, but failed to make any major splash, and his last assignment with Greece was a disgrace. About the players the lesser said the better. Very few of them had even played first division soccer. Second division players like Frenchman N’Golo Kante, Algerian Riyad Mahrez and Englishman Jamie Richard Vardy failed to invite even a second look from football pundits.

My off and on football antennae too failed to pick up Leicester phenomenon until a friend updated me about two months ago. Till then the only sports figure from Leicester I had heard of was cricketer David Gower, who used to represent Leicestershire in county cricket. But by the time I checked on Leicester FC it had garnered the eyeballs and overtaken all the biggies - the clubs based in Manchester and London. 

The rest they say is history, though I would have loved them to finish off with a victory rather than an equaliser with Manchester United.

Also Read: Bangalore Beat

Timeless Appeal of Salim Langde Par Mat Ro

The other day I was watching Saeed Akhtar Mirza's Salim Langde Par Mat Ro on YouTube. The movie was released in 1989, but the plot seemed eerily relevant to the present times of chest thumping and polarising debates on nationalism and the overwhelming tendency to wear patriotism on one's sleeve. 

Set in the backdrop of Bhiwandi riots in 1984 (a precursor to much more horrific 1992-93 Mumbai riots) the movie is about the life in a predominantly Muslim mohalla in central Bombay (as it was known then) or the mill districts (which have now gentrified into high street malls and corporate offices).

In the movie some social workers screen a documentary in that mohalla about the horrors of Bhiwandi riots and explain to them the perils to falling prey to the guile of communal forces. It strikes a chord among the local populace and stirs up a debate on communalism.

During one such discussion at a tea shop, owned by one Rahaman bhai (Ajit Vachani), Lala  (Achyut Potdar), a Hindu businessman cum wheeler dealer, says the documentary was all bakwas and misleading propaganda to incite people. He then goes on to blame the British for the Hindu-Muslim divide.

Vilasbhai (Ashok Banthia) a local thug interjects 'the Brits left long ago, but now why this strife'. To which the Lala replies that it is because some people are not patriotic enough. Then he points to the paanwala, sitting in a kiosk next to the tea shop. The bashful paanwala modestly replies that he is too busy making both ends meet to think of deshbhakti.

Just then Rahman bhai asks Lala, 'Are you patriotic?'. 'Of course' replies Lala proudly. Then Rahman bhai asks, "How? By selling smuggled goods, selling essential commodities in black market, pushing gullible women into flesh trade." The Lala dismissively laughs an says, "What Rahaman bhai tum bhi na."

Just then Vilasbhai interjects, "what Rahman Bhai said was correct". Then what follows is his tongue-in-cheek punchline, "Iss mulk mein desh bhakton ki lambi line lagi hai, kaahe to traffic jam karta hai" (In this country there is a long line of people claiming to be patriots, why are you creating a traffic jam!). 

Thus Mirza in this short clip very tellingly exposes the hollowness of the pseudo patriotism practised by Lala and his ilk in the society, which of late seems to be very much on the rise and is very much in your face - right from TV studios to cricket stadiums. It is a pity that he no longer makes such films.

Also Read: Bangalore Beat

Short And Simple Annals of The Poor

With almost every media house involved in the rat race for advertising revenue and TRP ratings, some publications like Fountain Ink and Caravan buck the trend by venturing into territories where the mainstream media may either fear to tread or think it’s way too ‘down market’, hence not worth the trouble.

Every publication and its editor these days live under the hallucination that their readers are high net worth individuals who drive to work in swanky cars, have high purchasing capacity and spend vacations in exotic locales around the globe.

It is another matter that this particular class, whom they are too eager to court, are too busy and don’t care to read anything other than what appears on their smartphone screens! Moreover if they want to buy a car or an expensive gadget, poring newspapers and magazines would be the last thing that would come to their minds.

The recent cover story in Caravan about an ayah who, without her knowledge, became a millionaire on paper and was used as a cover by her employer to hide his financial chicanery is something no mainstream publication would suffer the toil of touching even with a barge pole, let alone follow it up.

As part of Post 9/11 investigations the US investigators stumbled upon the infamous insider trading scandal involving Raj Rajarathnam, CEO of hedge fund company Galleon and Rajat Gupta former global head of McKinsey. As Rajat Gupta was the darling of corporate India, it did evoke some interest in the country’s pink press and his later incarceration was mourned by many in the India Inc.

The above said maid, Manju Das, was listed as an investor in Galleon, with “Anil Kumar” (a McKinsey employee) as her contact person.

After a prolonged investigation into the case, the arrests happened in 2009. Though Rajarathnam and Gupta had to undergo jail terms, Kumar got off lightly, because he had ‘cooperated’ and helped the authorities unearth crucial details. He had to undergo a probation period of two years and forfeit the $2.26 million that was calculated to be his illicit gain.

It was found that the illegal payments Kumar got from Rajarathnam were fraudulently hidden from his employers and the government, and routed to tax havens in South America (resident or non-resident Indian, money laundering runs in our blood!). To carry out this embezzlement Kumar hijacked Manju Das’s identity, while she was working as a live-in maid with the family in California. However, after Kumar’s arrest her employment was terminated and she was sent back to India.

Under the shadow of this high profile case, this particular sub-plot involving exploitation of an underclass woman got totally eclipsed. Moreover Das was paid a measly salary, way below the US minimum wages and many other norms for US maids were violated.

Ironically the US prosecutor for hedge fund scam happened to the Preet Behrara, who later took on Indian diplomat Devyani Khobargade for not paying minimum wages to her maid. Somehow he too failed to smell the rat in this case.

After Das reached India, Kumar saw to it that her passport and other travel papers were taken away by his assistant. When pointed out to her that it was a criminal offence for anyone to hold on to her passport, she wryly said she no longer needed it. For her the daily grind for rozi roti and old age itself was too daunting to worry about such legal trifles. 

As I said earlier no other publication picked up the story. Maybe the nation does not want an answer to such unsettling questions!!

Also Read: Bangalore Beat

Haves and Have-nots

Rohith Vemula's suicide is turning out to be the Rajeev Goswami moment for the Dalit students. The analogy may sound sacrilegious as Rohith and Rajeev espoused diametrically opposite causes, however, they have one thing in common. They both ceased being mere statistic and found their way to the viewfinder of national media and had long shelf lives in public discourse.

For the sake of post-Mandal generation a quick recap. The graphic picture of Rajeev Goswami, a Delhi University student, committing self immolation during an anti-Mandal rally in Delhi in 1990 made him the face of anti-quota agitation.

Back in 1990s the mass media mainly consisted of newspapers and magazines; 24/7 news channels was still few years away, and internet, video platforms like Youtube were still in the realm of science fiction.

Barring some niche publications such as Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) and Mainstream all the popular newspapers and magazines came down heavily against Mandal Commission findings, which advocated reservation for Other Backward Communities, and the then prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh.

The mainstream media, led by India Today and Indian Express (under Arun Shourie), converged to the singular narrative that reservations kill efficiency in government departments and drain nation's precious resources. Moreover, they argued it was being cornered by a select section among the beneficiaries. Anyone with a differing view had no platform to express - websites, blog posts were still eons away. Their only solace were the niche publications, whose reach was very limited.

Now with Vemula's death the pendulum has swung to the opposite direction. His death has become a rallying cry to highlight the plight of Dalit students in particular and treatment of Dalits by our society in general. Many other instances of suicides by Dalit students, following harassment by classmates and professors at prestigious institutes like IIT Rorkee and AIIMS have come to light. For some Dalits it has now become a 'coming out' moment by revealing their caste, something they had kept tightly under wraps for years.  

Thankfully this time the mainstream media's bias was not as pronounced as in 1990, there is much more diversity and heterogeneity over the issue. Views favouring quota for Dalits and other backward classes are appearing in popular publications, though sometimes with a disclaimer (the views expressed are personal and not that of the publication) and there are many bloggers and independent writers concerned about the plight of Dalits.

However internet trolls against reservation quota, who were quite active in various social media forums, are now working overtime. Even before this issue broke out there was always a steady supply of jokes and memes lampooning reservations and making it appear that those who got college admission or jobs due to quota were dunces and free loaders. After Vemula's death they are now busy digging 'facts' to cast aspersions on his caste. Since his father belongs to an OBC caste and his mother an SC, they have got a toehold to play on. However the fact that Vemula got admission based on merit has taken a lot of wind out of their sails.

But surprisingly the political section that got the most exposed and discredited out of this controversy was not the right wing casteists (their regressive views were quite well known), but the Left parties whose claims of being inclusive rung hollow. Vemula was himself a SFI activist and got disillusioned and joined Ambedkar Students Association (ASA). He had wryly claimed the Leftists may have discarded religion, but not caste!!

While the Vemula struggle was hogging national headlines, Chitralekha a Dalit woman auto driver from Kannur in Kerala was waging a low profile battle by going on an indefinite strike in front of the state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram. She has been waging a lonely battle for a decade against the alleged caste and gender 'intolerance' of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers in Kannur. The CPM-affiliated Centre for Indian Trade Union (CITU) workers had prevented her from plying her autorickshaw and even burnt down her vehicle.

Hence it is no wonder that Dalits feel cold shouldered by most mainstream parties, even those professing to be progressive, and float Dalit specific outfits like ASA to fight for their causes.

Also Read: Bangalore Beat

Train of Hope

A heartwarming story of a train stopping at a nondescript railway station in Japan just to help a girl passenger reach her school has become a social media sensation. The train stops at Kami-Shirataki railway station located near the girl’s house once in morning and in evening to help her commute to school. She is the lone passenger from that station to commute in that train.

It is reported that the train will not stop at the station, located in hinterlands of the Hokkaido island, after March, once she finishes her schooling. But there are some skeptics who have dismissed it as a PR gimmick and pointed out that the plan to take off stoppage at Kami-Shirataki has more to do with the ending of fiscal year in March, than the girl’s academic year.

However, the very fact that a government could ensure that a train stops at a station just to provide last mile connectivity to a student, is something that sounds too good to be true in these parts, where mai baap syndrome reigns supreme and railway ministries always took the cake. Raiilway ministers, irrespective of the government in power, have always been ardent practitioners of this art, with the order of priority being self interest followed by electoral arithmetic.

Railway budgets have always been used as a platform to dole out new trains, railway lines to keep their own constituency or the state in good humour, with little regard to feasibility, overall health of the railways or needs and aspirations of people residing in other parts of the country. Moreover sundry MPs and MLAs too have wielded the levers of power to introduce new train stops or divert the route mainly to fulfil their own pet agendas. 

A very glaring perversion of the above Japanese story happened in the early nineties in our country, when Jaffer Sharief was the Railway Minister. He introduced Lalbagh Express from Bangalore to Chennai with just one stop at Katpadi. The train timings were such that it helped a student commute daily from Bangalore to Christian Medical College at Vellore near Katpadi. And that student happened to be none other than the minister's own daughter!

Also Read: Bangalore Beat