Three seemingly unrelated events coincided on Republic Day and made my heart bleed. Now, as the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s martyrdom approaches, I feel we have moved so far from the vision of wiping every tear from every eye that we are not even embarrassed by the duplicity with which we cloak our culpable inaction.
The first shock was the realization that though the ‘rich man’s club’ had been checkmated in the matter of the Bharat Ratna, the Vajpayee government was adamant about not honouring Sir Vidia Naipaul. This is not a small issue; it signifies the civilizational retreat of the Republic as Naipaul symbolizes the Hindu struggle to reassert cultural coherence, continuity and supremacy after centuries of despoliation, denudation and disparagement. The denial is doubly shameful because the ruling BJP claims to espouse India’s foundational ethos, uses the Ram Janmabhoomi to whip up electoral support when needed, yet fails to deliver on an issue completely within its power.
Sir Vidia’s penetrating portrayals of societies fractured by colonial rule are also a powerful indictment of religious conversions and the role played by monotheistic faiths in destroying the unity and continuity of ancient ways of life by distorting the racial memory and psyche of converted peoples. By failing to own him at the moment of his greatest international triumph – the Nobel Prize for Literature – India has humiliated herself. The disgrace is compounded by the fact that the man who withdrew the Vande Mataram petition before the apex court stars in the honours list; in future it might be a good idea to confer awards only on those not currently serving the government.
The second shock was the report that the prime accused in the Jessica Lal murder case had secured bail at a time when the trial was going disastrously awry, with witness after witness retracting testimony. The Lal family’s desperation and sense of injustice is understandable. More disturbing is the cynicism that those who are rich enough can get away with anything. It is high time the government stemmed the rot with serious police and judicial reforms.
A beginning must be made with the provision that testimony shall be recorded only under oath before a magistrate, so that it cannot be retracted; retraction should be a penal offence. Simultaneously, a strict timetable should be established for cases that come to court, so that justice is not unduly delayed. At present, one can prolong a case literally until one’s death, after which the case automatically lapses (with respect to the deceased). It is a nice way to dodge the jail sentence that should honestly be the due of many high-profile accused, especially in economic offences in which thousands of innocent families are ruined.
The third and most depressing event was the unexpected arrival of my maidservant, two young kids in tow. I had assumed that there would be no bus service, so she would not come. But it transpired that she had to come because the private school where the children study (free afternoon shift) insisted that they come even on Republic Day, to practice for some forthcoming function. I cannot fathom why the practice session could not be adjusted on a normal school day, but something inside me broke when I saw that poor family timidly accepting every dictate from life. Their joyless and choiceless existence hit me like a slap in the face.
I do not believe in preaching, but I want regular readers to share my sorrow. Over the past five decades, individuals have become rich while whole communities have become impoverished, marginalized. Worse, a growing coarseness, even brutalization, has gripped the affluent and middle classes, with the result that the poor no longer figure on their mental horizon. The thought of treating them as human beings does not cross our minds, though we are good at spouting rhetoric about the Dalits, because then we’re talking politics, not human beings.
My favourite couplet from Ghalib comes to mind: aine zameer par jab bhi nazar padi, apna hi aks dekh kar sharma gaya hoon main (whenever my glance fell upon the mirror of my conscience, I saw my own reflection and I was ashamed). My maid lived in the slum behind AIIMS. There were hardly any civic amenities worth the mention, but she had easy access to the houses she worked in, could go home for lunch and attend to her children, and manage life with other women in the cluster.
Last year, a government agency transported them to an inhospitable tract on Badarpur border, with the promise that they would be given land for their shanties. The concerned agency feels that twenty-five square metres originally given for re-location is too much land for these semi-beings, so it decided to give only twelve square metres. As this is hardly enough for a charpoy, no kitchen or toilet facilities will be possible. We have the gall to call this urban development.
A year later, several hundreds of rupees have changed hands for ration cards and other documents needed for the land allotment. The officials involved in rehabilitating (sic) the families have done well; the poor became so frustrated that one day the women beat up a junior engineer. But so seasoned is our bureaucracy that things did not move an inch thereafter!
Far more instructive is the media indifference. I have personally requested major newspapers to visit the slum – there is ankle-deep water; the place is infested with mosquitoes; there is no decent water (a one-inch sediment forms in every pot, which no amount of filtration and chlorine can purify, with the result that people are constantly falling sick); and there are absolutely no facilities for toilet and bath. Four women committed suicide within ten days of moving to the slum because conditions were so inhuman – yes, even the poor get depressed; it is not a middle class luxury.
Then, transport to the old workplace is infrequent and costly. To keep her old jobs, my maid and two children (for afternoon school) have to leave the house daily around 6 a.m., regardless of the weather. At a personal level, my sister and I have tried to help by providing them breakfast and lunch respectively; I also let her use my bathroom to bathe and wash her clothes. But this works for only one family, and collapses if we go out of town. And even in the case of this one family, the children are not welcome in other homes and have to act invisible as they accompany their mother. As for other maids, despite the cold winter, they are not offered even a cup of tea when they arrive for work in the morning.
Mahatma Gandhi made a deep insight when he said that we humiliate ourselves when we insult the poor. As a nation, we have touched the nadir of self-debasement; we must now redeem ourselves. Sustained governmental action over five decades has produced corruption but no development. The time has come to invite the corporate sector to adopt urban slums and provide basic housing, sanitation, and school facilities in return for hundred percent tax rebate on money actually invested. Philanthropy has a direct relationship with tax write-offs all over the world. The forthcoming budget offers an opportunity that should be seized with both hands; else the fluttering flag would be a mockery of our aspirations.
The Pioneer, 29 January 2002