The Official Unofficial Relation!

Work never seems to end, you sit extra hour or hours, a day or days but come what may, it just does not finish! The working population spends, at an average, 9 hours in office (the traveling and other off-duty on duty not added, still!) which makes it quite a big chunk of the day sometimes creating a barrier in relation you have and sometimes making brief, some unknown and unexpected.

It started as regular conversation with him, a normal conversation any customer would have with any banker, the balance, why this deducted, why not, how etc. etc. He was a loan customer of the bank and very patiently he sat through waiting for me to revert with the data. One of the reasons why rural set up soothes me; people are not in rush, they have patience. Nonetheless, while fetching things for him we hit the conversation about the on going and current things, locally. The apple orchard taking a lot of hardwork and constant take care needed which I agreed to. How he has been managing it with me in between giving inputs about how weather has affected, the pesticides, the market. We did hit it off well!

Meanwhile, people came and went, somewhat agreed, some disagreed few inputs and some with hmmm... Finally he asked about my whereabouts. Then he went quite for a while. I assumed that he is done talking and wants his work done so that he can leave & I did the needful. He kept sitting there for a while but had a sombre expression. He seemed lost somewhere in his thoughts and finally he said "Beta, you know I have two sons." I took some insinuating cue and tried backing out the conversation. But he continued, me and my wife stays here in the village, I don't have any brothers as well just two of us. I was born here, brought up and worked here in the govt department and retired. I tried keeping up with him and congratulated him for completing the "full life circle" as approved by society. He smirked, a thoughtful one and continued, I have 15bigas of land and every year have lacs of apples. I made the apple orchard with my hands since those trees were little plants and now, they are big trees each year blooming to full. They fill my heart and make me so happy! I take care of the orchard, I have always been doing that, it is like my child to me.

I felt the whimper, tried changing the subject to post retirement, go see places, now you're so relaxed, look at me...just working and no other life..literally blah blah.. He listened, smiled and withdrew to some thoughts. I brought him back from the parallel universe and offered tea. So if nothing works, tea is a rambaan that works all the time. He gave a cheerful smile with misaligned, brown teeth and it was contagious. It felt peace to see a smily wrinkled, tired, tanned, lived a full life face. I hesitantly asked Sir, where are your sons? Why don't you call them here or go to them? You have everything, why are you staying here. This house and orchard you made, are for them eventually so you live life and let them take care of all this!

He took a sip, holding tea in his hands and drawing whatever heat left from the tea cup in the gloomy weather hovering outside, the smile kind of vanishing and getting ready to reply such that I understand and absorb, whatever he is going to say. Apparently, I realized the body language, does tell a lot, if we actually observe.
He said, "Beta, mere dono bete doctors hain, bahut intelligent hain. Ek Australia mai hai or ek Germany mai, bahut achi tankah hai unki. Dono ki shadi ho gayi hai. Beech mai hum dono miya biwi jaate rehte hain unke paas, wo bhi kehte hai unke paas rehne ko." [Child, my both sons' are doctors, very intelligent. One is in Australia and other in Germany with handsome packages. Both well settled and married. We keep going to them in between, they ask us to shift with them]. I gave an acknowledging and 'see! told ya' smile! He continued "Main yaha paida hua hu, taa umar yaha beetayi hai, bachon ko yahi paala hai, sab kuch apne hath se seencha hai. Ye mitti ki khushboo, ye apnapan, ye sab chod k nahi jaana chahta iss umar main. Yaha shanti hai, mann ki. Bache bade ho gaye hai, pad liye hain unke sath rehna chahta hu par doosre mulk mai mann nahi lagta or wo wapis aana nahi chahta. Kabhi-kabhi sochta hu ki itni padhai ka kya fayda jo apne hi watan k kaam na aasake." [I was born here, spent my whole life here, my kids have grown up here, made here everything with my own hands. I do not want to go leaving behind fragrance of my soil, this ownness, at this age. I feel peace here. My sons' are grown ups now, I want to stay with them but do not want to leave my motherland and die in some foreign land. Sometimes I wonder, what's the point of studying this much if it cannot be of use to your motherland.]


I kept looking at him and said Uncle, I also left my parents and came to this village. I get to meet people like you while working and your sons' are also doing the same somewhere else. He smiled, took out his walking cane, got up, patted my head and said, "You are a good kid. Don't go that far, that you cannot come back. Mitti ka karz hamesha yaad rakhna or uske baad mata-pita ka. [Always remember the debt of your motherland and then your parents]"

I looked into his eyes, so longing....walking slowly with his cane, he left leaving me downhearted and with so much to ponder upon!

Right on the Face!

Since few months, I became suddenly more aware, kept myself abreast with all the possible 'general' knowledge. I had to make sure that whatever I talk, I make sense of it.

This kind of pressure usually develops when, either the people you're interacting with are less knowledgeable (though subjective still we can keep G.K as base) or they look upon you.
If you understand what kind of responsibility and weight it carries, you surely know what I am talking about!

We use to giggle, bitch, laugh, discuss, pull each other legs, but seldom we do use to get into some serious discussions. She was around a decade old to me. A major difference between us, I would take serious things seriously and my blood would boil, but she would keep calm and talk about things. Another one, I would know things 'not so sure' but theoretically correct and whatever she knew was just so practical and bang on! 

One random day, while I was trying to swot up the dosa maav recipe in her two room rented shack, she asked, "Whom did you vote last time?". I, being from "educated" background where we are usually told do's and dont's which includes not asking the dicey questions, but never told how to answer, if one's thrown at you, felt uncomfortable answering. I tried dodging the question and dragged podi ingredients contents to my escape, which I succeeded with, for now. Thinking that it's my personal choice, why should I discuss my political orientation but somewhere down I was aware that I am afraid of being tagged. Yeah! It was unusual being in someone else's 'personal territory' or somebody's on yours... including your thoughts & orientations!

Another day, another chit chat and me spreading "gyan" since I was the one who was double degree & govt. job holder..Ah! An Uptown girl as they say! I used to share the experiences I had, little science to the beliefs they had, little physics to what they do, a little chemistry, never maths (they were bloody good with the numbers & I wasn't). I would share whatever I know and she would tell about her experiences followed by the questions popping out 'of real life' & curiosity which I would attend to the extent I could.

Elections are just around the corner she said. I acknowledged knowing what's the next question and how wrong was I.
She said-"So, how much you get paid?"
Quite confused I asked- "Paid for what akka? The job? The fellowship? It's between 10-30k generally"
Akka- "No! Not the jobs and all. How much are you paid for casting the vote?"
Me- "Who is paid to cast the vote ka? I casted vote for free. It's my duty which I must do."
She- "Really?! Pavam! We get cash and kind here to cast vote. Last time we were given 500bucks and a saree for every vote. We made 2000bucks last time. See...see.. this is what I got last time. I think they'll raise it this time."
Me-"How (in the world- inner expressions said that) could people sell votes and then talk about it. You know it's not legal. You're doing the wrong thing, choosing wrong person who's representing you. Give the vote to person who is worth representing you. It doesn't happen where I cast vote. Do you realize your vote is worth 100times of what you mentioned. You can make or break a reign."

She looked at me, her eyes having a tinge of little laugh, lips curved to one side, hands doing programmed job with sil-batta finally said - "You don't get paid for it! What a loser! This time I think we'll get at-least 1000bucks, a saree and few utensils. Men get alcohol too. That's what I have heard."

Trying to make sense and make her understand I talked how these paid votes is just money game and then next 5 years you are doomed, such kind of people who so called represent you, doesn't care for you. They spend now on you and later make sure that get back 10 times in return and from you only.

She stopped for a while thinking something and then finally said-"You came all the way just to work for us, our awareness, our development. You tell there are few more like you who have gone to various other villages around the country, to work just like you.
You have earned a lot of respect in this village and around, even though you're a foreigner to this place. If you stand here for the Gram Panchayat elections you would win."
There was a pause, she looked up and said- "People who understand, they want secure jobs and the leftover becomes leaders mostly! You could be a leader but you chose to work under them."

I was speechless and somewhat ashamed. With a sigh she asked, "You tell what to chose between few bucks that would make my family survive and honest vote to dishonest leaders?"