The other India

First things First , I start with meaning of the title of this blog. I don’t think it’s too difficult to guess that either. 'The other India' is a part of India which comprise of people who survive on $ 1 per day. Which flock in queues to polling booths during elections while we surf internet , attend rallies of Politicians (and these days social workers), pull the rickshaw we ride on , Clean our toilets , work as maids and prostitutes. Their children spend teenage at traffic signals carrying Shanidev on saturdays and 'Made-in-China' toys on other days, grow up only join or replace their parents in their odd jobs.

The part of India which still doesn’t know the benefits of Internet, do not own a cell phone amidst this huge mobile revolution. To whom, the shopping malls stands inaccessible and appear as imaginary castles form fairly tales and glassy office buildings seems like Tilism from Arabian nights. Whose photographs appear on WHO reports year after year, something, they are obviously not aware of. Who are unaware of who is Sachin Tendulkar and why should the ticket for a car race being held at outskirts of Delhi cost INR 35,000.
They are a part of statistics which we wish if somehow didn’t exist.
While for the last fortnight or so , it appears as if the whole of India is giving opinion on the popular subject Sarkari Lokpal Vs Jan Lokpal debate , I thought of writing about something else.

I am not a big fan of this Anna- andhi movement either. Since I strongly believe this is not the best 'Tarika' to arrive at the 'Natija'. And no one should, in any situation, assert to blackmail in order to push for any demand.

This is about the other India I was talking about in the first paragraph.
I first heard about this word from a nemesis named Mr Dennis (Batch mates, help me recall his first name) who taught us Personality development when we were in the final year of Engineering.
Most of his Classes were bunked (with no concept of campus interviews in 2003, a personality development program was the last thing we wished to attend) but I remember in one of his first sessions, while explaining about Joblessness and stiff competition, he mentioned how fortunate we are, since we are actully competing with only 10-20% of the potential population and added that they day when rest of India wakes up how much this competition is going to be stiffer and tougher.

I felt I have met the other India which Mr Dennis had had described a decade ago, head on, on 6th July 2011. The day when supreme court upheld the Allahabad High Court decision to quash the land acquisition in Shahberi village in Greater Noida. While it came as a shock to the middle class Flat buyers (fraternity belonging to India we know), the villagers jumped with joy, distributed sweets and burnt crackers. I watched the interview of villager’s lawyer Mr Parmindar Bhati who beamed with confidence of victory and hope for a fan following and solid scope of clientele. He was the face of ‘Other India’ ready to take up rest of the countrymen as bull by its horn.
The other India had finally woken up. Big time.
Contd....