Complicated Anthropology

I really don’t know the exact meaning of Anthropology; neither have I known better what exactly this stream of study is for? But one thing which always attracts me is observing and understanding individuals or groups. While doing so, lot of observations comes out. Though, I feel a little discerning about delineating any ratiocination, as this sometimes hurt my thought.

One such observation I came across last days was people’s behavior towards different groups. We in our lifetime remain part of many groups. For different groups our behavior remains different, even our affiliation to different group remains different. Our comfort level remains different. Like a group of Managers stay connected more with the fellow group of managers rather than a group of his own sub – ordinates irrespective of the fact that a manager is manager because of his sub – ordinates. Similarly, a group of HR fellow feels to be in more comfort zone in the same group rather than the employees of the organization, irrespective of the fact that it is people who make an organization and not just HR fellow. Same is the case with the Finance or Marketing stream guys. While being more associated with one group, we often forgets that the group that we are snubbing or rather less prioritized over the other is also our own group which helps in giving us identity and acknowledging us.

It is really not a wise idea to ignore one group while being more associated with the other. I think, plowing a group and making a balance in that, in such a way that our presence is felt everywhere is rather an art than merely a human behavior. And mastering this art would definitely a learnt behavior and not the innate one.

Relevance

I was reading Gulam Abbas’ story. He may be less known author in India but is one of the cherished authors in Pakistan. The story was “Anandi”. He very beautifully had written the thought of society about something which a society think is not good for society’s cultural health but most often a society itself get structured around it. This was the story of a red light area which was in the middle of a “cultured town”. The municipal corporation of the town had passed a bill to shift those prostitutes to some 15 km away from this cultured town. So the area had been shifted to a very abandoned part of the outskirt where there were bare lands all around with barbed herbs. Though far away from the town, this business still flourished there and people started doing there small business to cater visitors and residents of this new colony. To do the business conveniently here people build their own house. And then over a period of time, a town interposed around the colony of the prostitutes. Then a time came when the respectful people of the municipal corporation of this newly built town had called a meeting to discuss how and why this red light area is situated in the middle of the town which is not good for the cultural health of the town.

Very beautiful story, written in a very interesting way. Hats off to Mr. Gulam Abbas. I wish to read him more.

This is a kind of incidence which generally happens around us. Many a times we do observe it though do not put our brain much over it.

There was a same incident that happened just two months back around me.

I am staying in Raipur at one of the good society of a very low profile area. Actually, while passing through this area you would hardly imagine such a good society in the middle. While passing through this area, I often had to put my feet firm on the break as there was a liquor shop on the way to my society. And the area around the liquor shop always happens to be crowded. This had became my routine to ride dead slow while crossing this liquor shop. There was always a kind of glitter I was finding around this shop. Lots of people standing in queue in front of the liquor shop to wait for their number to get their quota of the night. Lots of temporary shops of snacks were having those kerosene lamps with shivering flames, trying to attract drunkards. A group of police man targeting people to earn some penny as a bribe in the course of maintaining the law and order of the area. Some drunkards were found lying on the road after gulping his dose of the day. Some were wandering on the road very abruptly in the effect of alcohol. Quite a lively atmosphere, creating livelihood of lot of people by using their own hard earned money of the day.

One day while passing through that same shop I find something unusual. The liquor shop was closed and there was a group of people doing some dharna to close this shop as this is creating a kind of cultural contamination to the society. This lasted for 3 days and finally ended when the shop owner had put down the board of the liquor shop from its place. And in this way a lively atmosphere of the surroundings had came to a halt with the closure of the liquor shop, allowing the culture of the society flourish at its extreme. 

Just two days after this incident, while coming back to my home, I took other road which was another way to reach my society; I saw the same kind of glitter there which I was seeing near that liquor shop. I saw a big crowd like that of the crowd around the liquor shop, those temporary stalls of snacks seller with the shivering flames of the kerosene lamps, those wandering drunkards and those fallen drunkards. The same group of police man making money while putting the law and order of the area in place. Oh my god, the sign board of that same liquor shop I found there in one of the newly built under construction single story shop. It was the same liquor shop which was being closed after some dharna by some so called social activists. Every thing was same except the fact that this shop was being opened some 200 meters away from its old place.

And suddenly the story of “Anandi” and the Author Gulam Abbas waved in front of my eyes. I just smiled and put my foot firm over the break.

Flame buoyant Euphoria

It was a kind of euphoria which I was feeling after getting some compliment which is not that much big to feel euphoric. I had to courier some document so I went to a stationary shop to purchase envelop. There a boy in his late teen age was sitting. He seems to be sitting there to help his father as his school was having summer vacation. I asked for envelop. And along with the envelop, he gave me compliment that this is first time he had heard the right pronunciation of envelop. Great but nothing that great. You little kid, any one says an envelop an envelop and even pronounce the same way. Perhaps this is first time when you have noticed it. Whatever, I moved ahead to the courier office with a kind of unnecessary euphoria.

While going back to my home, I had been caught by the traffic police. No, not for the rash driving or dishonoring the traffic signal, but for a routine check. I generally carry all the papers of my bike, so I was not panic of this sudden stoppage by the traffic police. I showed all the papers of my bike to them. But it seems that they didn’t have stopped me or others just for checking papers. After checking all my documents, the policeman finally ended up finding some flaw in that and asked for one of the insignificant paper. While all that drama was going on, I saw a lot of folded palms meeting each others. Folded palms of those halted bikers meeting folded palms of policemen.

Ok, so you are really not interested in checking papers, but to have some money. I generally do not appreciate bribing and even do not take part in any such activity. In fact, I hate this. But this time was exception. The single star bearing policeman checking my paper was repeatedly asking me for the other paper he asked for.

I said, “I don’t have that, now tell me what to do?”

He said to pay fine.

I said, ok, tell me how much fine do I have to pay? For this he was not answering anything and again was giving me all the gyan of carrying all the papers while riding bike.

During all that probing and re probing by that guy, one thing was clear to me that he had stopped me to get some money, without any reason. But I was rigid about paying fine rather than bribing him. It took half an hour, and I was standing there like a fool observing bribing and hearing his gyan.

Finally I gave up, took out 2 notes of hundred out of seer infliction, kept those notes in my folded palm and let my folded palm meet the folded one of that policeman. To this he grin and said, would you have done it before, you would not have wasted your and our half an hour.

I was feeling like I should kill that bastard. To me that policeman was not different than any terrorist or Naxalite or anyone who is hampering the real soul of our motherland with their insane act.

Just an hour before the unnecessary euphoria with which I was passing through turned into the great vexation towards that policeman and even for my own self.