From Woods To Sky

When the world is busy in the rat race of getting more serenity, when everyone is having a zest to earn more power and money in an expectation of getting peace, when our own problems are keeping us engaged to think just our livelihood; take a pause and think if these earthly things are making us feel happy... Is this everything to earn our own Nirvana!

The train had reached Tatanagar station as per the schedule. The train was Jan Shatabdi and it indeed is aam-jan's train. I hurriedly was getting down of the train, though there was no any particular reason for being in hurry. There was big crowd on the ladders of the foot-over bridge so had thought of walking down the platform to reach at the extreme end and cross the tracks to reach the exit at platform number 1. I was walking down the platform. Suddenly a big loud noise of Dhol had attracted my attention. It was coming from the D8 bogie of the Jan Shatabdi. This is very usual scene for me as some or the other politicians are often coming to Tatanagar with this train while their supporters beat the drum to receive them and be loud to the world that their political guardian has come to his own city. Once in a while, I often experience that. But this time I was surprised to see if some politician had boarded the Non-AC bogie of the train. Does our politician have started getting connected to the roots or aam aadmi? No, I think this would be their publicity stunt. I smiled of my own on this thought and moved ahead on platform completely ignoring the Dhol-Nagada and the person for whom this all crowd and cry would be. I came to the exit of the station and was waiting there for my cab to come. In few minutes I started hearing that loud noise of Dhole which was becoming louder with every passing minute. The crowd was coming close to exit gate from platform number 3. It started irritating me. I tried ignoring the noise and the crowd and took a corner at the waiting area. Suddenly a Sky blue and white color banner had attracted my eye balls. It read "Welcome Binita after conquering Mount Everest - The Sagarmatha". This one line suddenly had gave me a shock in my body. Oh Wow! What an achievement. Bravo! But who are these braves? What is their name? Out of all my curiosity, I peeped into the crowd to see them. I saw two persons garlanded heavily, a lady and a man, both middle aged. I inquired a little more about them and came to know that lady's name is Binita and she belongs to tribal community of Jharkhand. She possibly is the first tribal woman of India to conquer Everest. And this is something very special. Special not because of the fact that she is the first to achieve any such laurels but special because of her background.

Where there are a group of people talking about class differences and socio - economic gap between the societies, people like Binita proves that it’s all in the mind. If you have courage of getting out of your comfort zone, hurdles in your path would become just a stepping stone. When there is a group of people who beat their own drum that unless and until the economic differences will not be narrowed, the tribal population would not flourish, they forget to understand the fact that it’s not money but people's own courage and willpower that makes their own aura in the world.

Bravo Binita! Keep doing such things to slap on the face of those who think tribal population of India are so weak community that it’s not their will power but arms that would uplift their life.

Hail Neo - Naxalism

In the pursuance of knowing Jharkhand better, I am traveling length and breadth of the state. Though the reason of travel is pure business related, but during my official tour to various places, a new India crops up in front of me from some bushes or village or town. I have sensed / found this new India at almost every turn of the road, road side, in city and village and everywhere I have gone. A new India with a totally new world, new traditions, new philosophy, new customs. Every time I experience a new India, I feel surprised of the way people are operating. Just the basic soul is same and that's makes a subset of India with a totally individual circle of life. An India inside India, sometimes Bharat, sometimes Hindustan but basically same India that every citizen carries in his heart, knowingly or unknowingly. The country with huge diversity, fragmented unity. But a nation that is unique in world in every aspects.

Since last 2-3 years, I have got my posting in places that bears similarities in terms of following same philosophy of living. The philosophy that is mostly being followed, volitionally or forcefully, by those citizens who feels or forced to feel that governance is there in India to exploit them. The citizens who have better knowledge of world around them, the only issue is their world is very small and surrounds only those whom they know. Beyond their world is a group of people who exists to exploit them. People call it communism and we Indian have a Neo - Communism philosophy called Naxalism. The ultra communists.

I had worked in Chattisgarh and now I am in Jharkhand. Both the states are extreme in this neo-communism or naxalism philosophy. But there is a huge contrast between the same philosophies of naxalism. Whereas in Chattisgarh the Naxals works united and more focused towards their philosophy of opposing governance of the State, in Jharkhand the Naxals are fragmented and there is lots of sub - groups in the same group. They are concern about the basic philosophy of opposing governance but sees entire world as their enemy. In Jharkhand, there are only two types of people exists for them - Naxals or Enemy. And enemies are anyone / everyone who are not naxal. Naxalism in Jharkhand is more of a ways of earning easy money by fearing people. It sometimes seems that these are not just neo - communists or naxals, but are neo - naxals. The philosophy of naxalism seems lost here in Jharkhand.

I was in one of the newly created district of Jharkhand - Khunti. It is one of the harvesting lands of new naxal recruitment. One of the extreme place of Naxalism, so to say. And this place has every reason of following Naxalism. This city was previously being ruled by Kings. They were strong till mid sixty's and were being worshiped by the people of his state. But it is said that there were a big group of people who were having an opinion that the King is a real blood - sucker of his citizen. During that time only the Naxalism philosophy came into existence and this has got an easy ground in Khunti to spread. Geographically also this city was giving them a good hide out due to denser forest.

On 1st June I was there in this town. Our stockist of this town was explaining me their savageness more than business. When I asked the reason why naxals here are more barbarous, he said that there are a couple of different groups of Naxals and the brutal among them are some Dinesh Gope group. They are much into extortion money and ask for "Hafta" from everyone doing business here, be it they are having a small grocery shop or big showroom. If someone refuses to pay the money to them, they even kill them. I said "no no this is not the way Naxals are operating. They are against the Socialist government and whoever is helping government, are their enemy. The one who is doing some business and earning their bread are not at all supporting government in anyways. So how come they are enemy of Naxalism?”

The stockist just smiled on my bookish knowledge. I felt really bad seeing his smile. It was very very sarcastic smile I have ever seen. He said, "Sir now naxalism is no more a philosophy. It’s a process now, process of making money, process of getting into the power, process of re generating the feudal system".

It was strange to see this new way of doing crime. Perhaps now the term Naxalism in most of the cases are being used by some of the anti-social elements to earn his own bread and butter. It has nothing to do with upliftment of lives of deprived people. They are list bother about them, who were the real reason of origin of this philosophy. Neo - Naxalism. Hail Neo - Naxalism.

Outliers

This entire week was most happening travel week for me. Most happening because my travel was not planned thoroughly. And that had made it most adventurous week for me.

I had planned to go to Madhupur, a small Block of Jharkhand state. I had some very old day’s memories for Madhupur. It was year 1994, when I had come to Madhupur to attend President Scout camp. That three days camp had given me chance to travel length and breadth in this very beautiful city. Though these 1994 memories are very old to remember but what I remember till now the most is abundant greeneries in Madhupur. It was like a city in the middle of dense forest. Though in 1994, I was too young to fall in love, but had fallen in love with that city and its purity. After 18 years I am again in this city with the same 1994 memories. But in these 18 years, things have changed drastically. There was no mark of greeneries. City has converted now into Concreat Jungle with people all around.

But this is not something that is making this city Outlier. It’s about people coming in my life, though for a short... Very short while, but making mark on my memories. Decent, good mark.

After finishing my work at Madhupur, I supposedly was traveling back to Kolkata through some train. Luckily this 11th hour plan had ended up getting a confirm ticket in train. Although this train was taking more than usual time to reach Kolkata but how come beggars is chooser!

I boarded this late running train from Madhupur after bidding regards to the city for being in my memories. Had found my berth in the coach and accommodated myself comfortably there. I was carrying E-Ticket in my mobile. It was just a quest to save some trees of Madhupur. An old man in the TTE dress had come to me to check my ticket. He was in his late fifties'. I had handed over my mobile to him to see the E-Ticket. The font size was not that big to read that. He tried reading the ticket, had adjusted his specs to see it but the font size was creating trouble for him. I asked him if I can help him by dictating the PNR number, he felt very awkward about not able to read and when I consoled him; he had given a warm smile to me. Ever since I boarded the train, I was observing this old man. He was making every one comfortable in the coach. He was having a very warm way of interacting with passengers. Everybody was actually enjoying the journey in his presence. He was coming to every coop and interacting with passengers sitting there. Wow! What a man. This old man reminds me of Danny Desai. Danny was one pilot in Raipur - Mumbai route. I often was traveling in this route. The journey there was of about 1.5 hour. When it is journey through flight, it’s very boring. You have restricted movement. Even very less chances of interacting with co-passengers. So during the journey, you can either read books or sleep while listening music to kill your boredom. And this Mr. Danny was quite very aware of this fact. While this whole 1.5 hour journey, he keeps speaking on microphone, not to bore you further but to entertain you. He was such a nice orator that everyone in the flight use to enjoy his murmuring.

People like the Old TTE or Danny are actually having passion towards their work that they just enjoy every moment of it. These people are actual Outliers in true sense.