Talking Shop: Vantage point

I see hard times coming, I feel

the blood in my veins, I hear a

warning in the thunder, I feel a

sinking in my chest. These thoughts

keep running, running, running

Vision Vision, 2018

My neighbour doesn't speak much with me anymore. Don't get me wrong; for Arvind Bhaiyya loves me to death and has protected me forever. But he is today caught up in protecting his own, pretty much as all of us are in these desperate times, focussed more inward than outward, looking to preserve and sustain the flock. The nest and goose-egg have taken precedence over everything else. And therein is our salvation for today and the less-than-visible tomorrow, in situations so dire that they belie the basics of existentialism. Forget you and me, a little bird recently told me that Charles Darwin himself is tossing around and gotten all contorted, wondering how his theory of survival is being ripped to shreds.

The fittest are not the mightiest anymore. Anyway, let's move on to facts and last week, when I spoke about dinosaurs and the obvious pluses of fossil fuels. Today, as I move a bit closer to becoming a fossil myself, I realize just how far we have fallen. Quite starkly, as it happens, for we struggle and juggle to keep pace with sliding interest rates and debate depleting investments and degrading finances, suffering rising food and fuel costs, all of which ridicule the idea of a better tomorrow.

The simple answer to all this, perhaps, is what I heard from a wise man yesterday: "You and I may and possibly will pull through, but what will happen to the countless crores of daily wage-earners? In the coming tomorrow, wherefrom will they get employment and money to sustain their own? We are deliberately fanning the growth of lumpens, individuals dispossessed and uprooted from the economic and social class, turning them into nether elements."

Strong words, yes, but they come from a strong man.

Creating minions

The long-term picture remains scary and I have no answer to this crucible, something that shames me. I have had a cherished upbringing and education in a less-than-middle-class family, but there was always food on the table and able shoulders to lean on and cry when needed. There were also wise and sage words at the dinner table, wisdom that somehow seeped in and helped me rise above the ordinary. What bothers me today is the manner in which crores of Indians are being turned into minions. The powerful and privileged are creating what is now a new 'under-class'. And dangerously enough, these make up for a majority of Indians. We are even becoming crass enough to celebrate them as a literal proof of our own personal achievements and success.

What is equally worrisome is that without this 'under-class', the privileged shall not be, as shall not be the State. These are not tame words. The powerful and privileged depend on the minions for their own daily existence and chores. The last two traumatic years bear witness to a new-found phenomenon of thrusting the so-called minions so deep underwater that they can all but not surface. Herein lies a parody that stares us in the face today, that the once-engorged Indian middle-class phallus is quickly losing its temerity, providence and visible potency. Does anyone care?

If no one does, then it is perhaps time to forget the Gandhis, Chakravathys, Solomons, Sharmas, Singhs and Narayans. It is also then time to speak ground-truths, of what actually makes up our country. The truth is that India is suffering and our people quite lost, bewildered and forlorn. I can give you examples and reasons, but mind you, they shall be icky.

Icky, ticky, tock-tock

Since you are reading this column in English, you are amongst the privileged and fanciful, with means to sustain (at least for a bit). You also perhaps understand the icky, ticky parts—surging unemployment and prices; inflation threatening to derail all but the mightiest of banks and the deepest of pockets; social and cultural intolerance that betrays our legacy and being; and a wave of nepotism and bigotry that today stuns and stupefies even the most battle-hardened of believers.

Let's look at India over the last week. Examination papers were leaked and the journalists exposing this misdeed got manhandled and detained. A few days later, we had a press conference in Delhi protesting against this tyranny, quickly back-tagged by journalists being paraded near-naked inside a police lockup in Madhya Pradesh, their pictures posted on social media to add to their humiliation and our national despair. India's debts touched unmanageable levels, even in this new-propounded era of elixirs. Non-performing assets (NPAs) of banks hit such highs that we shall see more defaults and collapses. Top Middle-Eastern companies moved out of the country, stating that India is not a good place to do business anymore (this last saw another few middle-class Indians being turned into the new 'under-class').

At the other end of the spectrum, we have empty stomachs, and I say this because 80 crores are being 'free-fed' by the Government. The few that can afford to were nearly not allowed to indulge in their non-vegetarian passion for a week as a powerful cult felt that during the 'Navratraas', meat shops should be closed to celebrate religion and sentiment. The residences of Chief Ministers, as also their families and close ones, were stormed and raided; yet, over time, no action was taken against the erring parties, despite most of the mischief being caught in-camera.

Lost symbol of love

We were also told that the Taj Mahal is not a symbol of love, and it never was. These learned people further claimed that this monument is only a reminder of 40 lakh deaths, those who died when the then-state's money was diverted to build an edifice (which is now a wonder of the world). "It was just a deviant emperor spending unspeakable money even as people around him were dying for lack of food and sustenance," the learned added. Aren't we witnessing the same trend 390 years later and doesn't this sound eerily familiar? A humbling reminder for all of us is that India is now ranked at 102 on the Global Hunger Index, behind Pakistan and Bangladesh, and I mention these two countries only because they were a part of us, and we of them. The mighty are falling indeed.

Let me finish by quoting from a song, one that seems to nail the sentiment rather pristinely. "I see hard times coming, I feel the blood in my veins, I hear a warning in the thunder, I get a sinking in my chest. These thoughts keep running, running, running. I see blood in the river as the current pulls me down. I slowly fade into the darkness and scream without a sound. These thoughts keep running, running, running. I say prayers for my brothers, as my fears are cut-throat deep, but all these worries taking over make it harder and harder to breathe. I see hard times coming. These thoughts keep running, running, running."

The writer is a clinical analyst and communications specialist. Views expressed are personal. [email protected]