Gone Wise Subodha

Subodh a lad of Bangalpur  being reared up my grandmother BaieAmaa had a roaring childhood inspite being an orphan. His childhood success in study as well as all other admirable issues made people to declare him as the gem of the the village forecasting him a bright future that would make all Bangapuria proud of. But the cruel future was lurking at not too far to catch him as soon as he joined Bhadrak college to get drafted to an ism that was to bring him police cases, failures and deceptions. He felt utterly disappointed when he knew the gurus who propelled him to be drafted in the ism are themselves no less hypocrites to put their own kids in posh private schools and send them USA for higher earnings while they discourage even to drink coco-cola because they find the liquid is poisoned with capitalism. In the meantime Subodh had lost his granny and sold the lands to fund the ism-treasury to which the hand of few is laid only. Once gone underground gets disillusioned seeing the gurus at close quarters and comes out to spill the bean and to say BhadarKhias and Bangapurias study time is study-time not for panthi-giri.

Watch my column in Odia on Page-8 every Wednesday in Nirvay Newspaper www.nirvaynews.com

Summer vaccation of an Old Man

The old man I met in train was from rural Odisha not knowing any other language except Odia. On initiating conversation the realization took me to the changes unfolding in deep rural areas of Odisha bringing in sea changes to Odia society. The change has resulted to annual sojourn of an oldman who never crossed Odisha boundary before. He comes with grandchildren and daughter-in-law every summer from village to Hyderabad. His son is a middle man to supply rural Odia unskilled youth to factories in Hyderabad. He stays mostly in Hyderabad while rest of the family stay in village. The life goes on in counting summer vacation spent at Hyderabad ... the change sociologists need to study in detail. 

My column today on Nirvay ... Welcome to watch my column every Wednesday on Page-8.

The Tale of Raju Samal

My Editorial on 17th August 2016 at Nirvaya News Paper , Bhubaneshwar.

In my sleeper class journey from Secunderabad-Bhubaneswar I met Raju Samal - a youth in late 20 years, a road-side fast food maker in Hyderabad suburb earning easy money enough in coma prison to his fellow Odia migrants to Hyderabad. Stylish Raju was well spotted among all other fellow migrant workers travelling together. He was benevolent in offering tea/coffee or eatables that passed by. I hid my identity to get well among them so that I can look into their depth and get real story of pain and pleasure lying at the bottom hidden but fresh, unpolluted by complexity of urban life. Raju narrated his long journey of 12 years starting as a waiter in a small illegal bar-cum-restaurant to now a restaurant owner how small it could be. He has brought other two brothers, he's the middle one. They operate with blessings of a local dada who comes everyday for drink with chilly chicken. Brothers join him. The fun and frolics continue till late night to repeat for the next day. Raju had a video of a drink session. He showed me.

Drinking infront of elder and younger brothers, an Odia family, that to any Indian family, refuses to accept. But, it was before, not now. Odia young migrants are now taking a different culture into age old rural life that probably old may find difficult to accept. Some changes are possibly fine but some need not be so. Worry is with the extravagant life style they are prone to. Unskilled labour waits unknowingly to the vagaries of age. Again cultural change they bring into unsophisticated rural society can reach a flash point to bring chaos in mass. 

Do the local colleges / intellectuals / Govt and non-Govt agencies look into this subtle but vital change happening to rural young mass ? Wish this does not land us at 'Udta Odisha' !!!

Judge by Profession

Judiciary is an essential constituents of healthy democracy. It was so also in ancient India. Villages had their panchayat as justice delivery system. Kings had their courts. British brought a system to us that we accepted as a system. Then we have a large people engaged in a profession that makes judiciary. Now, judiciary for many reasons have been slow and at times creates a void that invites interventions. An when these interventions turn undesirable judge-by-profession tends  to accept vice of a profession putting judiciary particularly for a country like ours, at a crossroad where we need to worry about. 

My Odia column on 10th August '16 in Nirvaya Odia news paper takes up the above issue ... how do you see it .. Your view please in comment box .....

Chanakya Litun

It was not really like Rahul leaving inherited reaches opting for rags, but for me a home coming by opting for a sleeper class travel in Indian Railway from Secunderabad to Bhubaneshwar on my way to village in the last summer vacation. I chose to meet the reality around me with authenticity. Falaknuma train is true for this being a carrier for unskilled labourers from eastern states mainly  Odisha, Bihar and Bengal. I met many. And decided to make them to life by my MoKatha series. Here is one on Litun Manala, a labour contractor engaged in supplying cheap migrant labour (mainly Bangladeshi ones) to Mao-infested parts of Odisha. Interestingly this illiterate man with no formal degree came out with surprise with his vast knowledge on international affairs and India's stakes in it. His elaboration on that day was on India, NSG and evolving international scenarios. 

My realisation: never look for a degree or a  stereo  look for gyan with a person - That makes India and  Indian Mahan !

[ This column on Nirvaya newspaper on 3rd August 2016 ]