Wednesday, August 17, 2016

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' !!!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

ପଢିଛି । ଵହୁତ ଭଲ ଲାଗିଲା।

Anonymous said...

Raju Samal is an omnipresent Odia who tries his luck in all sides of the Globe.
He is very much mobile, adjustive, smart....
He is satisfied with his pocket.
Spends less in his workplace and while holidays in village, he reckleshly spends with friends.
one can easily recognise Raju Samal in India particularly at Hyderabad, Surat,Delhi,
Patna, Pune,Bangalore etc......
Raju is a representative odia like 'Truckdaalaa re sanatan' of famous poet Prasanna Mishra.
Very nice article.

Anonymous said...

ଗୋଟେ ସମୟରେ ତ ଆମେ ବାପାଂକ ସାମ୍ନାରେ ଚାହା ପିଉ ନ ଥିଲେ , ଏବେ ସମସ୍ତେ ଏକାଠି ପିଉଚୁ .... ସେଇମିତି କିଛି ହେଇଥିବ ... ସଂସ୍କାର ନଥାଇପାରେ ....
କିନ୍ତୁ ରାଜୁ ସାମଲ ର ଉଦ୍ୟମ ଓ ପରିଶ୍ରମ ପ୍ରଶଂସାଯୋଗ୍ୟ ...

Anonymous said...

sir, kie jane lekhithile..ganatantra ra safalata pain dhana-tantra ru mukti darakara..taha ta mustimeyanka kabalaru desa auu janata nkku bancheiba katha.. hele dhana sarbaswa byabasta bhitare dhana tantra ru mukti milicchi kahaku.. Raju Samal pain 'adarsha' sanskara nuhen.. dhana tantra ra diga sukha-bada ra prahelika bhitare bandha.. dui botala daru bapa-bhai nka sangare teki dele bhitaru kemiti kemiti dhani-auu-sambhrama boli mane hue.. bada auu sabhya loka kuade seia karanati..

yehi daru pachara saha-hajare ghara ujudicchi..

Anonymous said...

Badhia Lekha Sir.. I have also met few Raju Samals.. on my travels and at other places of work. Your story sounds very familiar to what I have experienced speaking with them.