Unleashing the cruelty beneath the civilised souls: The Case of Lakhimpur Kheri

As we teach political science and anthropology, we often give examples of brutal genocides. One example is that of the fight between Maori and Moriori in November-December 1835 when a ship full of Maori arrived on Chatham Islands, 500 miles east of New Zealand to kill, cook and eat the Moraroi people and enslave those who were alive. This brutality is based on technological difference, as Maori had guns, clubs and axes, while Morari had only rudimentary hunting and gathering technology at their disposals without any experience of warfare was an easy prey. Because of the lack of technology and centralised leadership the Moraroi also didn’t have strong leadership. Similarly, we can also recollect the story of Fayu tribe of New Guinea who because of proper conflict resolution mechanism have ended up killing each other for trivial reasons. At one point of time they had a population of about 2000 but because of killing each other their population dropped significantly. This happened because they lacked political and social mechanisms that we take for granted everyday.

It would be premature to conclude that ‘proper’ political organisation is ‘essential’ for human survival as we have seen other band societies doing well without these organisations, especially in Saharan Africa, but needless to mention that a complex state society needs them to function and grow. We can look at the recent disturbing visuals that surfaced at the Lakhimpur Kheri, where it is seen that a speeding SUV car, allegedly driven/owned/inspired by a Minister of State, Mr. Ajay Mishra Teni’s son have ploughed through the protesting farmers relating anecdotes just given above. What count’s for such a violent act to crush people who at least as the video show showed no provocation?

There is a broad spectrum of this form of violence which is ontologically different from political murder and killings that we have witnessed about a decade ago. We have witnessed oppositions being killed, Maoists targeting ruling regimes at places like West Bengal, but killing protesters in broad day light is a machinery that needs to be explored.

First of all, there has been a long-drawn provocation and construction of us/them boundary. This possibly began with the use of neologism like #Tukde_Tukde_Gang, #Urban_Naxal which targeted the student union leaders. Especially those who desist Hindutva and its monolithic constructions. Killing however, was not uncommon as we have seen in the case of Gauri Lankesh. The provocation continued.  The construction of Us/them dichotomy apart from using the neologisms that we have just mentioned, have regularly worked along the existing identity fault-lines. This spilled over towards the defamation of any dissent by linking them with a) external influence of Pakistan or Khalistani movement, and b) The Hindu-Muslim divide, even in the cloths that people wear. Such strong us-them divide didn’t even spare the covid-19 which got promoted through other sets of neologisms like #Corona_Jihad.

While, the mainstream and yet divisive media has promoted us-them dichotomy, the online platforms have been used by the IT-Cell machinery to make these divisions as part of everyday living. Over a few years, India has been able to produce a public-sphere which is unemployed, aimless and with heart full of hatred against Muslims, Students, Protesting farmers and anyone who makes a noise. Meanwhile, round the year incidents of cattle-linked lynching frequently ‘inspired’ by the inactive or hyperactive police administration have created a sense of recklessness among those who form the majoritarian sentiment of the country. We have witnessed how leaders have inspired riots in front of administration.

India, is now walking along with hundreds of ‘Maori’ people armed with hatred and organised in a variety of names, be it the Gawrakshaks, or the Jamatis. As we have successfully taught people to carefully hate ‘the others’, the us/them division now see each other as less human and therefore expendable. Clearly, a combination of hatred, fearlessness because of possible administrative and political support is deadly, and Indians are a few steps away from becoming the ‘Fayu’ who killed each other because of lack of mechanisms of conflict resolution mechanisms. In our case, our machineries are failing. The post-violence internet ban, arresting of opposition leadership is symptomatic to such a disorder and chaos. 

Pic Credit: BBC

Wetlands memories or a spatiotemporal journey called the life

When kaleidoscope reaches at the fringes of the Rajarhat, New Town, near a place locally known as the Pyancha more - the owl crossing, a sudden smell in the hot and humid air made his travel not only  a spatial one, but also a temporal one. He forgot the origin of that fowl smell but he could vaguely recall similar smell from about two decades back. Kaleidoscope, stopped and parked the car to trace the origin of the smell.  It felt like he was striving for a time and space that doesn't exist. Someone from the hot and humid midday sun appear from the back of the wetland vegetation and took Kaleido's hand. Yes, a travel back to childhood was on the go. Kaleidoscope had to stop somewhere at the liminal margin. The road ended and a muddy way began. The old and 'real' Rajarhat muddy way I thought. 

The smell was very close, and Kaleidoscope could now understand that it was a smell of the leftover. As the fishing was over in the morning, fishermen kept the water 'debris' including the rotten snails and other molluscs along with the underwater mud we call 'paaNk' in Bengali. The fowl smell, which is otherwise unbearable to many was refreshing to Kaleidoscope. He was already mesmerised with the wide open wetland where the city boundary looked tired and helpless. The great wetland, Kaleidoscope thought. 

The source of the smell 

There was no one else but an middle aged gentleman waiting with the fishing rod patiently. The time suddenly looked slow and crippling. We both greeted each other. and he gave me a fantastic bicycle story. 

The bicycle in the front and the storyteller  at the back

He comes from a distant place. His cows know the location. He set them free in the early morning. He comes on his bicycle around 9:00 am. He has to stay here for the entire day. So, all he does is fishing. In the evening he rings his cycle bell and cows gathers for a return journey to home. Its because of his bicycle that he finds it easy to gather and mange cows for a journey of 8 KM.

Kaleidoscope could only hope that the city stops spreading further and the wetlands remain like it always have, for centuries. 

A cracking sound of the bronze winged jacana made Kaleidoscope aware that it was no longer his childhoods and that he now has a fast clock to follow. 

The lake whispers about that long lost Home

Much of what Kaleidoscope remembers about his childhood revolves around water. Their kachha house used to submerge in water during the monsoon. The street connecting outside world used to remain under rainwater for weeks, sometimes months during the monsoon. Much of the games that Kaleidoscope used to play centered around water too. A typical day would have started with taking a really long bath in his pond, followed by school where he often had to maneuver through the water-logged lane. A typical holiday would surely involve a session of fishing and a couple of longer sessions in the pond.

As the development entered into his neighborhood, water started to disappear from Kaleidoscope's everyday life, except while he drank, urinated and took a bath inside a tiny room. He has however always fascinated with water logged places which range from sewage to ocean! River has been the most loved ones. 

As 'development' rocked his life, it also gave his place a couple of highways, one of which actually goes through a lake. He never knew that lake exists. One-day while taking his parents for an eye operation he availed that road for the very first time. It was still boring stuff Kaleidoscope thought. Shops and vehicles. Soon the picture started to change. It was all low-land through which the expressway was constructed. To add to this good feeling, Kaleidoscope found a large lake on his left. The speeding car took a while to cross. Later-on, Kaleidoscope has used the road numerous times and always wanted to spend some time there, alone.

As he started riding a bicycle again, he took that road with app on to track how much he could do. Initially it was 8-10 kms would make him happy. He could see the low-land with all the vegetation which he used to make one thing or the other. The smell of dried up common water hyacinth, or the smell of drying mud under the scorching June Kolkata was slowly engulfing him. One day he reached a little far and while checking the map afterwards, he understood he was 'dangerously' close to the intoxicating lake. So, it was destined to reunite with water every once in a while.

Nostalgia has been a longing for a home that no longer exists... Kaleidoscope felt, at least he can see the home somewhere. If one doesn't really want to go back and stay inside, the home is there... in so far as we try to see it!

A beautiful combination of low land and the lake

Wings to fly

Water world

Procrastination is over - Revisiting the childhood memories - FOOTBALL

There was always a child somewhere calling up, everyday. The memories of rainy days, mudball (football in a muddy field), and those never ending swimming sessions were always there somewhere around the corner. One could easily catch that, but that was never touched upon. Procrastination - the word that seems more appropriate with people's pending projects, perhaps most suitable to define what people feel like doing, know they easily can do, but seldom do! One of which is to going back to the childhoods.

About five years ago, kaleidoscope in a rain soaked July afternoon, took a photo of a setting sun, glittering the mud-water soaked tract of land at Haldia where his students were playing football. He posted in the facebook to get flooded by messages from his school and neighborhood friends. Everyone, all of a sudden seemed very happy to see a small portion of their childhood living at Haldia, at the backyard of a little known degree college where once child, now grown up teacher was experimenting with his camera. Quickly it was decided that on 15th August everyone will participate in a football match at none other than their childhood playground Bharati Milan Sangha. Its very close to where Kaleidoscope lives, but he recalled he didn't visit that field for about five years. One of his friends urged him to inspect if it was possible to go back to the childhood memories through that place. The place was extremely important given the fact that memories are shaped around place and person. It was a known place, until Kaleidoscope paid a visit. One fine morning Kaleidoscope took a longer route to see the field. He found it was no longer a place, but it was converted to the space to him. It was fenced and a notice board was hanging that in order to protect the grasses playing inside the ground in monsoon is prohibited! Kaleidoscope couldn't believed what he just saw. So, if a kid has to play, he has to be 'disciplined' to be able to enter into what was now become a gated field. The club which used to remain open for hours was closed and he knew the last door to their childhood was completely shut. He felt alien facing an unimaginable space of disciplining. He had to declare that the plan was over. He knew that opportunities to live an unbinding childhood has disappeared (read My playtime, our playtime and vanishing spaces).

Kaleidoscope has also been a cycle enthusiast throughout the most part of his earlier life. A small accident, some pain in his lumber joints and a lot of other aspirations made him drift away from the pedal, spokes, wheels and the sound of wind that blows around your ears and neck. It was a decade long break from his usual routine that involved cycling to places. His long-term fieldwork was never complete without a cycle ride for about 25- 30 km per day. Sometimes, it reached to 50. Bicycle was not just a mode of commuting, it was also a bridge between him urban, car-clad appearances in the field and a relatable person on bicycle.

Fastforward to the Covid-19 led lockdown. He bought a bicycle. This time a little sporty one to go to distances at ease. So, now, the impossible to reach lake, open field suddenly became reachable. He wishes to share the stories of the repeated lake visits in a different post. Here he just want to ensure, that childhood does exist in nearly the exact form in which Kaleidoscope left it. On his way to the lake, which is about 10 km, there is this open field. Where kids play football, yes they do, especially when it rains.

The World after Corona

Its difficult not to imagine a different world after Corona is over. It may appear that we are not there anywhere soon, but diseases have given us lessons historically. Diseases of this scale and magnitude makes it easier to make decisions which otherwise take years of deliberations and political will. Such decisions have the capacity to shape much of the future and when you are nowhere near the future you can only imagine that the future will be strikingly different!

Corona which 'only'  kills about 4% of the people getting the virus, yet it has rocked everything at present. Nearly one quarter of the entire world's population is staying at home in order to fight corona. Countries like Italy has already collapsed completely to deal with the exponential growth affecting nearly thousands everyday. India, the country in which I live has taken one of the most toughest decisions of observing the complete lock down of the entire country for 21 days (which might like to increase).

Calculation based on https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ (till 26.03.2020, 8:45 pm)

What does the future hold? Certainly human population will not be wiped out of the planet and it is even more certain that Corona is not the only bio-cultural threat that human kind will face. What would be the responses?

Public policy prioritisation:

As countries like Italy and France has failed miserably to control over the disease and its spread despite of their world ranking being the second and first in terms of healthcare (Click here), countries which perform miserably might have a huge push towards rapid development of the healthcare facilities. India with global rank of 145 (out of 195 countries) in terms of quality and accessibility of health services (click here) and blatant privatization of the healthcare services is in an ideal condition that the public sphere will push for making government's prioritisation right. Temple, Mosque dole politics might continue but its a golden opportunity for the people and opposition to push for creation of basic assets like public funded healthcare and education. The identity fault-line is expected to change rapidly as the disasters such as this one cross-cuts all the artificial boundaries, be it identity, nationhood or any other. Additionally in countries like India the upwardly mobile middle classes will start valuing the importance of public healthcare system and mechanism which has rather been carelessly and mercilessly destroyed by the rise of private enterprises. Corona will make people demand for an affordable treatment mechanisms and it can be expected that for once people will no longer feel proud to be able to consume high-end health care facilities just because they have more money than others. In that sense Corona is a great leveller, but for a thousand other reason it is not.

A lot will depend either on the extent of the disaster or on the opposition to keep otherwise weak public memory alive for quite sometime, so that people can place demands such as this.    

Economic consequences:

Although, I am no expert, but it is needless to mention that all the countries affected by the virus will have to deal with toughest economic situations and India will have to face some more simply because it has more mouths to fed. India faces the toughest challenge to manage the informal sector workers and migrant labourers whose saving is minuscule and who cannot survive without getting paid regularly. Additionally, they lack most of the safety nets and India being torn apart through traditional hierarchies repeatedly these are the people who will face near annihilation. However, it is important to note that this section of the people have a variety of informal mechanisms through which a sizable portion of them would be able to survive this disruption and it is expected that the State and Central relief measures will ultimately reach to a large section of them. Given the corrupt channel of public transaction a sizable portion of the relief measure will definitely be siphoned away through a variety of informal mechanisms (click here). However, economic consequences will be far reaching than the serious problems that has just been discussed. There will be fall of productivity as there will also be a considerable fall in the consumption of the people. Large-scale layoffs are in the cards which will affect each and every sector. Consequently the purchase power capacity of a substantive number of people will be reduced leaving secondary and tertiary impact on the service industries, private enterprises (schools, hospitals, hotels, malls).

As an unprecedented recession is expected to step in a lot of people will loose job some of them of course insanely high paid. The proud 'standard' of living or 'class' of living is definitely going to get affected. As till date, the epicentres are located in traditionally the 'core' of the World Systems (click here) the peripheral dependency will definitely have devastating consequences which is going to shape much of the world we are going witness soon. First, the lack of earning and large-scale layoff will demand a lot of people to resort to basics. Consequently mushrooming bars, restaurant chains, hotels, spa parlours, shopping malls with consumables might face a tough time to continue. The booming real estate might face a stagnation with thousands of unfinished apartments - the typical manufactured middle class dreams.

Instead your ola driver might go back to the small village where he used to work in the paddy field, the hotel waiter might start a small business near the station of his village and the like.

The cultural resistance of the upwardly mobile middle-classes:

I have seen this section of the people from a close vicinity. Almost all of my school friends belong to this class. Baring a few, the rest belong to a lower middle class families. Most of their parents have tried their best to provide them with the best facilities. They could afford the best in the region primarily because single child or at best two children was already stepping in to the generation in which I am born. When it was important to make decision regarding the life course, in our time private engineering colleges were just opening up and nearly 95% of my friends jumped in. They already started earning about 20K as a beginner around 2005 when I was doing my masters. Some of them already started making plans to move abroad and most of them did eventually. A substantive portion of the people now has a consumerist selves which includes new flats, central air-conditioning living, cars, weekend parties, long drives, home delivery of everything. Their commuting is detached from the everyday world through their own cars or the appcabs, their office is on AC for eternity so does their homes.

There is Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo in their 2011 book Poor Economics showed through their fieldwork how difficult it is for people to adjust with the standard of living facing economic crisis. The poverty trap where income tomorrow is lesser than income today and a person can slip into an extreme poverty is otherwise cultural and it is most severe among those who resist lifestyle adjustments. While the waiter coming from a distant village in the Country Roads micro brewery would be able to go back it will be depressing for his customer including myself if they have to stop going to the place and grab a drink or two once in a while. 

Technology led poverty and the public sphere:

Make no mistake human civilisation is not going to go back to even a century in terms of technology use. Even if Corona wipes off a sizeable portion of human kind the rest will definitely make attempt to bounce back to the life. The priorities of state might change but building effortless technology to reduce human involvement will be there and there is no way that large scale employment generation will be in the card. Rather, more corporations will now try to invest more in automation so that their liabilities to their employees are reduced. 

A practical demand for initiatives like 'minimum income guarantee' might start to take shape in many places of the world, which will further the importance of state power and less on the need for large-scale privatisation. Again Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo in their 2019 book Good Economics for Hard Times showed why ensuring the minimun earning is not enough, people need the assurance that life is worthy of living. Which needs the creation of new myths, new signification, in sum work.

Mental health emergency:

The effect of global slow down, joblessness or pay cut will definitely put a lot of stress on the people who might have to adjust with their life choices. A lot of suicides, depressed individuals are going to touch dozens of families within coming few years and countries will have to bear consequences of demoralised workforce. While the public funding for employment creation will be rising, states must be prepared to deal with the mental health issues rapidly.

Privacy issues and surveillance: 

Perhaps one of the most radical alteration might be seen in the public opinion regarding the state's control over its people. A substantive development of the public opinion allowing the state's intervention in people's everyday life is likely to be formed. States might like to exercise much more precise control over no only the activities of its people but also their biological components through the technological surveillance and big data analysis. It will get a consent. A new hegemony in terms of consenting the surveillance is going to take place and the data will definitely be misused and curtail the freedom to live for many. A hypothetical example can be that a diabetic patient denied of a drink or a sweet shop because state would definitely want their workforce to be fit. 

Finally, for some time people may appreciate the value of their domestic help, sweeper, cleaner, farmers, informal sector workers who constitute more than 90% of the supply chain meeting the everyday requirements. The value of perhaps the 'housewife' who hadn't been given a single 'lockdown' day to do what they want to do. Perhaps people will learn to appreciate little things in life, like the balcony in which a bird actually comes regularly, or the setting sun which you haven't seen for ages... perhaps the twilight to know how long the twilight actually exists!

Hookah memories-From smoke to smoke

There used to be a time when Kaleidoscope stayed back for the exciting canteen of the university. It's top floor location was the primary reason for such attraction. A few of his friends were hostel boarders and he knew for sure that if it's too late he can always stay back at the hostel! 

A couple of his teachers were regular evening time customers of the canteen. Of course they had a separate place to have something. A relatively confined place. Kaliedoscope and his friends could only see their back side so as to make sure that whenever Kaleidoscope is smoking his trachers are not looking at. Smoking infront of one's teacher was forbidden. 

Once, Kaleidoscope found their teachers were smoking a hookah! The traditional one with coconut base. It was owned by Gour da, the defacto canteen owner. Gour da was old, large built and kindhearted. 

So, Kaleidoscope thought of giving it a chance. After their teachers left, Kaleido and one of his very close friends approached to Gour da. Gour da was kind enough to allow them to smoke from the same hookah! 

Ah! The sound of smoking coming through the water, the feel of holding the coconut base and appreciating the smoke that was coming out of the lung overwhelmed Kaleidoscope! The added charm was to be able to smoke from the same hookah where two legendary anthropologist just smoked!

Years later Kaleidoscope tried the hookah bar thing in a couple of Kolkata bars. One at Beer republic and another one at Traffic! The smoke came out heavily, took him to the nostalgic past for a while. But the loud noise and confinement was unbearable. He always searched for the university top floor while smoking the hookah! 

It happened as he smoked a hookah from one of the rooftop bars of the newest part of the city! Memories came back. Like a long lost link the smok created a quick recaptulation of the the colourful moment of the canteen evening... The smoke was establishing a connection through the cityscape... Through the timescape that made Kaleidoscope what he is! 

Smoking, causes memories come back... Apart from causing cancer!

The lost trees and disturbing gardens

Kaleidoscope continues to live his exciting life shuttling between his transforming town and the built in city. The built in habitat is supposedly exciting as the governance mechanism is ready to offer something new everyday! Sometimes it is the the Feluda theme park where no one visits, some other times it is the sketing rink where kids can manage to come once in a month! The governance tries hard to wipe off every bit of the place's history to make it even more uncertained space which then will supposedly acquire its own history. 

Newtown in every dimension is a kitsch to those who roamed around, watched miles long farmland. Newtown, is the triumph of powerful state over it's earlier civilisation. Like the winners often do it replaced the memories, transforms the place.

The latest addition to this kitsch is vertical garden on metro pillars! Some news paper celebrates such construction to be a highly efficient means of solving the problems of pollution and it is eyesoothing. Some say, these are vertical forests, things of future!

Kaliedoscope on his way back from the evening walk end up seeing such pillars from a close proximity! Yes indeed, they look much better than a concrete pillar! A creative imagination can endup finding a forest inside. The texture and mix of different colours from a distance is attractive. Kaleidoscope was busy in capturing a few images when a noise drove his attention. 

Gang of birds gathered on the Tabubuiya tree planted on the boulevard which divides the broad road were having a conversation. They never looked at the vertical forests I am sure they might never will... Not until all the trees are destroyed to satisfy the insatiable human desire! 

Kaleidoscope tried to take a few snaps of them too, but they were at a distance! Why not, though Kaleidoscope, the closer you are to the vertical gardens the distant you are from the forests of happiness.