The sandy beaches of Pondicherry

Last week I travelled to Pondicherry for an official work. I was put up in a hotel hardly 100 m away from the beach so I planned to make use of this opportunity to have an early morning view of the sea. Next day early morning after a brief struggle with my laziness I pulled myself out of bed to head to the sea. It was 5:30 am when I started from my room and in 5 minutes was facing the mammoth Indian Ocean. Sea was not so violent and the sound of the waves was soothing. I could feel as if it was calling me in but thanks to my fear I dared not ventured into the sea. Also because of the boulders and stones kept on the shore people rarely venture in to it.

 Contrary to the Pondicherry weather the breeze was cool and pleasant. The scene was breath taking as the sun had just arisen and the rays were golden red. Though humid the air was fresh. I was not the only one appreciating the beauty of the early morning sea there were more than a hundred people. People could be seen up to 1 km stretch of the beach.

True to the image a Podicherry there were a few French too. The French are so closely knit into the fabric of Pondicherry that if one were to think of it weaving it without them the fabric would loose its sheen.

Some of the fishermen were returning from the sea with their prized fish. Some people were having a brisk walk while some were running. Some were simply sitting while some were doing yoga. Some could be seen sipping coffee at the only beach restaurant which opens very early in the morning. For some it was the only time when they meet their buddies. The morning visit to the beach seemed to be an important part in the lives of these people.

The only disturbance was the persistent caw of a large number of crows.  They were feeding over the scraps and leftover food from the dustbins that were open.

There was a board which read that Pondicherry is not the same when you litter, to make the visitors aware of the cleanliness that they should maintain.

 There were a few coconut water vendors too making a quick buck, I also tasted a little sweet coconut water that too without straw exactly as many south Indians prefer. The water might have spilled over my clothes a little but I liked the style.

By 6 30 am I was feeling the palpable heat of the sun and I left for my hotel.

Flexibility to hire and fire

Manufacturing sector in any country supports its economy in general and provides endless employment to thousands of people in particular. Though the fruits of success might not have been distributed equally between the executive class and the labour class still the hard work done by each class has been commendable lately.

                                But in return of its hard work especially in SMEs the labour class has not been getting the benefits it deserves.  This is not the outcome of one day but the result of the changing trends in the manufacturing sector. Gone are the days when from food to transport and factory to dealership network every thing was managed by the parent company. Today is the time for taking least responsibilities with maximum gains. From all these changes worst affected is the labour class.

The plight of the present day working class is the result of the rigid working environment and frequent rifts between different labour unions and their respective managements till the first half of the last decade.  In pursuit of maintaining least manpower many companies have either outsourced the labour intensive work or the labourers. As lesser the number of employees on the payrolls of the company lesser is the energy and money spent to keep them satisfied.

This wariness among the companies has created poorest of poor in the working class. In a bid to supply manpower at least cost the contractors pay less to their labourers, some times even without meeting the state stipulated minimum wages norms. Many times workers in such situations have to work for more than 8 hours to earn a decent living.

If the past class of workers had been more accommodating to adapt themselves to the changing dynamics of manufacturing sector, more people would have been getting a decent living in this sector.

The philosophy of labour unions was that they would not do more work unless paid more. Rather it should have been that they would work more and demand more.

Under the aegis of labour unions scores of people never reported to work let alone doing any work and inefficiency was rampant.

Under the juggernaut of labour unions many companies bled to death. The unions which were mooted to maintain a healthy work environment and reconciliation between the aspirations of the management and the labour class have created a situation in which there are hardly any unions. Today more and more companies are outsourcing their labour even if it happens at a higher cost.

The action of the companies is justified as any company exists for earning profit and the rates of any input including labour should be defined by the law of demand and supply. The social security is the responsibility of the state. The private sector on its part should honestly pay taxes to support the state in meeting its objectives.

To support the growth in manufacturing sector the government should liberalise labour laws further.

Proximity for love or love for proximity

The subject of love between individuals of opposite sex has been debated and discussed numerous times but it still remains the most interesting subject.

Love as I define is a mere attraction between the people of opposite sex (in normal cases) caused by their social, physical and biological needs. And the lovers change with time depending among other things upon the proximity.

Have you ever wondered if you were the only men or women available on a deserted island with the person you admire the most, what would be your fate? Nothing but you would be having all that you always dreamt of with the same person. But the same is also applicable in case of a person you hate the most. Because what is important is not what you want but what is available.

Some people would argue that like minded people come together but my argument is that how do you find a like minded person in the same class or same colony or same company. It’s because we always select the one that is closest and easily available. And also how is it possible that the most beautiful girl of the class is found to be the most like minded girl by many of her class mates and vice versa.

If love was not because of proximity those who are away from their girlfriends/ boyfriends would not live in a constant fear of getting dumped, because there is always a better option available.

Love has more to do with loss of logical ability of a person than with anything else. Loss is more for the people who fall in love at first sight. They do more insane things than the sane ones. For example they would wow to leave the whole world to gain the confidence of that one person. Suddenly that one person means more to them than anything else. A Hindu boy who hardly goes to the temple would go to a church; those who don’t have bikes buy them and those who do, upgrade their status to car of course depending upon the choice of their partners. In the attempt to impress a special individual hobbies are changed and new habits are cultivated. They would talk over phone full night skipping sleep and stand in sun or in rain to get a glimpse of their loved ones missing everything.

For that one person they would wow to leave their parents who have been by their side since their birth.

In some cases you would be used and reused before you realise this fact.

After a brief period of silliness and craziness everyone comes back to terms with reality.

But most people come out of such illusions and smile at their frivolousness later in their lives.

There is nothing special about love, it just another phenomenon happening to everyone at a particular age and for those who have not been able to marry their loved ones don’t worry because your spouse would act in the same way and perform exactly the same things as your lost lover.

How is communism holding some states back?

My encounters in Malda district of West Bengal reinforced the fact that the communism is a cancer for any state.

                Just a few months away from elections the political colours in the state were ripe when I visited one of its towns called Malda. After a long lull the politicians were haunting the streets. A few yards away was the square considered to be most auspicious for starting one’s political campaign.

The words of the speakers were resonating in the ears of all those who were as far as two km from this place. The speakers were of those old types that would create more disturbance than the desired sound. 

Not to my surprise the agenda of the campaign was neither employment nor growth. Like the olden days the politicians of WB are still clinging on to issues like sale of stake in PSUs by the central govt and the culmination of nuclear deal.

As known to everyone they are against to any kind of privatization, they must be awarded for creating a kind of cynicism among the youth against the private sector. No wonder big organisations have all left the state. Kolkata which was once hub of Jute industry harbours a small no of Jute mills today.  

                 The main source of employment is Rikshaw pulling or vending as small shopkeeper. The hand pulled cart which are a blot on human dignity are still ferrying there.  On the road the Ambassador is still available in a large number.

Child labour is rampant with small restaurants and lodges having the highest density of child labourer. Either the age of labour class is very high, above 40 or very low, below 15, because the cream of the labour force migrates to greener pastures where there are higher wage rates. In fact there is no enforcement of minimum wages.

During my 3 months of stay in WB there were 5 “Bands” called for by different parties.

Malda like the rest of WB has vary fertile land as forms a part of the delta, still it reels under poverty thanks to the politics.

There were no fast food chains in Malda not because the people there didn’t like fast food but because some self styled association go on strike claiming that it would cause loss of business for small vendors if some chain wants to setup their business there.

The ongoing legislative assembly elections hold the key of transformation of the state but it is too early predict anything.

Apologies to my Bengali friends if they dont like it, this note is not to offend anyone neither is it meant to question the greatness of West bengal, its culture.  But anyone who has been there would agree with me if not fully to a cartain extent.

Some things are good in Madurai

Notwithstanding the harsh sun, the loneliness and the distance from my family & friends, lately I have liked Madurai, the place where I came two months back for my new assignment. Some incidents have brought a paradigm shift in the way I thought about the people here. Earlier I thought that they would be rude to outsiders but they have been much more welcoming than I thought. People are well mannered.

One day I was riding a bike and because of my mistake another bike rider fell down from his bike and got injured. I was shocked and ran to him, by the time I reached near him there were some people helping him to stand on his feet. He suffered minor scratches. I apologised to him, he said no problem. I gave him some money for bandages and repair of his bike and moved on after apologising once again. The matter was over in less than five minutes.

Think about the same incident taking place in some where in north India, after the accident the first instinct would be to run away. If I would stay there even for a minute I would get a few tight slaps even before I could come out of the shock that too not from the guy who fell from his bike but from a third person who would in no way be related to him or from the accident. And then I would be forced to give money to him. There apology would not have counted and resolving the issue would take at least one hour.

Another incident I was in my office cab on a traffic signal suddenly I something banged the vehicle from behind, turning back we realised the indicator of the car had been broken because of the impact between the cab and a truck behind us. Neither the cab driver nor the truck driver felt it necessary to waste time over discussing it. In north, first they would exchange some “Godly” words and then they would call all their relatives as if there was a great mishap. Some times some of the relatives would come and without knowing anything about the incident they would try to hit the other party.  During all this drama there would be a traffic jam. The issue would be resolved by the police constable who would take hundred rupees from both.

Here in a bus when a seat vacates the person standing nearby would ask to others before sitting himself. At other places people would run from one end of the bus would run to the other end just to get the seat. When a lady passenger boards a bus some one or the other would stand up and offer his seat.

During this brief period, here, I have not seen any girl teasing in fact females are respected very much, no wonder the girl to boy sex ratio is much higher in south than in north. Here women roam around like free birds. Most of the women work without any guilt or fear.

All these things can happen only in dreams in North.

Not Only Mangoes from Malda

Recently I had been to Malda for a brief period of one month; Malda is a small town in the North Bengal. When one says Malda what comes to your mind? Magoes right? But I have something else to tell you about this place.

One evening I was in one small markets of Malda, I was buying fruits. Together with buying fruits I was enquiring about the places, the culture and the people of this town. Suddenly my eyes sat on a man in the age group of 35 to 40 years who was keenly observing me. I then realized my dressing, language and body language was conspicuously identifying me as an outsider. For the fruits I offered a note of Rs. 100 but the vendor had no change. In a moment the stranger who was observing me sought an opportunity to break the conversation and offered the much needed change.  The transaction was over but the man was still there he wanted to converse with me for some more time. As I have become more receptive to the world I din’t mind that either.

His queries started, “What’s your name”? “Where are you from”? “Don’t you think it’s a little cold here”? Are you married”?  T o the last question my answer was yes though I was not married.Then the final question how do you manage without your wife? I said I was fine. But he was reluctant to leave me he finally said that he was at my service if I need anything any day any type etc. Its not costly sir, you can pick the one you like.

        During all this drama I realized that I was walking very fast and I had covered half the distance to my hotel room. I politely declined his offer for what if I get mugged, or contract some disease and also for moral reasons. Basically he was a pimp trying to trade the pleasure of sex for money with some the many young unfortunate girls who are brought into West Bengal from neighbouring countries and states like Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and north eastern states of India.

                  All this drama brings to the fore the persistent problem of prostitution which is continuing since ages. Is it ethical? Should it be legalized? If yes what would be the consequences? Is there any other underlying this problem, I think yes the sever unemployment and illiteracy.

                             If only the parents of these hapless girls were gainfully employed they would have been happily living away from all this mayhem at their home breathing in free air. On our part all we can do is to avoid indulging in such transactions and providing employment through other means.