The "Mind-Lifting" LIFT!

Thanks to my wonderful wife, its a routine for me to drop her everyday at 12:30 afternoon at her pickup point. Today, as always, I was performing my gentleman's act by making sure she got safely on board her company cab... However, on my way back home, something interesting happened that I want to share in here.

Our home is 1.5 km straight drive from the main road (SG Highway); but this straight drive is through a very busy street of a local market and its obvious to find familiar faces of your neighbors while you are driving/riding there.

It is impossible not to find someone from our colony or our apartment shopping something or going somewhere while you are crossing this 1.5 km. Today, the familiar face was of our watchman. It so happened that he recognized me and I recognized him - and in that one fraction of a second that we saw each other - we realized the need of the minute - that he wanted a lift back home!

So, I stopped my bike and said "Chal aaja - ghar hi ja raha hai na?" ("Guess you are goin home, so hop on!") And so he gladly accepted the offered lift and became the pylon on my bike. Now its obvious that when you are giving a lift to someone, you ask questions like "What had you come here for?" and show some curiosity in other person's business while you are riding together for 5-7 mins.

Hence, I did the same and showing interest in Bhuppi's (our watchman) business, I asked him what he had come to buy at the market. To which his reply was that he had come to get "chaas" (buttermilk) from a dairy shop in the market - not that I dint see the buttermilk packet in his hands when I first saw him. So, trying to be his well wisher, I suggested that he can buy the same thing from the supermarket right next to our building.

I also asked him how much does he get the packet for at this shop - and I found out, that infact it was 50 paisa costlier than the supermarket. You get amul buttermilk for Rs. 7.50 at Hind Supermarket, where you can shop in Air conditioned environment without having to walk almost 1.5 km in rain or scorching heat to reach a local dairy and buying the same thing by paying a higher cost everyday.

Astonishingly, my watchman's reply to my advice was "Nahi sa'ab, udhar jana humare liye thik nahi hai" (Its not appropriate for me to go there...)!!!

In my last to last blog, I had spoken about the rich-poor divide. These kind of incidents make me realize that this divide is so intensely carved in the minds of the lower middle and poor class people, that they simply deny even if they are aware of any privileges that they might be offered or have a right on.

Their upbringing and their outlook towards the world doesn’t allow them to savor even their most obvious rights. Of course, I am not saying that everyone thinks like this - but what I have observed is many of them do! Unless these people are practically taught to exercise their rights as well as their responsibilities, they will not be comfortable doing that.

We easily notice if a laborer or some such person is littering or doing something abnormal according to the social standards. But have we ever wondered - If we expect someone / everyone to be responsible, are we ready to give equal privileges to everyone as well? If a person wearing a watchman's uniform or looking like a laborer is shopping next to you at big bazaar - wouldn't you get surprised or even suspicious for that matter?

I asked Bhuppi to let me know (which I doubt he would) when he goes to buy buttermilk again, and I will go along with him to the supermarket to change his thinking. I believe this should make a small difference. Ironically, he needs that 50 paise saving more than I do; and still he chooses not to go for it!

Thinking of change, now I wonder, this divide is not just a small gap or a crack between the two strata of society. But it is a vast river which is created by ideologies which are conceptionalized from the very birth and nurtured through out their upbringing in both the classes. It is taken very much for granted and considered as a universal fact that they are to stay separate, to remain divided.

Not done bhuppi - I don’t care if these two classes unite or not, or if this divide is bridged or not; But you my friend, are going to save that 50 paisa the next time you buy buttermilk.

God bless all of us, Hind Supermarket and the dairy-wala as well!

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