Checked out Kosi, dude?

Will not be surprised if some geeks in Bangalore mistake Kosi to be a ‘tributary’ of that ever-fav hang-out joint, Koshy. And that to me would be symbolic of the staggering apathy we feel for the disaster in Bihar. No one’s interested in that tragedy, not the urban folks, and by turn, not the electronic media.

I don’t hear of massive Bollywood drives, candle light vigils for the dead, inspiring columns in newspapers, kick arse talks shows, it’s almost as if Bihar is someone else’s problem. Maybe Pakistan’s or China’s of US’s problem. And also because that poor state is irrelevant in our shining scheme of things.

I think we should care, and I say that on an emotional and rational level. The Biharis are after all OUR people, and if we don’t worry about them, who will? Each time we proudly rise to the anthem before the chick flick, we recognise and accept that we are one. Then why this cold disinterest?

On a rational level, it is this double-standard approach of urban India that comes back to haunt us. This is what causes rural people to disconnect with us. This is what causes Singur, this is what causes mass migrations (and with that crimes) to big cities, this is what causes Naxalism, this is what causes farmer suicides, this is what causes hatred for malls and multiplexes and ‘India Shining’. Already the villagers feel cheated out because of disproportionate power transmission into metro towns, while they reel under 20-hour cuts. What will the survivors of Kosi feel and think about us? That we left them to die like rats… I shudder to think. Contrast the attention Mumbai received during the 2005 cloudburst and you’ll get the drift.

So if we are going to discriminate, and are ready for the consequences, please let’s not do the charade of rising when Ja Na Ga Ma Na plays out. Continue hogging your popcorn, and hope that your children remain safe in a divided India.