A chance conversation with a friend got me curious about my driver’s lunch box. So yesterday I went across to the parking lot at lunch hour, to suss exactly what he eats for lunch. And I was left stunned and depressed at what I saw: Three thin chapattis and one small katori of chutney. That’s it! No sight of any basic veggies, forget richer stuff.
So I asked him the reason for this boring lunch. And what he told me is exactly what one feared was happening: His family has quit buying sabzis for a long time, they can’t afford them anymore. It’s only on a Sunday that they ‘celebrate’ with daal or a veggie. And yes, this deadly diet is also what his little school going kids consume.
One can safely extrapolate from this example, and we would not be wrong to assume millions of lower middle class Indians aren’t eating properly anymore. The ridiculously high prices of veggies has knocked them out of the food chain. Now, poverty and malnutrition isn’t new to India, it has been on since Indra Gandhi’s stupendously failed ‘Garibi Hatao’ joke. Except now, even the lower middle class isn’t able to purchase basic food items, they seem to have been pushed further down into the lowest spectrum of India’s populace.
So then what are we doing? We are busy spawning a whole new malnourished, weak generation in this nation. Kids, who when they grow up, would perhaps be physically and mentally ill-equipped to deal with life. Because even the most basic nutrition is not available to them in their formative years. Because their parents can no longer afford to prepare a decent meal at home.
And while all of this is happening, as the prices of pulses and veggies go beyond the reach of the Congress’s beloved aam aadmi, we are hearing words like The Nuclear Deal. World’s Next Super Power. Economic Giant. Global Leader. World’s Human Resource Capital. Fortune 500 Industry Leaders. And we are blowing up multi-billion dollars on a travesty called the Common Wealth Games, which will regale a few, and has already lined the pockets of the already rich. And while a whole lot of grain lies dead, for rats and other rodents to feed on.
I don’t think Sonia Gandhi and her geriatric boys are aware of what my driver eats for lunch these days. I don’t think they care. But then they must not be surprised when things like Naxalism happen. When crime levels rise. When people resort to violence to be heard. They must not be surprised when one day the mal-nourished Indian junta decides to hit back. With whatever little strength their bodies can conjure up.
13 comments:
the gap betn "haves" and "haves not" is increasng faster thn the opportunities tht r created for the needy ones.the middle class like me is just watchng helplessly since it doesnt have much power other thn readng and discussng such disturbng facts.bitter but true.
What salary are you paying him?? maybe you should try giving him a raise..
I actually gave him a raise on the spot. But the question is: is that the real solution.
so r u giving him a raise? Or like many "middle class" people (like me), you are content to vent your ire on the Government and then discuss this with other "middle class" junta over a single malt and cuban cigar?
Giving him a raise might be good enough. We all know that government policies can't change quickly, but our attitude towards the lower middle class can, faster than the govt policy! If every such employer has this kind of mindset then I think we should be able to manage in the long run.
Nithin
Maybe he should enter politics.. The MPs are getting paid well for practicing good corruption..
2 words: population control.
But why should the politicians care about the quality of a child's upbringing when it directly translates into a vote?
It's a matter of people vs. resources. Please don't fog the issue up by connecting it with stuff like the Commonwealth Games. Would not having the games been a long term solution to hunger and poverty and shoddy education?
* Have you any idea what the two Sardarji's in Delhi with "Blue Turban" actually do? I don't but have a guess...If they have a busy day probably they attend / hoist 30-40 meetings in a day otherwise 10-15 meetings on a lean day. Have you ever seen them venturing out on the street even once, to take a look firsthand of the impact of their " policy decisions ", in the last 6 years ?
* Have you seen a rotund gentleman who devotes hours & hours to BCCI / ICC Meetings but in the last 7 years didn't have time to ensure that Distribution chain system for Foodgrains & perishable items were setup across the country.
* Do you really think the Netas & babus give a damn about the Vegetable prices when they are polishing off lunches at 5 star hotels paid by taxpayers like us.
Thank you for atleast thinking about the issue... Have admired your writing since the Mid-day column days
sad. sad. so sad. my driver Sachin eats at home. a fruit every day too. and anything sweet there is since he likes them. my pet project is to fatten him since he is reed thin, like sadsack he looks......... 11 years i haven't managed to do that but at least he's fed. like they say.......when your stomach's empty, you'd do any thing to fill it. any crime..... and bloody our government lets grain rot...... :(
Thanks for the comments. So then what to do? Well, we can’t leave it to the leaders… they are more worried about their own pay cheques, as we just discovered. The onus is now on us middle classers to make sure we support those below us in t...he chain. And not ignore their struggles. Sure, we can’t go around throwing money. But is it too difficult to support folks who we have a regular interface with? Maids, drivers, office staffers, etc? Finance their kids’ education? Pay for their med/life insurance? A minimum 15% hike in wages immediately? We have to find our own way. But it would be wrong to ignore their problems. And it would be stupid to leave it to the govt. See more
hi!
I've been a fan of your writing since the Mid-Day days...about 10 years now...
I don't know if you still write because Mid-Day's stopped coming to Goa.
I was elated beyond words to find your blog a week back :) Been reading it since...
thanks Ankita, happy to reconnect! Regards.
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