We Indians. Inherently Regional. And we must slot ourselves.

 

We Indians – Inherently Regional. And we must slot ourselves. Really !!!

Dinesh K Kapila.

I am the President of the Residents Welfare Association currently. In that context I highlighted the need to observe traffic rules as an accident had occurred and two vehicles were damaged. There had been a few accidents earlier and fortunately till now there were no fatalities. But this was purely by chance. Well, some did agree certainly but then we went off track when the refrain started that it would be outsiders (not residents from our locality) who would be responsible. I had to gently point out that this was not the case. But it’s ingrained in us, people like us, people like them and they are like this only etc.

One day the Commissioner of The Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh made a rather pertinent observation at a meeting,  that the residents of Chandigarh were quick to always emphasise that the any case of over speeding, misbehaviour, eve teasing  is instinctively blamed on outsiders from Haryana or Punjab. Well, we at Chandigarh are not really a shining example of adherence to ethics or discipline or gender equality but tend to inherently group up and deny what is the reality.

This is our characteristic as Indians in more ways than one. We are Indians on Republic Day and Independence Day, maybe when a soldier sacrifices his life and the shots from the funeral are played, or when we meet outside India. Else we are Kashmiris (yes, not all are running around with guns), Biharis, Punjabis, Gujaratis, Andhraites, Tamilians, Odiyas, Nagas, Sikkimese and what not. You get the picture. It just is that way. Metros and Super Metros may say they are different but that is on the surface only. Just the surface. Region, Religion, Community, the three loves of our identity.   We are amazingly consistent on this plus on the growth of our population.

Then we are within a State also bent upon being different and distinguished by sub regions. I actually found this hilarious. Once I was sitting with a Punjab Civil Service Officer, nursing a beer., on the banks of the River Satluj at Ropar. There were a couple of bankers from Himachal Pradesh and Haryana too. He sort of told them that they would be feeling the tag of being outsiders while they were saying its part of our functioning.  Then he went on to state, he was from the Doaba region of Punjab and just did not feel comfortable at Ropar, as it was different. He just had to cross the River Satluj and get to at least Nawanshahr District to feel at home. I actually oversaw both districts for my institution and could not make out what the hell he wanted to highlight. He said Ropar was neither Malwa, neither Majha or Doaba (the three regions of Punjab unofficially) and this resulted  in it being a neglected and underdeveloped district. Pure prejudice as per me.    There was no mention of the topography and unique geography which actually were the reasons

At Haryana at Rohtak they say that Karnal is not really Haryana (implication Rohtak and Jind and Mahendargarh are !) while at Karnal they say that Rohtak and certain districts try to muscle into their rights and sub culture. I have heard so many versions about this. When would they grow up, never. Why ever not, because Its ingrained. As Indians. We must differentiate. Else we are uncomfortable and maybe cannot digest our food ! The Punjabi versus Insider reference is often heard in Haryana while after employing labour from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar for a couple of generations, some in Punjab are now bothered about maintaining their purity and the dangers of outsiders settling down here. God Forbid !!  

in Himachal Pradesh there was a certain Chief Minister, his inner core had to be comprised by officers from a certain district and community only. The people in HP do debate among themselves the true Himachalis versus those who joined later, the upper districts, more mountains versus the lower hills. And corruption seeping  in from outside, I could tell stories galore on the reality. Rajasthan has the real Rajputs of Udaipur versus the realistic Rajputs of Jaipur. The list is endless. It is us. Period. 

I am yet to even come into stereotyping on religion and community and ethnicity and castes, its all happening, subtly, openly, silently and in writings. It gives a readymade handle to political figures to exploit but that is another debate. Religions which are supposed to be equal as far as their own adherents are concerned also quietly debate about some sub communities being marginalised. At Kashmir, once my landlord, a good friend, told me he was annoyed with a neighbour that though he was an Ahangar (ironsmith) he had taken the surname Bhat. I simply told him when all are equal I your religion then why this statement, but he just was vehement about it. Here was I debating and thinking over what was happening within my religion and the issues and then this popped up. Delightful. Uniquely Indian. And at the same time puzzling and infuriating too. Unless a person has been slotted to the last dot, we simply cannot relax.

Travelling through Bihar, I would be asked, what is your community. Many would not really know Punjabis can be Sikhs and Hindus and even Christians and so on. I would say Punjabi, honestly, after the first couple of times, I liked the process and it was a game for me. Drag the issue. Sit back and enjoy. In Bihar, they take your identification seriously to the last degree. If Punjabi, which faith, in the faith which caste, which district. After all that, I was just going to ask my set of questions and move on. Never to meet again. But they just had to know. Of course there is the confused lot, once in the South, I was asked by a gentleman, who I could make out just had to ask, else he would have choked. The question – where is your turban ? I smiled and told him I don’t need one. Then the follow up, Are you not a Punjabi. After making him run around mentally I clarified.  But this I say is confusion. I excuse this one. Just a tangent.

Discussing at a seminar once on Female Foeticide, an unfortunate reality in Punjab and Haryana, one speaker strongly butted in to say, this is not a fact, in fact our Revered Holy Book accords the highest respect to the female sex. And a couple more butted in immediately, it’s a Pavlovian thing in us, to group up. I had to use my diplomatic skills, to state that all religions did so but here we were simply focused on data, plain and simple. Data speaks and always. Rest is only emotions.

Now what can we Indians do. About this endemic trait. If the researchers on our DNA did deep. Perhaps they will find a tiny strand tucked away somewhere about this unique ability to always look for a break up, a clear cut defining line. Me and them.  Us and them. It has to be.  Maybe faster urbanisation and education and awareness work, but I doubt that. I often found in the most prosperous of villages in Punjab and Haryana, two places of worship of the same religion. As usual, we were living upto our reputation, and if so, we had to protect it .   by ensuring it stayed that way. And for farmers and officers of a certain community who undertake most of the farming and allied activities, why say at seminars that we are so and so. It hurts many. Causes disquiet. But we have to have the inner wisdom to accept this. To mature.  

Once in a rather prosperous district of Punjab, I don’t want to give names, I was at a review of the District Central  Coop Bank. This was way back. A Bank with a huge positive image. It was going fine as usual until I simply pointed out that the recovery of loans had slipped marginally. After some debate, as to the reasons and with me holding my ground, the Senior Manager said quietly, Sir, it’s a part of our district which has “mada log”, - simply low grade people – who have caused it. And suddenly, quite a few officials from varied departments also underlined it. Puzzled and somewhat annoyed, I asked which is the that part of this district which has such below grade and below average people. Well, they took the name of the tehsil – sub division. So I quietly, thoughtfully, slowly and with emphasis pointed out, that this particular sub division / sub district was a part of my home district till not long ago when my home district was reorganised and this district came about. Now am I a “mada person” – a low grade person. Tell me on my face. There was silence. That sub division has numerous seasonal streams which play havoc every year. That no one said. I simply said that look at us Indians, first we divide ourselves into states as a unique  identity – cultural, religious or political, then into regions of a state or districts, now even that is further divided, where do you plan to stop. And when. That you belong to a place is ok and identify with it is certainly fine, there are nuances, and in a  huge nation surely so, but to then to stretch it to a unique identity based on some in the air off the shelf assumptions and emotions and prejudices is just taking it too far. Its all a creation of the mind. But we revel in it. That is us today. Even today.  

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