Voice of Common Man

Authrospeak: This article did not shape up in a way I wanted it to be. It may not leave the impact I thought it would have. Nevertheless, it is my tribute to the common man of India.

Before writing this article, I asked an important question to myself – Am I qualified enough to represent ‘Common Man’? Representing ‘Common Man’ has never been easy, irrespective of what Mr. R K Laxman has made you think over the years. If you do not believe me then ask either Priyadarshan or Khiladi Kumar on what went wrong with their portrayal of the ‘Common Man’ in Khatta Meetha. ‘Common Man’ goes through such myriad emotions that it would be foolhardy to proclaim that one represents ‘Common Man’ (I think the present day government at the Centre made this small mistake). So, a common has to fight for his space daily in the shoddy public transport provided for his comfort to reach workplace (I am spared of this ordeal as I was smart enough to look for an accommodation very near to my office); has to bribe his way to make his legitimate work get done (Again I am lucky till now. I am yet to graduate to that phase of my life where I will have to grease the palms of corrupt officials to get my work done); has to dole out ‘donations’ and hefty tuition fee to ‘celebrated’ educational institutions in order to ensure ‘bright’ future for his children (Again not graduated to this phase of life. Being Single has its own advantage); has to use all his bargaining skills to persuade the retailer while purchasing food items (I’ve left this tension to the guy who provides me with the Tiffin service) and what not. Certainly, I have not been at the receiving end of many blows that life hurls at the Common Man. However, on the second thought, I am not very dissimilar too. Even my salary increment, just like that of Common Man’s, is much less than the inflation rate making me relatively less ‘well-off’ each passing year (a simple fact alluding top honchos of our respective companies); even I have to put my life in danger by crossing roads in the absence of effective traffic management and footbridges; even I feel hurt when my Tiffin does not have onions as an ingredient to Salads. Thus, though I may not be a clone of Common Man, I can partially represent him on some forums. So, I decided to give him some voice through my writings. Next few paragraphs are the thoughts of Common Man.

It is not that I have never been given chance to speak out before. My good friend Laxman had always put forth my concerns / my sensibilities to you. Also, there have been some good people in past who had raised their voices for me. I am not new to you. Am I? I have always been there in your mindspace. Initially I was not very inclined to grant this newbie’s request to have an exclusive session with you. What would I say? - The same old things. You are aware of all my tales. But this guy was persistent. And though I did not buy his argument of presenting the same old wine in a new bottle (as most of our filmmakers do), I could not say no to him for long. He even suggested to me a topic – ‘2010’. In this way even if I presented the same old facts, it would be with a new perspective. I liked this idea.

Before I start a discourse on 2010, it is important that I take you to the very beautiful morning of the first day of this year. 2009 had not been a good year to me. Due to the global economic meltdown, I did not get any increment to my salary. To add to my woes, bonus was also stalled. And if that was not enough my son failed to land a job after passing out from a ‘reputed’ B-school. I was very eager to bid that year of misfortunes goodbye. So, when the sun finally broke the shackles of dense fog on the morning of first day of 2010 to reach out to me, I welcomed him with open arms. ‘2010 would be my year’ I thought. To me 2010 was supposed to be the year which would bring hope to one and all and which would correct the wrongs of 2009.

Now, at the end of 2010, when I look back I am not sure if this year even falls into the ‘Meets Expectation’ category. For the last few days (especially last Sunday) I have been reading news articles in which some people have adjudged me the ‘Person of the Year’ along with luminaries like Sachin Tendulkar, Nitish Kumar, Julian Assange etc. I have been given such awards before also. Frankly speaking such awards make me nervous. They set a lot of expectations from one. This year’s award comes with another rider – I am expected to smile through continuously while I bear the brunt of scams, inflation, terror, traffic snarls and what not. A bit too much, don’t you think? While I would like to be the recipient of an honour like ‘Person of the Year’, I would like to do so with my dignity and respect intact. Is that too much to ask from the ‘karta-dharta’(s) of this country?

Well!! I got carried away. I tender my sincere apologies for this digression. So, I was saying that 2010 was not as good as I expected it to be. In fact, it was bad and so I am again looking forward to welcome the New Year with open arms. Maybe this coming year will bring answers to all my problems. But will it be really any different? I am hopeful. My friends always point out that I romanticize with optimism too often. But despite their justified criticism, I remain a diehard optimist. Take for example the scams that hit our country this year. It is bad that we have not been able to get rid of corruption even 63 years after attaining our independence. But, on a positive side, it also shows that we have amassed wealth as a nation (leave aside the fact that it is going into the pockets of a corrupt few). The fact remains that Delhi now boasts of a world class Metro service, a state of the art International airport, new flyovers and stadiums (only at the expense of few thousand extra crores from my share). Well, it is the Capital of a great country and so it deserves all these facilities but... I just hope that next time when the concerned people decide to swindle money, they just imagine what could have been done with those thousands of crores. Just think a possible scenario. Our governments (both Central & States) allow food grains to rot every year in the absence of proper storage facility. If we had to create a decent storage at each district headquarter at the expense of INR 10 crores for each of the 631 districts, then the expense would have been just 6310 crores, a figure much less than what was siphoned off on the pretext of organizing CWG. With the total money which went to the corrupt, I think we could have given Metro services to 10-15 tier II towns enabling them to become the growth drivers of the future. If they could have just imagined!! I hope they do so in future.

Sometimes, I feel exasperated by this constant expose of scams by the media houses. But as usual, political parties of this country felt my pain on this issue. They often go ‘out of their way’ to raise my voice in the corridors of power (irrespective of their political affiliation and oblivious of the fact that in some other time and space they have all been perpetrators of the same crime). This time also they have been standing by my side to show their support. They have just successfully stopped the parliament from running at a total cost of INR 200 crores. They would not discuss my other problems until they ensure that I get justice on corruption. The fact that they just robbed me of INR 200 crores might have skipped their mind in their enthusiasm. Where in world do you find such supportive representatives?

Depressed? Don’t be. I am not. There are still a few saviours for me out there. I distinctly remember the day when Sachin scored his 200. I was in deep shit that day but he took me out of that mess and brought a smile to my face. And every time I saw the tricolour being raised during CWG and Asian Games, my heart swelled with pride. These sportspersons, despite all odds stacked against them, made us smile throughout the year 2010. And do not forget Cinema especially Bollywood (I know all the criticism against it – have been listening to them for time immemorial). But as much I like to appreciate quality cinema, I also like to enjoy the regular masala stuff. Didn’t you like Salman Khan in the desi Robinhood avatar or Katrina in ‘Sheila ki Jawani’ number? I love the Khans, the Roshans, the Kapoors, the Kumars and many more who add so much to our daily existence and add fillip to India’s soft power.

I know I have not been very congruent in my approach towards this discourse – switching from one topic to another. But with so much to say in a limited space is not easy. I have tried my best to evolve as a person in 2010 and I can proudly claim that I have matured a lot. You do not need microscope to see that change. Look at the Ayodhya verdict. You were afraid that I would not act responsibly and would engage in unlawful activities post the verdict. To tell you the truth, I was equally apprehensive about the political class and so called religious leaders of this country. The fact that the verdict did not allow them to engage in their usual acts is another thing but I was never instigated. And if that is not the sign of maturity then look at the way I voted in Bihar. I do not claim that I have completely broken the bounds of Caste system but I have at least embraced Development. This maturity has given me a new perspective. I see a hope – this time a real one. I realize that if I act maturely (the way I did in the last two examples) I can shape my own destiny. I have heard this philosophy many a times but never thought it applied to me as well. Now that I realize the importance of acting in a sensible way, I resolve to act accordingly more often in the coming year. I wish 2011 will be a ‘Sunshine’ year for me. I want you to join me and say ‘Amen’.