Regional Bias – Is it a necessary evil or purely a political farce.

So, I woke up one morning, feeling no more suicidal than usual. I realised I had been woken up a little late (yeah yeah I have issues waking up still. I need someone to wake me every morning). It was a Tuesday and I had to be at the R.T.O (Regional Transport Office), like half hour ago. It’s where we Indians go for getting our driver’s license among other things. I did what I do best, I woke up got dressed (yeah yeah I had a bath and al). I was out of the house in 45 minutes, reached the R.T.O in half hour at quarter past eleven. I took my form went and stood in the queue (It’s one of the three things I love about Bombay, the queues, the rains and the trains). I finally reached the police officer’s counter 2 hrs later (duh, it takes that long in a queue). In the next minute or so I witnessed an array of emotions.

Joy, disgust, irritation, surprise, anticipation, contempt, loathing, anger, sympathy, and shame.

No seriously, all of the above and more. It’s truly possible. Here’s how the conversation went. (FYI the Bad Cop speaks in Marathi (local language of Bombay) and I reply in Hindi.)

Emotion: Joy (Finally I reached the counter/desk after spending eons in a queue, yay.)

Bad Cop: Name?

Good Me: Kameshwar Krishna Kaza.

Bad Cop: KAZA? Are u a Muslim (his expression was of disgust.)

Emotion: Surprise (at his expression, not at him calling me a Muslim. I am quite used to it. I mean with a sur
name like that and a beard like mine. Nope not his mistake.)

Good Me: No sir, I am a Hindu.

Emotion: irritation (what does my religion have to do with my license? )

Bad Cop: North Indian huh? From U.P. (Uttar Pradesh)? (With a finally I have my scapegoat of the hour expression)

Good Me: No sir, South Indian from Hyderabad.

Bad Cop: (Angry expression) so why did you have to come here. Did you want to have a Bombay tag attached? To make “Bombay” documents?

Emotion: Contempt (I knew where this conversation was heading to.)

Good Me: No sir, I have studied in this place for 5 years now so.

Bad Cop: Now you’ll go back? (With a you better go back expression.)

Good Me: No sir, I am planning to go for higher studies.

Emotion: Loathing (I was disgusted at his thought flow)

Bad Cop: So, go why do you need license. Go. (He gave me back my application with a victorious expression)

Good Me: But sir...

Bad Cop: You are not local here (resident) so, no proper documents as address proof

Good Me: Sir, I have a passport issued in “Bombay”

Bad Cop: Get, proper address proof and letter from Wadala R.T.O. Next.

Good Me: Sir, please write the reason for rejection of application on my form and sign n seal it.

Emotion: Anticipation (Hope he puts it in writing, then I’ll get to take his case)

Bad Cop: Oh now you are all formal huh. (ok have it your way expression.) No original address proof documents submitted assistant inspector (name) and (date)

Good Me: Sir, but I brought originals of passport, electricity bill, telephone bill and house maintenance bill.

Bad Cop: Go now, come afterwards with proper documents because you don’t live here. Next.

Emotion: shame (I feel ashamed for everything that led to a person in uniform to behave this way.)

Good Me: Ok sir, Thank you. I will come again.

Emotion: Sympathy (The way his life is turning out its nothing but sadness there, hence sympathy.)

Bad Cop: Neeeeeeeeeeeeextttttttttt.

Good Me: (yeah? go to hell.)

This is how a supposedly “responsible” person in uniform behaves. It’s not the first incident I have had, or heard about. Why was there so much hate in his eyes? What did I do to him? Did I cause him pain? Or my region, where I belong to in India is hated by him. What caused this? I hope it was a personal cause and not a part of THE mass political propaganda. It’s the story of the new age India where each region wants nothing to do with the others. Is this what Gandhi dreamed about when he brought us independence. Or is this what the British anticipated when they left us? Is this Gandhi’s fault? Is he to blame to allow India to be split up into three countries based on religion/ region or what ever they thought of those days? Did he inspire the current day politicians to follow his line of thinking?Was Gandhi a saint or a typical political leader disguised as one? Is this regional bias fair to the people of India? Is it so necessary that we have to make new borders within our country (Whats left of it anyway). Or it’s just another old skin new cheese political gimmick, to enhance vote bank. Are politiciana now a days so incompetent that they need to create hatred amongst people to win election. Hatred for the next person, hatred for other states/regions, hatred for India itself. Where is this going? Our country our people are all being misled and we all know this but we still dance for the piper, following him towards a state of utmost anarchy and chaos.

This is not a personal campaign against the situation in Bombay. The state of Andhra Pradesh takes this charade to a totally new level. They don’t give a flying duck about people from other regions or other state. They want freedom from their own state government. They are ready to take arm against people from their own state, similar language, similar cultural. They are like brother/sisters. Yet when one fine day when a not so famous political leader decided that he wants his share of the lime light, they let him have it. His share of lime light, some blood of innocent for drinks, you know it almost satisfied his lust for power. The brothers (Andhraities, teleganans, rayalseemans) who had been living in harmony, suddenly decided that each of them were oppressed and not cared by the other. They wanted a separate state for themselves with their own representatives leading them. Yeah the same old wanna be politician. Is the common man so dumb that he can’t see through this veil of ancient rajneeti (Politics)?

I ask all you all the same question above all these questions. Are we going to let them politicians take us to the cleaners and pay the bill for cleaning too? Will we let them break Tamil Nadu, Teleanga, Mumbai etc.? Or will we fight for them states as one country as we fight for Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh etc.? Do Citizens of the Republic of India truly and sincerely do not want to be a part of the Republic. Will history see India as another U.S.S.R which was so great a superpower but could not handle internal pressures and so succumbed to other pressures? What is the future for India like, a Great United superpower with the citizens ready to die for it at seconds notice? Or will it be a geographically close 36 countries each fight for basic survival? What are we going to do? What are you going to do? What? What? What?

I sincerely thank you all for reading this frustrating questionnaire of a young Indian citizen. I truly believe that we Indians may be corrupt, we may be thieves, we may be frauds, but we (excluding the disgusting politicians) are all true patriots at heart. It’s time we unite, not as a political movement but as selfless movement thinking only about the good of INDIA. I’ll quote from a famous “American” movie here which I hope will be inspiring to all “We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive!”

It’s time we spread the word.

Jai Hind.

BTW I got my learner’s license an hour after this conversation took place (are you kidding? no!! not from the same guy but from the guy of the same region. So, all this regional bias is a political gimmick to break us up. No more Question my readers. On this note I rest my case.) cheerios