Saturday 4 May 2013

Of biryani, booze and one thousand rupees...



This was one long hiatus- agreed and guilty as charged. This break has taught me few valuable lessons in life. Lessons I have learnt the hard way- fellow railway men are the best teachers I have encountered in these thirty five odd years of surviving in this planet. Our Union secret ballot elections for recognition have taught me that biryani and booze are far more valuable than ideologies and morals. That salaried class people can stoop so low in selling their votes for booze, biryani and one thousand rupees has struck us all hard- slaps on our faces.
Campaign of our dead CM for a union- he must be turning in his grave now!

We people who have been championing the cause of the less fortunate ones have been kicked out onto the platform. The Comrades who had braved the summer and campaign heat are dejected at the outcome, most of them gone into hiding. I wish I could have gone too. So here I am, seeking refuge. Every defeat is devastating. But losing to money power and ‘musli’ power ( I mean muscle power, as spelt by one of our rivals;) ) can make you go sleepless for ages. Not only the husband, everyone on road now looks at me as some kind of bubonic plague virus.
That is another poster..Poster wars have left us panting and wanting more ;)
Ladies in the office where so intent in laughing their cute backs off looking at me that someone really forgot her clasps dangling, playing peekaboo! And it was fun watching the tasmac brimming to full with rival union’s money and fellow railway ‘citizens’ oozing with booze. What is more- the ‘commoner’ who did not wish to sideline himself with any union made hay when the sun shone brightest- the day before elections. Watches, pots, suitcases…everything was traded for votes. The booth slips were distributed with secret folds- containing crisp thousand rupee note.

There were some who were given only three hundred rupees, the unlucky ones. And there was another rival union who were distributing umbrellas, pots and two hundred rupees. In all it rained gifts that day. As usual our Red Comrades were forbidden from doing anything that stupid and we hit the campaign trail with renewed vengeance. Every office we visited, I pulled up a stool, stood on it and gave my well-practised speech on not selling the votes. The tragedy of it- balancing on a squeaking stool, yelling at the top of your lungs, remembering your lines and smiling at everyone, all the time careful of your salwar- now that you can call multitasking!

Our team treaded over hitherto unchartered territories garnering votes, whilst our rivals sat back cool and relaxed. We spent our money on petrol and food, braving the sun and heat while those lucky fellas stretched and relaxed in ac rooms. We worked for months and they worked just one day! That one day work was worth all the effort we put in. Those currency notes that they distributed will sneak back to the rightful owners aka the trade unionists, in this year’s Diwali bonus- lock, stock and barrel.

Therefore gentlemen and lovely ladies, lessons learnt during this break are-
1.    Even if you don’t blog for few months, you won’t die ;) In fact people can have a breather when you don’t share your post link in Facebook and ask them comment pleeeej :P
2.    You can sleep in peace rather than raking your brains thinking what to write next ;)
3.    You can snore at ten pm, gone are your nocturnal stints…
4.    All said and done, people just want biryani, quarter and a thousand rupee note. To hell with ideals and morals…

“MACHEEEE…ORU QUARTER SOLLEN….”

7 comments:

  1. Funny and insightful in a very open way. Glad to have you back after the blogging. Welcome back!

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    1. Thank you so much, Swapna :) I'm happy to be back too :)

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  2. 1.i too was disappointed.. where ever i wnt i saw posters put up by DREU sporting other unions.
    2. politics had bcame richmen's job/game..how ever u call it.
    3.u had been campaiging only in tricy rite?but the election i think across Tamilnad.. so it s nt ur personal defeat rite?\
    4".bubonic plague virus."- think a bit of harsh wordings..
    5.so now atleast u came to know the power of TASMAC??( IN indian electoral system)
    Ppl jus luv to crictize any one who falls...but they wer all always clay dolls
    and cud never make a move of themselves..
    6. "distributing umbrellas, pots and two hundred rupees"- did u collect ur quota.. or chk the lists.. some one cud hav signed fr yOU and had looted it.. Indians luv free bies..( esp TN. MK , JJ made it to acknwldged world overO)
    7.i know how ur voice will b... even u whisper it will b like a meeting.. appa meetingna ,,...??
    8." We spent our money on petrol and food, braving the sun and heat"- seems yu had wrkd it by heart and soul /..*(nt brian and heart?)

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  3. The curse of "democracy" !

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  4. nive, its good to hear your ideologies, well taken, as always i do of you. But you never realizes sitting at home how much it stinks. you told how they won the election, but never looked fr the reason why you lost the election. The union who had the history of willingly fighting for 'common' employees as you said had grown into a much stubborn 'don't so care' team whom people had loved to be 'recognized' prior to the previous referendum had started defying them in their mind by then the next elections reached. SRMU didnt be a single union for their good deeds, but it was for the wishes of majority of employees who wanted your union to be away from frowning into their faces, 'recognized'. i can very well understand the feelings of a well expected and hardworking union person who fails in an election though being on the right side, as i had gone through this well before, i strongly feel it was your unions attitude post previous referundum that brought you down. so sit back and think positive.

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  5. I can detect the pain behind the sarcasm Cloud Nine. Yes, we missed you but you were obviously doing something better than clattering away words on the computer. So I guess it hurts when ideals are smashed. Think of it this way- if student elections at Universities have these same incentives can you blame adults who are bred on this system to behave differentlyl. Afterall they have grown up voting for booze and biryani! Short term gains always lose out against long term benefits. And don't blame union people about lack of ideologies. What about people in the railway board who are willing to pay huge amounts to get lucrative postings? So what you see is a only a small reflection of a larger corrupt system.Cheer up! Don't give up your ideologies but don't get disheartened when they fall down every now and then.

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  6. Ah the democracy....well either way, it did bring out the multitasker in you.
    and yes not blogging for a long period of time, doesnt kill you. Even I found that out :)

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