Sunday, May 23, 2010

Whack, You or Me?

Note : This post is my entry for  Blogadda's   ‘Whack!! this Wednesday’ contest. 
 
I have my culture, tribal
though you say we don't
I don't have civilization
Though you have at their rapid speed
I have never asked you to be like me,
But every step you take
leads to my conversion and
adaptation to urbanization, no no,
its elimination of my culture
Both my language and me are in extinction.
tigers are better treated than me.
Call me dog, but treat me like me

I don't want to whack you,
but..

.................................................................................

I speak my language, rural.
You call it vernacular and native,
and you look down at me ....
You speak their language,
you call it refined and polished though colonial,
You have media, money and manipulation
You rate it higher and feel superior

I don't want to whack you,
but..

.................................................................................

I toil hard with nature, in nature,
That is my nature to give fruits
You toil smart in ACs for them
You take away our fruits for peanuts
You think about every brand
everything in brand
I don't think about any  brand
as long as it is a bowl of rice .
Else, we do have better choice,
subsidized branded pesticides.

I don't want to whack you,
but..


.................................................................................

I wait for it, every year and everywhere
from the sky, from the ground and every way
For you it is their consumer product, in bottles
They suck it from my sweat and blood
whenever you gulp it into your throats.
I dwell deeper for it into many wells
also, much deeper into debts, then
Much more deeper into life , and
Finally out of life, does it matter?
pushing my family into a deeper well

I don't want to whack you,
but..

.................................................................................


I take up all the so called low grade jobs,
with technique and precision
dirty, smelly, stinky and tough, under sun.
You call  it impure and isolate us.
You memorize few strange stanzas, under roof
make it aplomb with rituals and presentation..
And hence self proclaimed sacredness
to grab money, power and respect.

I stop my job,
check whether society moves on
You stop yours.
I bet Gods, it hardly impacts,
neither you sacred lines nor the myth.
Here, you are like Them,
exactly like them,
You are almost them. You are them.

I don't want to whack you,
but,

.................................................................................

But, before I whack, let me tell you who i am
I am one of the group called WE

We are tribes,
we are rural,
we are farmers,
we are peasants,
we are workers.....

We are sure,
We are not "We the People"
We have been neglected and humiliated
in the name of westernized and globalized development.
Then who are We?

We are "We the'y' people".......... But Y ?
Because you and they have media, money and manipulation (3M)

Anyway, I along with the WE want to whack hard
Whack whom?
No, not the you.
We are not like you
We and I  want to whack the system not the people,
who are mere puppets in the hands of system.

Yes, the same system which you have named like
Capitalism, Corporatism , Consumerism, Colonialism. (4C)

But I/we call it Feudalism
I/WE whack Feudalism and
all the 4Cs and 3Ms
out of the seas and borders
but only in books and blogs.

Anyway it is time for them and you to whack me, as usual.
not in writings but in reality, daily and forever.

Whack me, Sir ji! Whack me!

PS : The 'I' in all these stories represent the social 'me' and hence I claim the share in 'I'.  
PPS: Thanks to Rachana for passing the Que.

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Whoaaa !! What a take on a Whack (did it rhyme..ohh forget it ;-))..on a serious note man how brilliantly you have narrated the pain..So good..Loved reading it..ATB for the contest !!

Ugich Konitari said...

Great whacking post. Cuts where it should. So glad you wrote it. Best wishes for the contest....

aativas said...

Every word you wrote is true for me too. Well done.

Ramesh Sood said...

And it kind of wahcked me strong..
what an expression of truth.. truth that seldom goes unpunished in this world.. battle is huge and long.. carry on nevertheless.. some hearts may get transformed and you would have done your part.. just superb Mahesh.. happy to be a follower here.

Blasphemous Aesthete said...

So true, but I believe in being an optimist. I come from a rural background and am one of the 'We'. It was my parents who decided, that what 'We' had lost, shall come back to 'Me'.
I ain't no Robin hood, or any messiah, that I shall distribute the wealth from rich to the poor. But I loath those 'We' who just feel helpless and never make efforts to bridge the gap.
I guess, many riches rise from the rags i.e. from the Ordinary 'We'. Its up to us, to rise or to be oppressed.
Right to education is for all, and I feel that education is something that can uplift us all, but I don't understand why we take pity on ourselves and drop out.

I don't oppose what you said as most of it is true, but I just wish you would reconsider the phrase that the clap is never single handed. Something that we are lacking is making them govern us.

Shilpa said...

Well am at loss of words to describe this one.... gr8 post... :)

Anonymous said...

Lovely take on the Blogadda contest!
With no rhyme and rhythm, I can say that you truly whacked (rocked :P, see told u!).

Great way to bring out the pain and suffering and making us realise that all of us sail in the same boat. More often than not it is us who exploit and corrupt, it is us who takes advantage of the poor and downtrodden. About time we wake up and truly believe in equality and forget about copitalism and corporatisation of our lives!

All the best for the contest :D

Rachana Shakyawar said...

@ Mahesh

You been so awesome with your creative sides and those 4C and 3M. And loved this one...[We are "We the'y' people".......... But Y ?]
Bow to U!

Nothing infact no adjective shall match to your outstanding sincere approach and keen urge to bring i light the dark spots of the society!

I'm so glad and want to congratulate you for choosing each and every tiny or big opportunity in propogatiing in what you most believe in and feel for!

We all often get so carried away with the hush of life and neglet, unconsiously the main issues of the humankind. Perhaps, you been just at right time and with total right words come up to whack us!

I have indeed woke up with your post!

~You definitely...Keep the Spark ALive..

Anonymous said...

Read this post in reader but couldn't contain myself from logging in here at your blog and say just one word to you "AWESOME!!". This was such a great great great post Mahesh!! *bows*
.
.
.
Shilpa

aayanman said...

Trademark wisdom. Trademark style. Thats a match winner post.

Beyond Horizon said...

u really did whack.....i love d way u stressed on words THEIR & THEM......SIMPLE BUT GR8 :)......XPRESSED D THOUGHTS OF tribes,rural,farmers,workers amazingly....n d best part of the post "out of the seas and borders
but only in books and blogs"
hope it doesnt remain in these only...

Anonymous said...

that was one amazing whacking post Mahesh. Though I don't fully approve some of the things. But I must congratulate you for the sheer brilliance of your verses.

Roshmi Sinha said...

Wow! Wonderful!

It reminded me of one of the great Tagore's posts... regarding the farmers and tribals.

We ignore them and their knowledge... which is a treasuretrove really. And we try to teach them what we have learnt from the West whose history is much less than ours. Talk about 'civilizing the already civilized'...

Shilpa Garg said...

Very impressive, creative whacky post, Mahesh. A very very different take on the subject.
All the very best for the contest.
Cheers :)

Annapoorani Sivaramakrishnan said...

Hey that is a terrific entry.
enjoyed reading all your takes :)
all the best for winning the contest:)

Sagarika said...

Enthralled and stupified... thanks for the thoughts on this thursday... It's beyond words :)

Roshmi Sinha said...

btw... All the very best for the contest :)

Cheers!!!

Mahesh Aadhya Kalal said...

@ Bulls eye...
Thanks for the response and yes for them it is more than pain and suffering, it is survival.

@ Konitari...
Yea, we need more such cuts, in actions, in radical reforms, through revolution. Thanks for the feedback

@ Aativas...
Yes, indeed all we have to do is unmask the truths. Thanks for the pat :)

Mahesh Aadhya Kalal said...

@ Ramesh Sood...
Am glad that Wisdomism is streaming up to the expectations. You have aptly said. It is battle. Battle since ages and i dont know how many warriors we have to lose to win over. It is not between persons, but between systems. As long as we are just puppets in the hands of system, the battle never ends.

Mahesh Aadhya Kalal said...

@ Anonymous Someone...
I do appreciate your optimism and this rational response. Wisdomism needs such rational and valid questions. Thanks for giving me an opportunity to elaborate .
I am not against the rich nor i am asking to rob like robin hood.
I admire all those who went from this side of the glitter to that side of pomp. You are correct when you said thet Educatio is solution for all. We need not just technical education to serve US Economy, we need indigenous, localised, moral and social education .

Even i am not going to disagree with you as my perspective here is more about identity than becoming someone . Let me clear the things. Am not talking at all about clapping. Why clapping. ? For whose interest and business is this clapping? I do oppose clapping. Let the five fingers of each hand live unitedly in their own conceived worlds. The clap can happen only when injustice and exploitation of right hand over left hand stops . Why should we need to clap when the right hand feels superior to the left hand?


My intention in this post is that why do the so called rich and affluent has to try to behave and destroy in a prejudiced manner by which they force other side of the coin to be like them ? Whose greed is destroying the need of millions? . Why do these self proclaimed high class layered beings project their superiority in the name of civilization and modernity, read luxury. why this one sided thinking ?. Who is trying to disturb the equilibrium for their vested purposes? BTW, which system? Who gave them the right to detremine the criteria and parameters to judge people of other layers?
If someone has to be happy, the only reason is not to be rich. A person can be happy by being a tribal, a farmer, a worker. Why do these strikingly rich still want more to suck the basic needs of these people. Why cant they respect a tribal for being tribal? Who is forcing the so called depressed sections to change their well adapted lifestyles?

With out the society contribution can anyone become rich?
Ultimately, my post is all about capitalism versus Socialism

Please do give your response so that we can have more rational discussion on this topic. Feel free to oppose my ideas and opinions. I welcome any constructive criticism.
Thanks a bunchchchch again :) :) :)

Mahesh Aadhya Kalal said...

@ Shilpa...
Rather than the words the emotional synchronization is important and am glad that the unheard voices have been heard by you . Thanks buddy :)

@ photoinspire...
I do agree with every word you said. We are working hard to cut down our own roots just because we have got fruits. Not only just advantage, there is certain deliberation too in this accelerated exploitation and one sided plundering. Yes, We are the culprits. Are we ready for the actions?
Thanks a lot for the response and the pat :). Keep dropping by.

Mahesh Aadhya Kalal said...

@ Rachana...
As i told you earlier, for me, blogging for me is one of the means to reach my end called social equality. And this post happened because of your timely pat.
Yes, we need to wake up not just to read and write but to have actions.
BTw, are we ready for the consequences?
Thanks for the encouraging words and the constant motivation along with the humming sparks you bring in with your aromatic feedback.

Mahesh Aadhya Kalal said...

@ Shilpa...
Sat sri akal.
I take it a compliment as this post brought you from the reader to the response box....
All the bows, your and me, are to the hapless struggling farmers and tribes all over india. Thanks for theis pleasantly surprising feedback and tha encouaraging pat buddy..
Keep picking the apt ones...
..
...
Mahesh Singh :)

Mahesh Aadhya Kalal said...

@ Gyanban...
Thanks for the remark sir...
am glad that you said that. Thats a quite solid pat:)

@ Beyond Horizon...
Lets hope, they wont remain in writings. But we need actions , stern reforms , right now, to make the things happen. Else, it will be left to few words and alphabets. Thanks for the responsive pat and the encouragement. Keep dropping by with your feedback :)

Mahesh Aadhya Kalal said...

@ rsv...
Thanks for the words and the response. Yes, we frame different perceptions and it depends on the lens we use to view the scenario. I used Anthropological and you might have used yours. And difference of opinion scan lead to better things if we can exchange our ideas constructively. Conflict of thought is a means to understand things in a more matured and comprehensive way.
Keep expressing your feedback. Thanks buddy. :)

Mahesh Aadhya Kalal said...

@ Roshmi Sinha...
What else a writer need if his writings somehow resonate with Tagore. Am honored.
You have made the post complete. I agree with you as you have voiced my intention behind the post. Thanks for the feedback and the pat :)
Keep coming your rational and comprehensive analysis

Unknown said...

this was an amazing piece of writing. very deep and well thought out! keep it up! :)

Mahesh Aadhya Kalal said...

@ Shilpa Garg...
Thanks for the encouraging words...

@ Annapoorani Sivaramakrishnan...
Welcome to Wisdomism ..
An glad that you liked them :) Thanks. Keep dropping by :)

@ Sagarika...
Welcome to wisdomism
Am elated that you felt it beyond words. It excites me when words go beyond words and invoke the emotions. Thanks for the feedback and the pat :)
Keep dropping by :)

Mahesh Aadhya Kalal said...

@ Mehak...
Thanks for the appreciation buddy :)

Raghav said...

AWESOME, u r just getting better n better.....

Blasphemous Aesthete said...

Well, the capitalists are not forcing the tribal people out of their shell. I think they never want to. And why they dont want to share power and riches with the other side of the coin? I think Carl Marx had explained that quite a long time ago.
Its greed, the greed for power, the greed for getting richer. That is the reason that capitalists never stop at any point of time. Always trying to expand.
No they dont want the tribals to rise, but they want their lands, because it holds riches inside. They want maximum profit at minimum cost, uneducated lot is the easiest target.

Somehow I feel, this has been going on for quite a long time. Only now that capitalist are too far from the poor. In early days and even now, zamindari exists and feudal lords can be tyrants and messiahs both.
But even here, is it not the urge of a few humans to lead, and the mentality of the rest to follow the reason for that old divide? which has now, eventually turn out to be a vast ravine. Once cracks start appearing and nothing is done in repairing them, such things are bound to happen. We have let them lead us before, and then protector sometimes becomes predator. Then we are left with what we have now, a mixed feeling of frustration, helplessness and many more things.

System, even that too, we have created it. And riches is by no means the measure of happiness, I completely. But somehow, like a distant dream, it does look appealing to those who dont have it, the lower layers.
It would be a Ramraaj, if both hands could unite and form a double fist. But then, the damage had been done long ago, and when the smaller hand, the weaker one tries to rise against the heavier one, something has to stir, on both sides. Its then only a matter of power that who does more damage.

In my opinion, capitalism or socialism cannot thrive independently, at least here in India. So, only thing we all can do is try, to be aware, try to open our eyes. And not just a bunch of bloggers, but the whole community, from top to bottom, for anything they might be, they are still humans. Everyone is!

Neha said...

a clear winner Mahesh..all the best for now and congratulations in advance :)

Mahesh Aadhya Kalal said...

@ Neha,
Thanks for the special response and the encouraging pat ... i take it as a win though i am not into the top 3.

@ Anonymous response...
There you are. This is what wisdomism requires. Indeed it is a clear wise response. Very people impersonate their opinions the way you have done here. I liked the way you have presented your thoughts and the manner you have analyzed discussed the rational points with much balanced objectivity. Very few has such ability. I am quite elated by your response as i like when people put their opinions without taking sides of prejudice.
As i told earlier, am not disagreeing with you and hence am concluding the discussion(though i have few apprehensions ) as both of us are talking about capitalism/socialism.(Of course, the discussion on 'system' is never ending)
Keep coming your opinions/feedback/response always. It do helps wisdomism to validate its relevance and direction. Thanks a million :)

I couldnt contain myself from raising few points
1. the capitalists are not forcing the tribal people out of their shell. I think they never want to
--> In reality what is happening is exactly opposite to this.
Ex : POSCO steel in orissa
Palakkad in Kerala
nalgonda in AP
NMDC in Jharkhand
In these places tribals are being forced indirectly to rehabilitate in urban areas where the potentiality of humiliation and exploitation is vast.

It is not the capitalists, it is the capitalist products that are impacting them
Ex: Pesticides destroying indigenous organic farming

The products include language and culture too where gradual conversion happens over decades.
Ex: Check out entire north east.

Yes, they dont want tribals to rise but they do want them to adapt to their convenient commercial circumstances

ARROW team said...

That's a thought provoking post Mahesh ! I wonder many times if we are deceloping day by day on the name of urbanisation and modernisation or are we going back pushing our neighbours n fellow mates into oblivion. Your post once again brings similar thoughts into my mind. Once again u've done a great job ! keep writitng more . . .

Regards,
Manikanth.P.
http://insights2day.blogspot.com