A History Of India

 I was tasked with writing the history of India by an old man in the street. There was no street per se, I am talking about the road that led up to the St Mary’s Basilica In Marine Drive Kochi. This old man was homeless and naked and smelled. There was dirty dhoti beside him that could cover his nakedness. 

Romantic India 

India, for the foreigners is the land where people find themselves. It is intriguing and mysterious. One remembers the hoardes of white brown and red foreigners following Sadhguru Jaggi in Isha and one wonders are they actually here to find themselves? 

Or are they just here because they want to say to their friends you know I went to South India to find myself. I observed all of this while drinking Coffee which was obviously not recommended in yoga . I saw a friend reading Midnights Children and wondered what is so magical about India?. India is portrayed as this magical exotic land. 

A British man and a Pakistani man’s blood is the same, it is red. Our lips are the same, our feelings are the same. Why can't you see us as normal. Why should India be an exotic place. No, I refuse. India is a normal person. 

When I returned home, I realized whether he wanted it or not the people had turned Sadhguru  into semi god man. We may not be normal after all. 

The downtrodden India

One time I met this woman who was obsessed with biscouff. She said to me it was what she had eaten in her childhood. You know you remember your childhood sweets. I agreed. Infact I used to eat a lot of chocolately flavored things.So I get nostalgic about it and buy chocolaty things now.I liked Biscouff too. I remembered But I had never eaten it So much that I was nostalgic about it. This woman here was nostalgic of biscouff. 

Later I saw her running away from local street dogs. This confused me again, because I knew she was a dog lover. She had this golden retriever and some aesthetically pleasing breed from Tibet.  

Some kind of Srivastava she was, her grandfather was a kind of big shot lawyer in Bombay who was “called to bar” in England because that was the tradition. She told me that at that time the Bombay law college was  third rate. She Studies at Jindal. 

Last year I got a letter urging me to leave India and come ‘ out west’ . I told her I am ‘broke as fuck’. and would prefer die in Vaduthala as a poor man. She laughed, saying “so funny you are ”and all that bullshit. Frankly I didn't know why she was talking to me. As I said I always felt a gap between us. She was extremely patriotic. Me on the other hand had very low expectations from humanity in general let alone India. I was convinced that the light at the end of tunnel was not the bright dawn but rather another train. This is of course tied to the fact that I did not consider myself to be a good person. 

Then for some reason the this desbhakti had led Ms Srivastava to migrate to America to work at a law firm there. She was concerned about rising jihadists and was extremely pleased with Modi. And asked me my opinion on the matter, I have had previous experience with friends being right wingers, and somehow they always hated me. The other side, left also hated me to certain degree because I talked and were friends with ‘ extremists ’. So I told her I don't know if India can be saved, it is most likely to kill itself. This obviously led to big disagreement and me being an uncaring person with no real opinion, conceded that Modi will indeed lead us all to peace and prosperity. Because that is what historically politicians have done. 

This weird feeling always creeps up in the morning when I see the waste lady and come and pick up the garbage. They all come certain areas in kochi and belong to certain certain castes. Then I remember why should I care about what happens to the poor and downtrodden of the society. They really don't need another person looking down upon them.Srivastava later said it was high time reservation were taken out and people of general category, people like me were also given equality. Then again I remember no one actually notices the homeless people at the Kaloor bustand. I notice but I have never lifted a finger. Maybe I not good at covering people's naked pain. 

I had to write a report on Davinder Singh vs State Of Punjab, a 2024 decision that dealt with sub classification within SC and STs. The subclassifcation can be done if there is solid backing of data. Infact the most interesting is not the judgment itself but rather the submission from both sides. This idea that the effect of reservation has already manifested in certain SC and ST that they can be moved out and even more backward casted may be given that reservation. I told Srivastava, give it 10 more years, reservation will be based on only economic standards then even that will be removed. 

Srivastava told me that I should call my friends sometimes and not leave without saying goodbyes and that if I am in America that I should definitely call. All of this I remembered when I saw that man in st Marys basilica, why should I care. Still I unknowingly tired to cover his nakedness with the dhoti but failed.