As I write, a group of people, beating drums and chanting patriotic slogans, are going around my locality campaigning for the BJP.
Brings a thought to mind:
Which is more important for the Individual: the Market or the Vote?
Quite frankly, all the Bengalis in my locality would suffer greatly if the Chittaranjan Park markets closed for even a day.
It is only because of this Market that all the Bengalis living here get fresh hilsa flown in directly from Bangladesh. They get all the peculiar spices only Bengalis use, like randuni or paanch foron; they get all the strange vegetables only Bengalis eat, like kumror dogga; they get Bengali films and books, and newspapers. They get Bengali snack food and sweets.
But, by and large, the Bengalis of Chittaranjan Park do not appreciate The Market.
They prefer Politics.
They love Elections.
But compare The Market to the Vote.
You cannot live without The Market. And as for the Vote, it comes once in 5 years, and there are some like me who never participate in this gimmick called Democracy. I have never voted in my life - and am none the worse for it.
This is why I have never supported Aung San Suu Kyi. She speaks always for Democracy in Burma.
She never calls for Free Markets and Free Trade.
If she did, I would fly to her side.
So, dear reader, learn to love The Market.
And hate politics.
Eh? Vote market are you talking about, mate?
ReplyDeleteOf course they love that market.
One of the reasons why vote market is popular in India is because for a large segment free trade does not appear to work.
ReplyDeleteFor an uneducated villager who sees his Sahib driving away in new motors and him stuck with a cycle, his resentment is expressed through people Like Thuggarey and vote bank politics.
We need to figure out how to include this large population in the free trade equation and vote bank politics will disappear on its own.
good idea...lets start a think tank...there should be a way....
ReplyDelete