Hassan, Karnataka, is a land of bananas. They are sold everywhere - even by paanwallahs - and there are many varieties. I particularly like the small yellow ones, with their tangy taste. I have two after my brunch, and two after my dinner. They come for 3 rupees each.
Cheap, good bananas are good for tourism. Tourist advisories always warn them about germs in India, in the food and in the water. Bananas come sealed by Nature. They don't need any cooking. And they are excellent nutrition.
Similarly, green coconuts are the best source of water here - and they are abundant too. I would rather drink fresh coconut water than buy a bottle of water of some unknown brand.
Thus, as far as hunger and thirst are concerned, here in Hassan there is no problem. There are bananas and coconuts aplenty. You just have to be able to buy them. But what about those who cannot? the socialist will ask. For them The State must provide cheap rice. This is now the great idea coming from New Delhi - a "right to food."
Beggars are a common sight throughout India, and I have observed them here as well. They too hang out in The Market. You won't find the beggar in a sleepy village. Yet, they depend on private charity - and people here are overly generous. They can easily buy bananas. After all, the poor are not a collective. They too are individuals. And they must be helped as such, if necessary.
There are other strange characters who come to Main Street and make "money for nothing." One guy walked along with a gaily caparisoned bull, blowing a horn. Every shopkeeper gave him money. I saw another guy the other day, washed and clean, wearing a crisp white lungi and a saffron kurta, carrying shiny emblems of brass and copper, blowing a long, brass horn. Everyone gave him some money.
I asked the dosa guy how many such people come to his shop every day and he said anything between 5 and 10. And then there are the beggars. Yet, from my observations, I see no reason for any gigantic food distribution scheme on the part of The State. Such money is uselessly frittered away on "consumption." The area, and the City, need Capital investments - roads.
My evening meal was a plate of lemon rice, a huge helping for just 15 rupees or 30 cents, off a roadside stall. And two little bananas, of course. I was enjoying my meal in my room when there was a loud commotion on the road below. Some cops had landed up in a jeep. They were honking and blowing whistles to chase everyone away and close everything down. They accomplished their mission. After a lot of noise, my section of Main Street wore a dark, desolate, deserted look. The guy with the cart selling lemon rice had fled. The cops stood by their parked jeep and seemed quite satisfied with their "work." To me, it seemed that a CURFEW had been ruthlessly and illegally imposed without any reason whatsoever. To me, it seemed that the cops had gone bananas.
Now, just pause and reflect upon the fact that The State wants to generate employment and feed the hungry but the minions of the same State brutally close a thriving City Market down. Something has seriously gone wrong somewhere. Bananas.
Yet, taxation is REALITY on this Main Street, Hassan. I live very close to the local income tax office. I cringe every time a pay 80 rupees for a beer because of taxes. These taxes must not be spent on "consumption." They should go into "capital" - which is roads.
There is thus "knowledge failure" here within The State, right from the top to the bottom. They do not understand the concept of Capital in New Delhi just as the local IAS administrator doesn't understand that Main Street is a very important capital asset. They don't understand the importance of city markets - especially for the poor. And the police don't seem to be mentally equipped for normal, peacetime, civilian duties. They have all gone bananas.
It is "socialism" that is at fault. It is this anti-market philosophy that is responsible for this ghastly disaster. It has damaged minds. It has made "anti-socials" out of the constabulary. I HATE the word "socialism."
What alarms me is the total lack of understanding of the proper meaning of the word 'right'. A right is something on exercise of which someone else should not lose his rights. Only rights that fit this meaning are the right to live (nobody has to die in order for you to live), right to property and right to pursuit of happyness. Remember, state doesn't give us these rights. We are blessed with these rights on account of our birth, just for being human. The function of the state is only to protect these rights of its citizens.
ReplyDeleteOur beloved state's rhetoric of right to education, right to food, right to job are actually blatant violation of the above mentioned basic human rights. Education doesn't come free. You need study materials, chalk, building, man power etc, All these come only at a cost. Somebody. actually will have to pay for these (that somebody is taxpayers). Same for right to food. A lot goes behind producing and transporting the food. Again somebody pays for these. So these 'rights' cannot be implemented without violating someone's right to property. This is forced redistribution of wealth disguised as rights.
Nice to see you having a good time in Hassan. And by the way, nobody hates socialism more than I do!