Ground Zero: Local Knowledge

Here on Main Street, Hassan, Karnataka, there is a great deal of "local knowledge" available in The Market in which I live. Much of this knowledge is "uncodifiable" and cannot be learnt in a formal academic setting. For example, every day I brunch at the Dosa Centre next door to me, some idlis, some dosas - and these are special indeed. All for 25 rupees or half-a-dollar. Suneet Shukla, who came down from Bangalore, said he had never tasted anything as good in the capital city. The Dosa Centre sells 23 kinds of dosas, and is run by Janardhan and his wife Shashikala. They have been running this business for 15 years - based on "traditional knowledge." Their own children have been put into the education "system": I met the younger son and he is doing a PU in Science. His young girlfriend, in jeans and a jacket, was studying for a Diploma in Computer Science. There is a lot of knowledge of Science in this area. The Deccan Herald pullout has a page on Science that is pretty advanced. I passed the sprawling, old campus of the Malnad College of Engineering. I saw a bus belonging to a College of Ayurveda. I also saw another bus belonging to a College of Fisheries.

For my evening meal I usually go to the "Prabhat Military Hotel" next door. The word "military" implies food that soldiers eat - so there is lots of meat. The food is excellent and everything is spic-and-span, shining and clean, just what you would expect in South India. This is also "traditional knowledge." This kind of knowledge is vital in any city interested in tourism, for tourists depend on cooked food on the streets, and if they can get this cheap and clean, they will enjoy the experience, probably stay longer, and might even return with their friends. Last night I feasted on mutton curry with ghee rice, spicy gravy and cucumber-onion-yoghurt salad - all for 85 rupees or about 2 dollars.

In the evening food stalls appear and are parked on the side. I sometimes buy hot fried chilly bondas - and they go down well with my beer. They sell many things and I especially liked the delicately flavoured lemon rice for just 15 rupees. Singapore tourism thrives on street food. This knowledge exists aplenty in Hassan.

Apart from food, I also see other forms of traditional knowledge on my section of Main Street. There is a barbershop - and this is a business that does very well with foreign tourists. Barbers are flourishing in Goa. Many are migrants from UP. This is their "traditional knowledge."

Two shops also sell traditional knowledge. One sells cane furniture made locally. This kind of local craft is to be found everywhere in India, including the North-East. It is vital that this be found in the nearest City market. I found all kind of cute trinkets on sale in Halebid and Belur, sold my salesmen on foot. This is also a very big business. In Interlaken, Switzerland, I bought lots of stuff from a souvenir shop that was 450 years old. This is the beauty of Property. Here, trinket shops do not possess Property titles. I saw this in Goa. I saw it again here.

There is another shop selling coir products - local knowledge once again. It is good that all this local, traditional knowledge is available on Main Street. It becomes even more important to maintain this street well, and to see its economy flourish.

There is also a lot of modern knowledge on the street. There are many, many shops dealing with mobile phones. There are two shops selling "fashion" for young people. There are some medical professional: I saw a dental clinic as well as an ENT one.

All said, it appears that there is no "knowledge deficit" in the people of Hassan. On the contrary, there is a pronounced knowledge deficit in the local civilian administration. They don't know Market economics. They don't know the importance of city markets and streets. They don't seem to know too much. This morning there was an item in the paper that the Zila Panchayat chief had announced a "Clean Hassan Campaign." I was hoping to read they had engaged private players to keep Main Street clean. But no, they want to install toilets in the distant villages. Main Street remains quite filthy, with stray dogs, stray cattle, and dung heaps everywhere.

I met a bright young boy on the bus from Belur to Halebid, and he spoke perfect English. Turned out that he was sent to an English-medium school in Mangalore when he was in Class 5 by his wise parents. He is now studying PU in Commerce. He said he had taken two classes in Economics where they taught him the "resources of India." Such "education" is designed to make the student feel that resources belong to "India" and therefore the State has to manage these resources. This bright boy's intellect is being killed.

I told him to study about The Market.

I offer you all the same advice.

It is to The Market that we must turn, the market on Main Street, in each and every city and town. This is where all knowledge flourishes. Main Street is also Knowledge Street. State education is harmful for the mind.