So, a few weeks ago around 4 pm, I was sitting in my office doing work. Like any other day around that time, I was sitting on a computer doing research up against a wall across the office, a little bored and getting tired of air conditioning. While dreaming of carne asada and Mexican guacamole, all of a sudden a commotion cracked in the office. I look behind me to see the normally calm cubicle space break out into conversations and fast movements as people ran back and fourth.
Must be another rave over yet another version of Kolaveri Di, I thought. Suddenly though, everyone around me started to get up and congregate close to the epicenter of chaos, coming back in a sort of unusual simultaneously humorous and frazzled manner. Everyone is laughing and begins packing up their bags. Within a few minutes, lights begin to turn off and people are leaving, shouting "I'm going home!" in hindi and english. I am thinking, "WTF now??"
My office is sort of funny like that. Not much happens from day to day, like any other big cubicle filled office. Aside from talking about new news and when the next chai or food break is, people are usually just sprawled around at desks and tables working or chatting. Sometimes though, random and crazy chaos breaks out. The other day for example, out of nowhere a field worker brings a scale over right next to my desk. Almost instantly, the area transformed from a quiet workspace to a hectic mass of loud voices as the whole office crowded over to be weighed. I could not get any explanation for the random weigh-a-thon. Another experience was when the office turned into a game of "Clue" when someone stole a large amount of money from the safe. Everyone was sitting working, when within 10 minutes we were in lock down mode and sitting all together (all 100 of us) discussing who the possible bandit could have been, and whether they used a candlestick or revolver. My favorite though was the birthday celebration - when meetings and work actions got interrupted and suddenly replaced by a massive party that took over the rest of the day! The HR department decided to celebrate three months of birthdays on the spot.
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| 1 Party, 3 months of Birthdays Celebration - Magic Bus |
Today was different though. It was not what happened in the office that stopped work. Actually, it wasn't even in Mumbai. A politician named
Sharad Pawar got slapped by a young activist in Delhi. Everyone freaked out. "Pawar got slapped! Pawar got slapped! Everyone go home! Shops are closing!" Being the ignorant foreigner in the office as usualy - I had a million questions. First of all, who the hell is Pawar??
Sharad Pawar is a politician with many hats. Currently, he is the President of the National Congress Party and has served as Minister of Defence and the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. His "tight slap" that he received was mostly for his current role as the the Union Agriculture Minister of India and the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution (how one man can be in charge of so many things -- and such big jobs at that -- for a country of 1 billion+ people is beyond me). On November 24, a young guy named Harvinder Singh got past a barricade of reporters and slapped Pawar across the face as he was leaving the New Delhi Municipal Council building. After, he attempted to punch Pawar. The justification: food inflation. India has been experiencing massive food inflation for the past few years, escalating this past year. Pawar has been accused of multiple cases of corruption and upward Rs. 600 billion/- scams.
So what does that have to do with Magic Bus in Mumbai?? Back to my story - I am sitting there, confused, listening to everyone run around in circles are they panic that this guy in Delhi got slapped. Within 15 minutes the office was empty. Since my yoga class was right by my office at 6:30, I decided to hang out with my mentor and do more work. She filled me in that they were scared of riots. "When these things happen, people go to the street and usually riot. Things close up. It can get crazy."
Damn! Can you imagine? Just strolling up to Secretary of the US Treasury and bitch slapping him for the fiscal crisis! (Later added: Or going up to Obama and slapping him upside the head for thinking about signing the
National Defense Authorization Act?) India continually surprises me like this. People seem to not care at times about politics and feel detached, others blame a generation of apathy on hopeless corruption; the middle class continues to argue over the role and importance of Anna Hazare, while millions of people are not even aware of their basic rights that are continually abused. I can not even question my boss at times because of strong cultural ties to respect. And then Harvinder Singh rolls up and slaps Pawar for costly food prices! It is not exactly aligned with Gandhi's practices of nonviolence, but how else to wake up politicians directly. Of course afterwards, even a slap did not phase much as Pawar explained that he thought nothing of it, and of course everyone now blames that Singh is mentally ill. It sounds a lot like the police's justification for attacking UC protesters and delegitimizing their words (get those facts
here). Although distinct, Singh's actions remind me of the protests back home and around the world right now. Occupy, Egypt, Russia, Pakistan. One thing is for sure, the youth are getting pissed.
Everyday at work is interesting. Watching youtube at work: OK! Being late on deadlines: No problem! Leaving work early because of slapped politicians: Of course! Just another day at work though. Who knows what will happen tomorrow! One thing this Pawar experience reminded me of, and one theme that I constantly think of in my life (even more so in India for some reason) is that so many actions tie us all together. A slap in Delhi can in fact stop the Mumbai local trains, just as much as anything else can. Our lives are intertwined and that is undeniable.
Speaking of rowdy disapproval, here are some photos of a Anna Hazare protest against corruption that I ran into today in Mumbai:
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| Anna Hazare Panamoneum |
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| "I am Anna Hazare" - slogan at 12/11 protests |
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| Anna Hazare Protests |
