ACCUSED!!!!!!

It’s ironical for having heard such a term in a so called POSH and corporate world while I have the faint memory to connect the term with Police Law and judiciary.

I, Vaibhav Srinivasan, solemnly declare that this article is based on a true experience and some introspection, I encountered few days back in my “Air-conditioned” and creativity confined office campus, which stands erect as a beauty of modern day steel structure completely glossy and amusing in the SEZ outside city limits. Yes., Very same office building, the perfect capitalist in terms of current consumption when the whole state sacrifices their needs for few thousand machines and professionals working inside.

The incident was very simple. Late night beyond 11:30PM, house keepers were allowed to clean our floors and one young fellow, probably of my age has manhandled a small glass article kept on a table. The ability of the sweeper to enjoy the artistic beauty of the fancy doll kept in my colleague’s table was kindled and when he tried to do it away from the eyes of his supervisor, he had failed and in tension he dropped the same.

It resulted in a fuss created by his superior to show off. He scolded very badly and used the term accused. The poor fellow was sent out of the scene getting tagged as misfit and I met him at the corridor when I was on my way for a late night coffee. I took him along with me when I realized the tears rolling down his cheeks.

We were in the fourth floor corridor and he started to talk slowly after wiping his cheeks... Let me put the terms in his plain blatant style and of course I just translate here and surely no exaggeration. He started as…

(Pointing out to a distant place down) There can you see sir? Some small hill kind of thing... I am coming from a village near that hill. We were, of course, a happy family with my dad and mom being the Farming coolie and I was busy with my schooling. We had very little money. I was like all other village lads, who were benefited by the free education from Govt.

Rains betrayed us.. Tractors and other Farm Equipments completely ruined us.. There was no need for Farming coolie and then came the announcement from our Govt. Our Village, safely inside from the sea border, was identified as hot spot for SEZ. We were assured of regular jobs, development, infrastructure, connectivity and what not. For the first time in my life we all had dreamt of seeing our village turning like MADRAS!!  

Cars, internet, Tar roads.. Facilities to come and cater us... It’s going to employ us as well. We were asked to leave our lands and we left our huts and even an asbestos sheeted accommodation was given to us.

Land owners gave away their land to Govt. and were settled with prices. We, the landless laborers were either taken as security guards, or house-keeping assistants. Initially, my mom was washing plates in the cafeteria you eat and my dad was the security guard in Gate-2. Now that competition came for us from North and those guys were ready to grab our chances for very less wages. Helpless, we were… My dad is now sent out of job and he turned lunatic and my mom falls ill often and she couldn’t work well. When I had the dream of learning something artistic, now I am left with no other options to run my family.

He continued with lots of his own story. I came back to my seat and googled with some serious thoughts and here are my findings…

Suicides have become common nowadays. Be it IITian or a farmer… It is a serious problem now. In Tamil Nadu alone, number of farmer suicide occurrences were 500 in 2008 and 1260 in 2009. For a quintal of paddy, manufacturing cost is like 1500 INR and the acquiring cost by Govt. itself is 700-1100 INR.

Tamil Nadu’s demand of food grains annually is 170 Lakh tonnes while the production is just 80 Lakh tonnes. If Karnataka and Andhra doesn’t supply us food, my friend, we are on the verge of starvation. The cost of fertilizers too increasing and the land loses it productivity gradually due to chemicals.

Statistics shut me down and I seriously realized even the domination is in power supply. I started wondering in what way the SEZs are qualified enough to exploit our Agriculture and small-scale industries. I got reminded of my project mate in college, Prasanthi, with whom I had argued much and only now I realize that I had nothing worth arguing and even now I can’t let off my job and stop anything that’s beyond my control. 

I frankly admit that I am currently eaten up by present-selfishness rather than future worries. I want to eat today and so I earn... But when the fear of tomorrow’s food availability comes in me, I get worried. My community should not stay hungry. I am currently developing software which in no direct means would feed a hungry person. And in due process I am sure I would have indirectly exploited farmers to whom the land originally belonged to...

By all means, I tried to justify my stand. But despite doing that.. I admit I feel guilty..

No solution... Whatsoever from me!!!

Just the article ENDS and not my worries…!!!

Pictures courtesy: Google!!! :)