Gandhi's Gujarat

I have returned to GUjarat after spending seven years away from it..so much has happened during these years and I am no more the same Gujarati youth. I have changed and so is my perspective. I am now observing Gujarat and my people from this new perspetive and realsing how different I have become from the person who left GUjarat on August 4th, 2001.
There are certain things about the society here that i amn ow finding very peculiar. It must have always been like that but I am getting more aware about it with my improved conscience. There are three points that I have observed during teh first week of my stay here and would like to write about it. Here is the first one to begin with:

Extreme consciousness of caste (not religion) in Gandhi's Gujarat:
At a rented accomodation in a poshed residentail township in Ahmedabad, we have hired a help to do sweeping, mopping and cleaning tasks. She happily agreed and started work. I instructed her to do dusting and use toilet cleaner for cleaning it at a regular interval. Day 1, she said she is in a hurry and also need to cook at her house, and so she will do toilet only tomorrow. Fine. The next day, she says, I will not do toilet since I have to cook at my home later in the day. The message that we learnt from neighbour later on was that the regular help does not do toilet bathroom here arguing that it is the job of 'dhedha' ( a Gujarati slang for Harijan/ schedule caste). The very next day, the guy who comes to collect garbage asks us confidently that he can do the toilet bathroom. He knew that our maid has refused to do it. Quite a networking among the helps. This gentlemen belongs to teh schedule caste. I was quite amazed at how social hierarchy is still prevalent and forms a part of extreme consciousness of even informal workers like household helps. Gandhi - the son of Gujarat and the father of nation - tried so harder to abolish untouchability more than a few decades ago. This, however seems to have failed in his own Gujarat. Sad. I have decided to follow his own path. I decided that I will clean my bathroom and toilets and if I get someone to do it, I will also ask him to do all cleaning without restricting their role to certain tasks.

Comments

  1. pradeep.guinSeptember 5, 2008 at 1:31 AM

    I am so very happy and at the same time proud of this Gujarati friend of mine. I must say that in the pursuit of changing your environ you have already taken the first step. Keep going!!

    It is quiet ironical that while B is taking her first baby steps in the land of Gandhi, M too is taking his first 'baby step' in bringing a change! A change dreamt and initiated by the very same son of this soil. Make her, and as many a part of this slow and progressive change. Good luck.

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