Kolkata Korner

Peaceful Co-existence
Kolkata witnessed a very significant development earlier this week, and one thatcould've been adapted as a model for amicably resolving the highly contentious'Big Retail Vs Kirana store' issue across the country. A large outlet ofSpencer's, the retail chain promoted by the RPG Group, was to have opened on anarterial South Kolkata road that's over-populated by hawkers last weekend. Butthe opening was stalled by the hawkers who feared loss of livelihood. 

The mayor intervened, invited both sides to the negotiating table andthrashed out a solution. The 36,000-sqaure foot store, as per the agreement,would restrict itself to selling rice, fruits and vegetables in units of atleast three kilos, spices in packs of 500 grams and above and branded garmentscosting at least Rs 300. This way, the store would not pose any threat to thehawkers. 

Yes, the conditions imposed on the store may fly in the face of theprinciples governing a free market economy and free competition, but theinterests and livelihood security of the hawkers also need to be kept in mind.And it was hoped that the conditions, which appear to be on the steeper side,would be relaxed so that many others who may want to shop at Spencer's, but forjust two kilos of potatoes, would be able to do so. 

The CITU, which was also involved in the negotiations, seemed to have playedan uncharacteristically responsible role, more so when its leaders said thatthese same conditions could not be imposed on other big-format retail storesthat'll come up in other parts of the city or the state. This Spencer's store,since it was coming up in an area where nearly 6000 hawkers ply their wares, hadstricter conditions; another coming up where there are just a couple of hundredhawkers may be able to sell spices in packs of just 50 grams while another in anarea free of hawkers would not face any restrictions at all. 

There is enough space for both big retail and small traders to flourishwithout stepping onto each others' toes.

Hopes Belied
But then, as with so many other things in this city, the arrangement is alreadyunder threat. And the hawkers are solely responsible for this. Having tastedblood, the hawkers have started imposing additional and stiffer conditions onthe store. A large group of militant, offensive, foul-mouthed hawkers barged ina few days ago to carry out a noisy 'inspection' of the store. It has now becomeclear that they're not interested in co-existing peacefully with the store, butin disrupting the latter's business. 

And in this, I have no doubt, they're being encouraged, at least tacitly, bythe CITU. Because, for the CITU, the numerically strong hawkers represent a votebank. Never mind that they're squatting illegally on pavements that are meantfor pedestrians, thus forcing the latter to take to the hazardous roads at greatrisk to their lives and limbs. Kolkata's hawkers have resisted all attempts todislodge them; and they're too deeply entrenched in the system of spoils to getuprooted so easily. The hafta collected from them reaches the pockets of toppolice and civic officials; the hawkers also contribute handsomely to thecoffers of the CITU and the political parties. 

This is, however, not to dispute their right to livelihood. These hawkershave families to provide for and, even if they were to be removed from thepavements, must be provided alternate spaces to carry on their businesses at thesame volumes as at present. Their livelihood security must be ensured. But thestrong-arm tactics that they indulge in, as in their dealings with the Spencer'sstore, or their determined resistance to all efforts to discipline them or makethem adhere to some order (like occupying only one-third of the width of apavement) can never be condoned. The hawkers, and the leadership of the hawkers'union, needs to realise that they're not above the law (despite the hafta theypay to the local police station) and there are norms of decency and civilizedbehaviour they should adhere to.

Who's To Blame?
There is, however, a much bigger issue than unruly hawkers forcing pedestriansoff the roads here. The very fact that lakhs of people are forced to peddlewares on Kolkata's streets for a living, and the fact that this has beenhappening for decades now, and the fact that the number of hawkers is increasingby the day, speaks volumes about the utter failure of those who rule Bengal toimprove the plight of the masses. It is also a sad reflection on the poor stateof Bengal's economy. 

The lakhs of young men—and, of late, many women as well—who take toselling various goods ranging from sewing needles to lingerie and crockery onKolkata's streets do so because they've no other means of livelihood. Many holduniversity degrees, a majority have passed their higher secondary. They ought tohave been working in factories, corporate houses and in the service sector, withsome becoming entrepreneurs. But the ruination of Bengal, caused by suicidalpolicies formulated and pursued by adamant adherents to an archaic anddiscredited ideology, has left lakhs out on Kolkata's streets. 

But having said that, it must also be added that the hawkers themselves havemade no effort over the past few years to move to a higher station. Thesehawkers are the post-1965 illegal migrants (refugees, many would argue) fromerstwhile East Pakistan. They fled persecution and worse and came over withlittle more than just the tattered clothes they were wearing. There wasn't muchof a rehabilitation effort on the part of the government and these unfortunatemillions were pretty much left on their own. 

They grabbed lands and settled down wherever they could and took up whatevervocations they could find. After all, having lost all their possessions and manyfamily members, they were a desperate lot. And they've carried on, as vegetableand fish vendors, hawkers, petty traders, clerks and minions in offices, busdrivers and conductors, auto-rickshaw drivers, farm labourers etc. Very few ofthem have done well subsequently and moved up in life. 

The 'Sarbaharas'
These illegal migrants, who like to call themselves 'sarbaharas' (ones who'velost everything), have the peculiar tendency of wallowing in their misery,blaming the world for their misfortune, and expecting doles in perpetuity. Yes,they got a worse deal than those who fled West Pakistan at the time of Partitionbecause the union and Punjab government rolled out generous rehab packages forthem. But all said and done, the refugees to Punjab were enterprising,hard-working and ambitious and are, now, big traders, industrialists,professionals etc. The one from East Pakistan who chose a small patch in apavement five decades ago to do petty business is still there, full of angst,expecting the world and the rest of humanity to somehow feel guilty and dosomething for him. 

He has modest savings, but will never use that to start a new business or toshift vocations. His stall on the pavement yields enough to put rice, dal and,occasionally, a small piece of fish, on his plate and he's happy with that; hewon't make any effort (at least not the hard-working and enterprising way) toincrease his earnings. Most hawkers, according to many surveys, have largefamilies despite their poverty. Their kids, thanks to them, have the samenegative attitude. The stories we hear of them scoring high marks and gettingadmission to medical or engineering colleges are exceptions to the rule. Wedon't, of course, hear of a single case of any of them or their childrenbecoming successful entrepreneurs. They'll continue to occupy Kolkata'spavements, assert their moral right to do so (they're, after all, 'sarbaharas')and will continue to resist big-format retail stores, thus forcing Kolkatans toshop from the pavements and filthy markets. We, after all, have to empathisewith those who fled persecution. And so what if that happened four decades -- ormore -- ago?

Red Rise
The CPI(M) rode to power in Bengal on the unqualified support of the 'sarbaharas',who came to regard the Marxists as their saviours. The Congress, which was inpower then, was regarded by the refugees as a party that's unconcerned andunsympathetic to their plight and a party of the original residents of WestBengal (the 'Ghotis') who, naturally, resented the large-scale influx of thefolks from East Pakistan (the 'Bangals'). But once in power, the Marxists didlittle for the 'sarbaharas', save for handing out small doles and favoursoccasionally. 

However, they (the reds) spewed rhetoric to retain the support of therefugees and managed to convince the latter that New Delhi's "step-motherlyattitude" was to blame for their plight and all of Bengal's ills. Thiscontinues to this day. And it is no wonder then that the CPI(M) and the CITUwill support militant hawkers, rouge bus drivers, rash auto-drivers and lazyclerks and minions in offices. These are the 'sarbaharas', after all, and needto be treated with kid gloves.

Exceptions
There are, however, many exceptions to the general 'sarbaharas'. Like aneighbour of mine, a joint family actually. The head of the family, now anoctogenarian, fled with his five kids and sister-in-law from East Pakistan afterhis wife and another daughter were brutally raped and murdered there. He was theheadmaster of a school there and, belonging to a family of large landlords, wascomfortably off. He arrived here in 1968 with a handful of belongings and hiswife's jewelry, pawned them to set up a small shop at Jadavpur and opened asmall tutorial. He ensured his kids got good education and inculcated the rightvalues. His tutorial went on to become one of the most reputable in Kolkata,thanks to his hard work and diligence and the small grocery has now expandedinto a department store. 

He also started a metal forging unit that's flourishing and, despite his age,is now planning to open a chain of small discount stores in various parts of thecity with his elder son, a businessman. Another son, with a post-graduate degreein renewable energy, has his own unit manufacture solar panels and other suchdevices; two of his daughters are scientists with the ISRO and another son isone of Bengal's leading horticulturists. 

Sudhanshu Shekhar Roy, this remarkable man, is also in the forefront of acampaign to discourage hawkers from taking up more space on the city'spavements. So why doesn't he empathise with those who, like him, lost everythingin East Pakistan and came over as refugees? "People who flaunt theirrefugee status even after so many decades deserve no sympathy; they areresponsible for their own sorry plight. If a person has the determination,nothing can stop him and her from achieving his goals. Unfortunately, most of us(who came over from East Pakistan) still indulge in self-pity and just don'twant to do anything on our own, preferring instead to depend on the governmentand the ruling party for small favours. They're a disgrace," this gentlemantold a local TV news channel the other day. 

Well said, and precisely my point. 

Also, this large and prosperous family serve as a model of a successful jointfamily system; all siblings and their spouses and children live in happyharmony. They're also model citizens: they've led campaigns to make our areaclean and green, unclog storm water drains, improve street lighting and evenhelped launch a small, experimental garbage segregation and disposal system.Kolkata owes them a lot and will never be able to repay the Roys; the hawkersowe a huge lot to Kolkata and will never be able to repay their mounting debtsto this city.