Strike That

I have got to start reading the newspaper. This morning I woke up early and made sure I was at work by 8:50. My boss had called last night to tell me a group of American women would be visiting and were thinking about funding the program so there was a lot to prepare. “Ma’am” even planned to come herself for the first time since I’ve been here. Anyway, when I got there, Nandan told me the visit was cancelled because of the strike. “What strike?” He told me the shopkeepers were striking again for two days because the Supreme Court had ordered the police to start sealing more shops after a hiatus. Schools were closed for fear of traffic disruptions and attacks on buses. I was a bit alarmed that I’d gone out without knowing any of this (yes, I just put the “Times of India” online as my homepage), but I figured it would be like the other times. A nuisance maybe. We’d come home and turn on the news and see pictures of isolated chaos made to look like it’s all over the city and headlines like “Delhi Under Siege” and laugh at the absurdity of it.

But today was different. Today I felt really frightened for the first time. I left work at 11:30 for an appointment and got there no problem. After the meeting I hopped in another autorickshaw for the 10-minute ride home. 3 minutes in, there was a small fire in the road. Not much of anything to speak of. There was no one around and the fire blocked only about a quarter of the road. Then, we came to a bigger fire and a line of traffic. The auto driver swerved around the fire and then pulled to the side of the road. “Nahi ja paunga.” “I won’t be able to go.” Ahead, I could see some smoke and a crowd of people. “Go back then,” I told him, figuring there had to be another way to get home, just wanting to get the hell out of there. No matter what, I was not getting out. Rickshaws don’t provide much protection but it’s better than just being out on the street. he started moving ahead and I clutched my bag trying to figure out what I’d do if we ended up in the middle of a mob. An enormous group of men protesting and shouting slogans moved up the street. They looked upset but not so angry they’d be violent. Or that’s what I told myself. Along with, they’d never hurt a girl. Cops walked by wearing bulletproof vests. There were smaller fires along the road. I saw one protester try to keep a cycle rickshaw from moving and for a brief moment thought they might not let us by. But we got through it fine and the rest of the trip home was uneventful.

Payal is home, too. Her college is closed and a friend called to tell her Hauz Khas, where there school is, is really bad, so she should just stay in. On the news, the city looks awful, and today I’m more inclined to believe it. I have a doctor’s appointment in a couple of hours after putting it off for days. I really need to go, but Payal talked me into staying home. The doctor said these guys usually fizzle out by the afternoon so I might be able to make it this evening. We’ll see. I know even magical antibiotics aren't worth taking a chance over.

I'm a little shaken up, which is good I think because I will pay more attention now. Obviously it's never safe to be caught in the middle of a mob situation because it can turn violent out of nowhere. But I really do believe that these are fundamentally non-violent people whose livelihoods--and their families' lives--are on the line. It's a big thing in India that all men have wives, sisters, and daughters of their own and so most of them would do anything to protect women. It was scary, yes, but I was probably in no actual danger.

I understand a little more about the political situation now. A few years ago the Delhi government came up with a “Master Plan” for development of the city that was unrealistic given the current realities. However, the plan was approved by the Supreme Court. In order to set the plan in motion, “illegal” buildings, etc. have to be eliminated and areas that are more than 80% residential must not have businesses in them. Now, city officials have realized it will be incredibly difficult to do this, and the people are angry, and it will potentially lead to a great deal of violent protest. Nandan told me today that many shopkeepers feel if their businesses die, they will die, too, so they are willing to die to protect them. But the Supreme Court has ordered the city to continue with the sealings anyway. Great, huh?

Here’s an interesting article I just found about how most of Delhi is illegal. It’s from several months ago but is worth a read.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4665330.stm

And here’s an article about what’s going on today, but do a Google News Search if you’re interested in more.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6123252.stm