The Meetings in Villages

Of the several interesting rural experiences that I have one that is fairly common is that of addressing a gathering of villagers of which more than a quarter are drunk to the gills. This, early in the morning. Anyone would have felt disconcerted in such a situation but I have learnt to welcome such meetings. Any gathering with one fourth of them in high spirits lends itself to an exciting event. It offers the only excitement in such meetings and I actually look forward to such gatherings. The odor of alcohol in the air is enough indication that one can expect a heady time at the meeting. Another thing I have learnt from my rural experiences is that there are people in this part of the world who begin their day not with a cup of tea but with a bottle of country liquor.

I have learnt to spot those who have had a drink before coming to the meeting. It is easy to recognize them. Their eyes are glazed and they give you a peculiar stare as if sizing you up. Of course, once they open their mouths their secret will be out. Not only will the smell be a dead give away their mindless talk is another indication. For some reason the people who have had a drink before coming to the meeting are those who are eager to say something. Their babble begins even before the meeting commences and goes on non-stop until they are driven away, which, I found out can be very difficult. What one does is continue with the meeting ignoring the interruptions. These guys shut up on their own but sometimes such meetings end in interesting ways. Like the one that I had attended the other day.

In villages the meetings are usually held in the open or under a huge tree in the village center or even in cattle sheds like in the accompanying picture. Sometimes someone arranges for a tent overhead for shade. It was under one such tent that I sat under in a village waiting for the farmers to gather. The farmers don’t come in a group. One by one they trickle in and take their seats on the plastic sheet spread on the ground. On that day there weren’t many farmers gathered to listen to us but it was a sizeable crowd numbering about twenty five. Of them at least three were drunk. The youngest was a dark guy wearing a lungi who was already mumbling to himself. After the meeting began he started interrupting the talk. ‘Saar, tell me…’ he would begin. Other farmers tried to make him shut up but he went on about some problem that was common to all. Soon, he got into an argument with another villager. The argument continued on the sides even as the meeting proceeded. Just as we were completing our talk the drunk and the other person got up and began gesticulating angrily at each other. In the blink of an eye they started trading punches and ended up tearing each others’ shirts. We did what the government usually does in such situations, which is, to simply watch the proceedings.

It is quite a disconcerting experience to be at the receiving end of a volley of abuses and taunts from someone you know. But it is an entirely different experience to face a torrent of abuses and angry talk from someone whom you have not seen until that day. This is what many government employees working in the rural areas face quite regularly. The villagers usually have some grouse or the other with the government and they take it out on the nearest available government servant. Of course, their grievance may be genuine but most of them do not know that not every government servant is responsible for their problems.

In the beginning of my career I was unnerved in such situations but I soon learnt that it is best to let the person give vent to his anger. Later on, they come closer to you and talk nicely to you, telling you that you were not the target of his outburst. The other day this is what happened the moment we stepped into the village. The entire team of officials accompanying me was subject to a fusillade of choice abuses from a couple of villagers. They don’t look at you while shouting in a loud voice about the injustice done to them. They usually calm down after sometime. What upsets me is that many people do not understand that not all benefits the government gives to people reach everyone. Only a selected and eligible few get the sops from the government. The only thing I learn from such visits to villages is that there is still a lot the government has to do for the people in the villages. Until then we government folks have to face the music.