Week 4 - If a Flower Bloomed in a Dark Room...
As I mentioned last week, I thought I would dive deeper into the caste system, and how its psychological conditioning affect the way Indians see each other. I am also a participant in this delusion. But how! I am a cultured, progressive American, “woke” as some might say (not me) – so how can I be a part of this broken system?
When I was young, my family took a road trip outside of Mumbai – I cannot remember to where, exactly. The important thing is that we were driving for a while, and it was my first time outside the city limits. There is only one main road to get anywhere, and the condition of the road deteriorated exponentially as we drove further out. Of course, at some point we got stuck. Somebody’s cart had flipped over up ahead, trying to avoid a truck hurtling toward them. As we inched along, a few beggars appeared on the side. They were children, probably no older than I was at the time. One or two of them started tapping on the window, but the car kept moving. I had a few coins in my pocket, and without thinking, I started to roll the window down. Power windows were not a thing in India yet. Before I knew it, my mother hurriedly rolled it back up, admonishing me. “Don’t ever give people on the street money!”
“But, why? I’m only giving them two rupees.” That probably amounted to two cents back then.
“Because if one of them see you give money, the rest will come too. Everybody will want money, and you can’t give to all of them.”
The kids already noticed me. It was already over. Dozens more people, of all ages now, appeared out of the monsoon haze. They swarmed the car, suffocating it from the road. I could not see anything in front of me except for their longing, desperate, primal faces. I was terrified. I closed my eyes tight, and I did not open them until I felt the car moving. After that, I had learned my lesson. It was better to ignore them than to try and get involved.
It is that sentiment that prevails the Indian middle class today. It is why I still never acknowledge anybody who taps on my window when I visit today. The caste system has created an environment where there is little motivation for anybody to help out the disadvantaged. Most of the time, it is easier to look away and focus on Now, the problem has become too large to ignore.
There is a happy ending to this! There are protests and uprisings happening across the country, with the lower classes banding together and trying to take a bigger stand for their rights. It is why there are volunteer lawyers here at IBJ, working tirelessly on top of their actual jobs to ensure that as many people get representation and justice as possible. Today, a multitude of young lawyers and law students are trying to solve injustice.
Recently, IBJ filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) to help secure the release of almost 300 pre-trial detainees across the Delhi prison system. A PIL is an attempt to rectify a situation where the public’s interests are undermined by the government. It is a rule of law declared by the court, in order to deliver prompt social justice more directly. These people were charged only with minor crimes and had already been granted bail. However, due to their inability pay the bond or follow certain bail conditions, they remained in jail. Most of the time, their stay in prison pre-trial is greater than the maximum sentence that could be imposed if they were found guilty. Through the PIL, many of these people will have their sentences greatly reduced or commuted, and a number of cases will be dismissed because of the greater public scrutiny. Everybody has the same rights – some just feel more entitled to them than others.
My boss has a saying that gets to the point: The poor should not get poor justice. Ensure equal justice, and get one step closer to true equality.
See you next week!