Feverish About Mela

By APURVA RAI

Regrettably recreational and entertainment events are scarce in our society even though ours is a culturally rich nation. The modern-day society has also evolved in such a way where there is not much place for fairs, shows and events, particularly highlighting Indian traditions and culture.

Modernity has brought in multiplex culture and it is fashionable to visit them if you want to be known as an upwardly mobile person. Still, do you get the desired happiness or you go there with your family and make it your day. As far as my information goes a large number of people still do not go to watch a movie in a multiplex with their families; first it is very unaffordable and second we rarely have a cinema that stands up to the expectations and liking of all family members.

Yet another gift of modern-day society are shopping malls. Metropolitan cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi/NCR, Hyderabad etc have some very plush malls with superb air conditioning and high class shops which display goods and articles that you cannot afford to buy easily and just stand outside with eyes wide open and saying 'wow, next time I will buy this dress on my birthday'. Hanging around inside a mall has become a favourite past time among urbanites because there is no entry fee and you can be there as long as you wish. Secondly, the malls pamper your desires and elevate your ambitions. Just grab a softy and occupy a seat in the food court or walk around for free window shopping in air conditioned environs. Several hours gone and your spirits are on top of the world.

What else other than a movie in a multiplex or a visit to the shopping mall? Well, you have a few theatre, dance and drama shows, music concerts, painting exhibitions etc but once again the entry tickets are expensive here too. As an exception, you have some shows where you can obtain an invite but that does not come always. All these have a select audience which is, by and large, financially well off and does not mind spending an extra buck for an evening of entertainment.

In such a scenario the middle class section, striving to strike a balance between the wallet and a good taste, is hit hard.  Watching a movie with the entire family is exorbitant. Sometimes the husband-wife watch a movie of their choice together and sometimes the children go with their friends and spend some pocket money in a film or food court or both. This is how happiness is derived  in most our middle class families and they are able to maintain a 'standard of living' as well. 

Strangely and for unknown reasons the culture of street music, street dancing, street plays or public display of paintings has not taken off in India though we have imitated the West up to the hilt. The middle class person is, thus, deprived of an easy, effective, appealing, tasteful and pocket-friendly medium of collective entertainment. We get 'very busy' in meeting social and family obligations or just confine ourselves within the boundaries of our home and spend time talking on phone, watching soaps or reality shows or fiddling with the keyboard of our laptops. There are very few of us who have developed or pursue some kind of indoor hobby like music, singing, cooking, sewing, embroidery, gardening etc; so this recreational activity is also ruled out. So what to eat and what to wear largely keeps us engaged during weekends.

The Dussehra festivities have concluded in most of north India and preparations are underway to celebrate Deepavali-- the festival of lights and happiness. The biggest attraction of these festivities is staging of Ramlila-- the biggest socio-cultural event that takes place in every city of north India, big or small, and attracts huge crowd for both, religious and entertainment reasons. It is perhaps the only known public stage show where, by and large, there is no entry ticket and more importantly there should not be one.

Yet another attraction of Ramlila is the local roadside flea market that springs alongside the show. Though children are more excited even the elders wait for the mela, as we all call it, where colourful bow and arrow, small shiny swords, clay or plastic toys and lots of food and snacks attract attention. Brightly lit and very well illuminated entertainment activities like magic shows, photo shoot in makeshift studios, seesaw, giant wheel rides and rifle shooting and much more go on to create an atmosphere of fun, happiness and entertainment. 

In practical terms the nine-day complete show brings with it employment opportunity for hundreds of people and also provides business platform opportunities for local vendors. It would definitely be silly to talk of standard and quality of production as such these things rarely carry any meaning on such occasions.

Right from my childhood days till date, when I have already spent over five decades of my life, I wait for Navratra when Ramlila is staged and the mela is organised. I have been a regular to the mela while I was growing and lived with my parents in north Delhi's Shakti Nagar locality. Luck favoured me when we shifted to Noida in National Capita Region (NCR) after my father raised a small house for us even though I was a grown up youth by now.

Which builder gives spare chunk of land?

Ramlila Ground, adjacent to Noida Stadium and just a walking distance behind my home is perhaps the only multi-purpose open space where Ramlila event is annual affair. Besides this the ground also serves as space to organise numerous events, fairs, shows or exhibitions. During Navratras the Ramlila Ground turns into home to a large event, with a rural hint. I see a thousands of people thronging to the place covering long distance and staying in fast upcoming plush societies or townships where luxurious living is the keyword to modernity your life is a style statement. Builder apartments, as they are famous, are home to new age living with many facilities like a gym, spa, jogging track, swimming pool, golf course, colourful fountains and much more but never provide even a single inch of space to follow your traditions and open air cultural events. The builders are not even shy selling the greenery and openness but fall short of describing the size of single chunk of land they spare for the residents. This is called an age of commercialisation and traditions do not fetch revenues.

Then Ramlila Ground, falling at the crossing of sectors 12 and 22 in Noida is a single large piece of land-- undeveloped, uneven, congested, noisy and over-occupied during fairs where you can find people rubbing shoulders with one another. Still, I wait for the whole year for the ten-day Ramlila Mela which is distinctly different and draws my fancy more than any city mall or the glitters of a township.

The entry to the mela is free and people start gathering here from five in the evening. I have never failed to visit the event even once in the last three decades of my stay in Noida. Reaching here I find not only the commonest of common man visiting the place but there are people from upper middle class too. Of course, such people will abstain from this dusty, crowded and rustic place who believe in show off culture and have mere bookish or half knowledge about the ground realities of our country. 

The mela has makeshift shops lined up from one corner to another displaying and selling local stuff of all kind. There are small vendors who display and sell their goods on the ground to make small gains. Besides this there are lots of food stalls selling all kinds of desi stuff or even the localised version of everyone's favourite chowmein or burgers. No one can ever match the rock bottom prices though hygeine is an issue one can raise issues about. Yet the food stalls are fully occupied and do a brisk business.

Time changes quickly; in my childhood days we bought small, colourful, hand-painted clay toys but now they are replaced by the ones made of plastic. While there is a ban on use of plastic bags but toys are sold without any questions asked. Anyway toys are toys and we all love them. I used to buy some for my son when he was a kid but now that he has grown up and lives abroad I still find a reason or two to buy a few, particularly for the children of our domestic help. I have a firm belief that even if a small purchase is made from these poor, street vendors it not only gives you a strong and happy feeling of satisfaction that you have helped someone who is working hard even at late hours to bring joy in his family.

Ramlila Mela in Noida is replete with rural flavour, fervour, clamour and ambience. While there is no nautanki, the stage drama of yesteryears prevalent in rural India you have all other ingredients like a small magic show, culture show, bike stunt in 'Maut ka Kuan' or the death well, a very indigenous or more appropriately a makeshift desi photo studio to welcome you. These are the things that are on the wane in modern malls or luxurious townships. Various events are held in the malls too but all that is commercial venture and in no way supports our traditions, poor artisans, small vendors or fast disappearing folk art or music.

The festivities conclude after ten days of extravaganza. People return to their homes, food stalls disappear, shopkeepers pack up and the Ramlila Ground once again looks like a barren piece of land or gets ready for some other public exhibition.

I am also back home with lots of happy memories. But my wait begins for the next year when yet another chapter of the mela will bring back my childhood , the excitement, enthusiasm and energy for life and make me feel young. Every year the mela come and, for me, every year its like yesterday once more.

NOTE
Copy/ Paste following link to read my another Blog in Hindi
'बदला दौर, बदली दिवाली'

http://apurvarai.blogspot.com/2010/11/blog-post.html

DELHI POLLUTION- CHECK 'GREEN AGENDA' OF BUILDERS

BY APURVA RAI

EMPLOYMENT opportunities and business atmosphere has attracted millions and millions of people to the national capital of Delhi over past several decades. The situation has reached a stage that Delhi is now also known as the city of migrants.

Once working and earning in Delhi housing became the next challenge for the migrant population. Though there were other requirements too but they all became secondary. Most of the people who came to Delhi preferred to stay back and settle in the capital. As the income grew and people stabilised they started buying a house for their families. Soon a house in the national capital not only became a matter of social status but also a precious commodity.

More people meant more houses and the number kept rising. Slowly space in the national capital became scarce and nearby places like Noida in Uttar Pradesh and Gurgaon, Faridabad in Haryana became part of the capital thus expanding its land area. The nearby areas, now famous as National Captal Region (NCR) too have became populous making properties dearer day by day. With sky-rocketng prices of property Delhi is today one of the best place to invest and see your capital multiplying in a short span of time.

With rising cost and growing demand Delhi and NCR saw a surge in construction activities. Heavy construction work, particularly in Noida Extension, also led to heavy air pollution thus adversely affecting health of the people. The situation has become so alarming that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had to impose a ban on construction activity in #Noidaextension.

BLACK MONEY PUMPED
Growing air pollution in NCR, particularly Noida Extension, raises a pertinent question that what purpose these numerous housing societies are serving. Are Do they really fulfill the need of a shelter for a common man or that they have become just an investment opportunity. One may also go on to say that those who have bought an apartment for their needs are in debts from banks while others are mere shifting homes to see a change in lifestyle. One should not hesitate to mention that many of these apartments are yet another place of investment for those who have surplus or black money.

Thus one thing becomes clear that such a huge construction activity is not genuinely linked to the needs of the people. It should be said with authority that people are breathing polluted air to help a limited few see a change in their lifestyles or another few pump in their black money.

Buying an apartment in Noida, Noida Extension, Greater Noida, Faridabad or Gurgaon is not a joke and is by and large beyond the reach of 'aam admi'. In the absence of any policy for affordable housing the builders sell their flats at fancy prices by counting on various luxuries or other features to attract as many buyers.

Meet the 'homeless' people of Delhi and each one has a story to narrate. What one commonly comes to know is that they have booked an apartment which is expected to be delivered in a few years and that they are already under loan from a bank to meet its cost. Majority of these people pay rents and the EMIs together and are not yet sure how soon will they shift to the home of their dreams. Pressed hard by house rents and the EMIs now people have medical bills to add to their woes. Dust rising from construction areas has covered the entire Delhi and NCR leading children and senior citizens become victims of growing air pollution.

NO AFFORDABLE HOMES
One cannot deny the fact that housing is an important need for all of us but do we, indeed, need the kind of housing activity that is taking place in NCR. The kind of apartments that are selling in the region certainly do not fall in the category of 'affordable homes'. Every builder boasts of numerous features in his township but the reality is that most of these features are meant to squeeze more money from the pocket of the buyer who breathes poor quality of air and runs around the hospitals paying the remaining money in his wallet.

It is totally lop-sided policy of the government which keeps its eyes closed while auctioning or selling land to builders. If the governmet was people-friendly and indeed serious for a clean environment then it would have laid following guidelines:

a) More than half of the land alloted shall be used to construct affordable homes

b) Nobody shall be allowed to own more than two homes

c) The towers should be so constructed that they have a play area or a big park in between

d) Twenty per cent of land should be developed as an orchard, green area, large garden etc

e) Only limited blocks may be allowed to be sold as luxury houses. This will give scope to the builder to earn a good profit by selling 'dream homes'.

Such guidelines would ensure that greenery lost by way of paving way for construction of urban townships is restored to some extent. By putting a cap on ownership of number of homes people will not be able to go on 'home shopping spree' and thus will at some stage lead to restrict construction activity.

NGT MAY IMPOSE PENALTY ON DEFAULTERS
Delhi and NCR is appropriately called concrete jungle and the people of Delhi have to run out of the town during vacations in search of green or natural surrounding. Study carefully and you will find that every builder or developer claims of constructing towers amidst vast green area. But a visit to  many of these townships will leave you hunting for that vast greenery. Stand on the balcony of any flat and you are confronted with another tower. It is rare to find apartments facing parks and open lands.

More so, not a single builder specifies areas for construction activity and areas left for greenery.

This is where the role of #NGT becomes crucial. If a builder has specified the green area in his townshop and has not followed it earnestly then he needs to be penalised heavily. In fact, the inspection for green areas should be done during construction period only so that there is scope to cover up for the lost greenery.


The National Green Tribunal should also specify number of townships that may come up in a given area. Thr agency may come up with clear guidelines on the size of green area that should be compulsoraily developed while allotting land to housing societies. For example, in a range of seven kms over one km could be compulsory green belt. This will reduce construction activity on entire vacant land and the green belt will serve as breather for the inhabitants.

The NGT has banned construction activity in Noida Extension for causing air pollution. Will the ban serve any purpose in fighting air pollution. The NGT, therefore, should look for unallotted land and help develop it for promotion of greenery.

While the government invites tenders for developing townships the NGT may invited tenders for developing green belts. This way there will be some control over construction activity and air pollution in urban areas may come uder control.

BUILDERS DO NOT CARE FOR CLEAN AIR
If the #builders were so careful and honest towards greenery the quality of air in Delhi would still have been 'breathable' and that ailments like #asthama would not have become so common here. While profit-making remains the sole objective of the builders greenery is just a selling item for them.

Most builders have earned the dubious distinction of cheating people on false promises. Majority have failded to deliver their projects adding miseries to the lives of #aamadmi. The builders talk of luxuries in the apartments, modernt lifestyle, shopping bonanza and much more but how many talks of huge lawns, theme-based greenland (like developing botanical garden, fruit garden, mini zoo, flower valley etc). There are many who boast of huge golf course but how useful is it to infants who need to be taken for ride in a pram, for children who need to play in evening, for pregnant women who ned morning-evening walks, for senior citizens who want to gossip under a tree and so on.

The builders show you a dream and you fall in their trap. The Second Opinion says that ask the builder to come with detailed roadmap on green belt and its maintenance if you are serious to fight #airpollution in your city. The Second Opinion also discourages multi-ownership of apartments bcause this is not going to solve the housing problem of masses.

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NOTE

Also read other my other pieces:

Copy/ Paste the given links to reads these Blogs. 

1) BECOMING KEJRIWAL! (2019)
https://apurvaopinion.blogspot.com/2020/02/becoming-kejriwal.html

2) हवा ही है ज़हरीली (2019)

http://apurvarai.blogspot.com/2019/12/blog-post.html 

3) अब दिल्ली महानगरपाविका चुनाव (2017)

http://apurvarai.blogspot.com/2017/04/blog-post.html

4) Monsoon and Delhi Roads (2017)

https://apurvaopinion.blogspot.com/2017/07/monsoon-and-delhi-roads.html

5) Delhi Fights Pollution: Odds Come Again (2016)

https://apurvaopinion.blogspot.com/2016/04/delhi-fights-pollution-odds-come-again.html

6) Delhi Pollution: Fighting Odds to make Things Even (2016)

https://apurvaopinion.blogspot.com/2016/01/delhi-pollution-fighting-odds-to-make.html

7) Delhi Pollution: Mindless Driving Major Concern (2015)

https://apurvaopinion.blogspot.com/2015/07/mindless-driving-polluting-delhi.html

8) मैं और मेरी दिल्ली (2011)

http://apurvarai.blogspot.com/2011/11/blog-post.html