Sunday, April 6, 2008

Parallel Societies

I remember buying palmyrah fruits from this person over thas last few years.
he was a familiar figure on the walking track along the mini forest.
a few days ago, in order to save time, we had 'pre-ordered' and told him that we would collect the fruits when we get back from the walk, as he invariably used to make us wait.
that day, after serving the previous customer, who had also pre-ordered, before us, he cut his thumb, while chopping.
i went looking for a medical shop to get some band aid, but no shop was open that early.
the next day, he was back at his post, and i engaged him in a conversation.
he was a regular farmer, with both palmyrah and watermelon. his investment in watermelon was close to one lakh rupees..
he went on to say that he comes to bangalore along with a few other fellow villagers for a few weeks, in the palmyrah season.
some person [middle man] organizes their stay in minimalistic rooms and also takes care of some other incidental expenses.
after this conversation, i began to observe how these 'nomads by design' lived.
i could spot a whole parallel society - providing accommodation, serving tiny cups of coffee and tea while they are at work, roadside food courts to cater to simple, affordable food - from breakfast to dinner..
are these the micro economies that thrive in parallel realms?
the urban elite is a very very small portion of this larger society.

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