Till recent many places around Bangalore was far away from Bangalore city. Even though it’s hardly 30 to 40 KM, traveling to city was un-common, in fact it was extraordinary if someone visit city. People have counted each rupee I still remember looking at Rs: 100 notes was something very big. To hold 100 Rs Note he/she must be really rich. Biggest pickpocket use to happen from parents pocket is either 50pica or 1 Rs. Definitely not more than that, even taking 50 Pise or 1 Rs uses to be big task. I am not talking about too long, it use to be the case till late 90’s.
I remember we use to get one Anarkali (one of the bekari food) for 15 Paisa, and 20 paisa for Dil-pasand and if I pay 50 paisa and buy something called Kadalepuri at Shanimahatma temple near my school I could walk for at least 2 KM from my school (it was 8KM walk to school from my village and back) to village and then look for some froot either in the forest or in some one’s farm for the rest walk to reach home back on Saturday afternoon.
The land cost was very less till recent days, only after the airport project the land prices have gone up in our area. Now people do not talk in thousands or lakhs of rupees, but they talk only in crore’s of Rupees, students carry 500 Rupees notes. The Indian corruption has been spoken in thousands of crore’s of rupees. The present days each politician and his corruption has over shoot the Indian 1st few 5years plan’s total budget.
What surprised me is not amount of money involved in corruption, what surprised me is that the money has actually has no value in this system for many people. How did that happen? There are thousands and thousands of people even today struggling to earn Rs:100/-per day, and the other side there are people talking in the language unknown to these people. Is this what our government achieved in this 61 years of our constitution, where it declared that, all are equal before the law and the state should work towards making all the people equal, equal in terms of equal states, equal dignity, equal life style. There are people becoming richer and richer and there are people becoming poorer and poorer.
Was thinking of this aspect for a long time but what made me to think more is what happened last week with few boy’s in our village.
This boy who was my school-met in our village, who is also from agricultural family baground has lots of land in their name, but due to some issues in their families they are struggling to sustain their life in the village. He has many sisters who got married and there are still some who is yet to get marry. (In a rural set up girl marriage is still issue, there is still demand of dowry, and this is the case of the many landlords in the village). He had gone to buy a bike with help of another boy and finally ended up in buying a stolen bike without knowing. Later when they realized that the bike was stolen and they did not know what to do his friend tried contacting the owner and managed to get in touch with the owner and it seems to be that they have asked the owner to give the money which they have paid and take the bike. (up course there are contradictory statement with respect to this). The owner has told them that he has lodged the complaint and he is willing to give the money for the bike. Subsequently the police had taken these boy’s in to custody.
I am not making any statement with respect to the method they have adopted to return the bike back to the owner. It may be premature since I actually not able to speak to them properly on this issues. But what has happened there after is very important.
The matter reached to me only a day after the arrest of one person, and then I decided to go to police station and see what can be done. I went to police station, there were many people from the village present they seems to be already had one round of talk and now I joined them in the talk the inspector insisted me that I should keep the other guy present before them and then he is ready to do his best for these boys. He also ashore that he will not ill-treat, and also he will not file any case if there is no case against them. It’s hard to trust the cops from my activist experience and also as an advocate experience, but today we had no choice. We could have approach the court and seek an anticipatory bail which may take an about 2 weeks but the issues was not easy even after the anticipatory bail, that’s when decided to keep the other boy present and I undertook that he will be in the station by evening. I sent word to the boy and asked him to be present in my office by 5PM and then I could take him to station.
It seems to be many people have joined to release these boys. Now there are different people called me and his arrival to my office got delayed and he did not reach me even though its 9PM, then I decided to go home. What I heard later is that another delegation has reached the police station in the night and had conversation (I am not aware of the conversation and no one had briefed me as well) and it seems to be that the inspector refuse to talk without keeping this boy present.
Next day morning again I got the call and this time I was thinking do I really have to go? but then thought forget what has happened and let see what best can be done, so decided to go. By the time I reach the station there are many people having conversation and when I reached it seems to be normal. The inspector asked me why I could not keep this boy present last night as stated by promised. He further told me that now the issues is resolved and I will file a small case against them as promised by me and you people should do as promised by you. I was not known what was promised and asked him what is the promise from our side, for which he said these people have agreed and you can talk to them and then he went out.
It was shocking I asked the people who are present in that meeting what was agreed for they said “ONE” I did not understood, one thousand is very small may be then thousand I asked them they said no ONE LAKH WHAT! Who will give I know both the boys that they are not in any way capable of paying any money and now where do them bring this money? I tried telling them it not possible and one should not have accepted for the same.
We came out and had discussion among the others who were present outside the police station, they were equally shocked. Then I told the inspector that this is not possible and requested him not to demand money. It seems to be he was not ready. I left it as it is. Meanwhile there are more people came and said we will speak to home minister, we will speak to some other officer, we will get some big advocate, and get them out, but I know at the end of the day no one spoke and no one added any useful input to the case and I know at the end of the day in all this mess I was the villain in the eyes of the inspector.
Later in the evening I again went to court and manage to file the bail application and got them out 2 days later on bail.
What made me to think is this “One Lakh” Rupees how easy it has become to talk in that language where a common men has to work may be 3 to 4 years to earn this much of money is been demanded in les then a second and agreed to pay in les then a minute. 
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