It was my heart that pounds beneath my flesh. It's my mouth that pushes out breath and they say I am alive. It was 1 am and in the dead of the night suddenly the pandemonium of thoughts which were crisscrossing my mind were brought to a screeching halt and I could hear the echo of that abrupt halt resonating all over.
What brought that sudden stop was presence of a man at the parking lot who was comfortably perched on the chair meant for the security guard at the parking lot. The dark, lanky man was one of the guys who sells eggs and omelets near the office. I was wondering what was he doing here at this hour.
Though he was no stranger. I knew him. As my stray dogs love to eat boiled eggs and I am his regular customer— whom he considers to be a golden goose. I could not resist myself from asking the obvious question. We journalists, are conditioned to question everything.
Kyu bhai, itne raat ko yaha kya kar rahe ho. He said sahab abhi mai din ko —GIDC (Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation) whose office is also situated at Fadia Chambers— mai temproraly kam kar raha hu, mera ek phechan wala Gav gaya hai. Aur sham ko lari lagta hoon.
I replied double duty, tum to Rajasthan se ho na bhai. He said ha shab. Jaha malik ne dana pani likha hai. The security guard who hails from Chattarpur in Madhya Pradesh and was suppose to be there came with a bottle of water and jumped into the conversation and said sir Ahmedabad mai Rajasthan aur Madhya Pradesh ke log ab jayda ho gaye hai.
The simple remark by the security guard struck me. He was right. That night there were three men standing in the parking lot including me. Three of us temporarily migrated from our respective states — with our own set of skills — to Ahmedabad in search of greener pastures. But, hey the guard was right in a sense. When i look around i find majority of the lariwalas, especially the chat pakodi one, are from Rajasthan. Ramji, the male housemaids in Ahmedabad, are all from Rajasthan.
Majority of the private security guards, protecting the wealth of the natives are from the cow belt of India. They all have descended on the land of Gandhi to earn their livelihood.
The state has welcomed them with open arms and provided them with food, shelter and a conducive environment to thrive. No, MNS, Shiv Sena ruckus here. No new pearls of wisdom that suggests that people from UP, Bhiar and MP are vectors who carry Malaria virus.
That crap was enlightenment for me. I literally attained Nirvana. No fight between the natives and outsider. I suppose this is what they termed as Migration. Gujarat does not only play a perfect host to skilled migratory labourers but also to the migratory birds.
Who fly thousands of kilometers during winter to settle temproraly at Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary, Thol Lake Bird Sanctuary and many other places in Jamnagar and Rajkot. Last December . I went to Nalsarovar. Had a date with the winged visitors. There were many but here I will only talk about the Seagull. Gulls are typically medium to large birds, usually gray or white, often with black markings on the head or wings.
They typically have harsh wailing or squawking calls, stout, longish bills, and webbed feet. For those who are not avid bird watcher, i would try make things easy for you. If you have watched cricket telecast from Australia than you can easily figure out which birds I am talking about. The bird, i was informed migrate from Europe, Africa and other places have some what settled down in Gujarat and made it their second home.
As they found the environment very conducive for their survival. In Surat under the various bridge that connects the city the Surat Municipal Corporation has even gone to the extend of putting bird houses where these winged visitors reside. It is just not the natural environment that has attracted Seagulls but a Gujarati delicacy called Gathia.
They just relish to eat it. Moment you land in Nalsarovar you will be mobbed by kids selling packets to feed Seagulls. When you treat them, you witness a spectacle. Lately i was scanning the wires and read that a Seagull in Aberdeen has been seen repeatedly shoplifting bagged crisps from a store, apparently displaying a preference for cheese flavour and I suppose the 'Marathi Tiger' is afraid of this trait of the Seagull.
But, the migration and settling down of migrant worker in Gujarat is not a very recent phenomena. I suppose it is in the DNA. History bears testimony to the fact.
It is a common knowledge that the Indus Valley civilization disappeared from Mohenjo-daro, but very few people know that the Harappan culture made its last stand in Gujarat .
Here Indus Valley ports were set up to trade overseas with ancient Mesopotamia and Arabia along the Gulf of Combay. These ports transferred products from upriver cities along ancient Indus Valley rivers to a nascent world market.
The map in the archaeological museum of Lothal which is just drive away from Ahmedabd shows scores of Indus Valley sites scattered across the whole of Gujarat. Most of them occupy positions near deltas, on the banks of rivers or near the sea coast.
Even as it imbibed some developmental aspects of classical Harappa, the Gujarat culture also maintained its independent identity and contributed immensely to the evolution of urban Harappa in terms of green pastures, crafts and gem technology.
So people may hate Modi. But, this man has done its bit, though his way of doing things might not appeal to 'liberal and convent educated and 'secular forces' take it from Horses mouth.
No power cuts, excellent roads, safe and secure even fairer sex can venture out in the dead of the night without having to entertain those horrific thoughts, so come to Gujarat and experience its hospitality and I am sure you would fall for the Gujarti charm.... aur awjo.....
