Dear citizens of India,
Well, Uttar Pradesh is that one state which is hated by many, loved by few but is just not ignorable. We are known for our population[eh.. there are hardly handful of “countries” which beat us in that!] our illiteracy, our “desi gawarpana” and above all, we are the ‘Bhaiya jis’ and “Behan jis” for people from other states!
Honestly, I never had any grudges against anyone who judged me. As I have seen my dad getting posted from length and breadth of the country. Everywhere we have faced this kind of judgmental attitude of people.
But we got used to it, thinking there was no point in arguing with these idiots, as they have the ability to drag you to their levels and beat with their experience!
Now, this is a different story of my life and I don’t want to go into its depth. What shattered me most, when I saw the case of two teens being brutally raped and murdered in my own state, in my own land, in the place which I call ‘home’. and then came the Mohanlalganj case! Even more shocking, but afterwards the stories which unfolded giving the clear pictures were however ignored by the media and even the people!
I felt disgusted and dishonored as any human would do, our bunch of friends decided to protest irrespective of our busy work schedules and we did that.
But there was something more happening around us, on Facebook, on Twitter, or almost every social networking platform. People had started abusing us (the people of UP) just because we are from UP!
Is it a crime to be born in a state which is considered to be the land of Shiv, Ram, and Krishna?
Atrocities on women is not just a problem of my own state. If you go through the statistics, the number of cases of female foeticide, domestic violence, child abuse are happening everywhere even higher in the so called ‘hi-tech’ states. This doesn’t means I or any of UPite doesn’t wants the criminals to be punished.
We boast of the highest number of world heritage sites(including the Taj Mahal) highest number of elite services officers, ISRO scientists, and all blinded people can see is the number of labors going from UP and Bihar to their states.
Even in our state we have labor class coming from different parts of our country. Trust me, they too are as illiterate and as ill-mannered as you describe the UP and Bihar’s labor class. They too are making an average of more than 70% criminals of our states. At times we feel fed up of them, but we blame them not the place or people they belong to. We understand that good and bad people are everywhere, and the bad ones should be nailed. We never insult anyone saying that, “Meri kaam-waali ya mera garbage uthaane wala ladka tumhare state ka hai! Or your state is producing only rapists and thieves!”
Because we understand, underprivileged are underprivileged, they do not have any cast, creed or color and even “REGION” If they have chosen to leave their home behind and walk into a new world, there must be some agony behind it.
As far as our habit of saying, ‘Bhaiya’ or ‘Didi’ is concerned. Then let me remind you, ‘Bhaiya and Didi’ are the words of your national language. and I don’t think so talking in your national language is a crime anywhere!
We address everyone with these words as a mark of respect, even you people use such words in your native language, which we find funny. But we don’t make fun of it as we respect the fact that’s its your mother tongue and you are emotional about its use.
As far as our weird habits are concerned, that our men eat pan-masala, or walk around with a ‘angocha’ on their shoulder. Then there are people in this country, who wear sarongs(lungi to be precise) 8 meter dhoti sarees, weird headgear and what not!
But we never laugh on them, because we have been brought up believing that we must respect the diversity of our country, and we have always done that! And as far as eating Pan/Masala and spitting on random places is considered, our state has started drives to get rid of them. And yeah, leave this, there are states where the consumption of alcohol and drugs tops the charts! Those states are not ours, they are the hi-tech ones with ‘Modern people’
UP and Bihar men are being beaten up in other states, just because they are able to qualify the exams and grab the jobs more easily than the localities! Now tell me, is it a crime in being more hardworking or more intellectual than other people? Children from UP and Bihar grow up with the fact that they have a tough competition to face, be it on state level, or on National level or any damn level. They grow up facing the harsh realities, they know if they don’t grab a decent job, their parents don’t have enough to set up a business or start something for them. The ones from small towns have to leave their homes at tender age of 13-14 for further studies.The age at which you people throw teenage tantrums to your family members. If you actually want to see the struggle, come over, I will take you to the dungeon corners of Lucknow and Allahabad, where students burn the night oil to make a future. We have seen young boys living on salt and rice and becoming class one officers with shear hard-work! If you think I am joking, then just read any random story of an elite services officers from our state, what all they face for the sake of career. On top of that, people blame them for eating away their jobs! Heights! If you feel so insecure about your job, then work harder than them and beat them in competition! As simple as that!
Yes, I do agree to the fact that UP and Bihar still need a lot of development in few aspects. We have produced the maximum number of Prime Ministers for the country, we are considered to be the king-makers in national politics. And may be this is the curse of our fate. Every time politicians try to woo us with their long and wide promises only to prove them futile after elections. Be it Narendra Modi or be it Rahul Gandhi. They know our potentials, they know our caliber, but still all they can see is their vote banks! But it doesn’t means that these states are worthless. At present, the maximum number of youngsters joining the armed forces officer cadre are being produced by these 2 states. The highest number of IAS, IES, IFS officers are coming from these two states( surprised? check the statistics baby!)
and if you still think that people who speak your national language are ‘gawars’ toh ‘Bhaiya ji/ behan Ji! ye rahi aap ki soch! Mujhe geeri huvi mili thi!’
Sincerely,
Sincerely,
An anonymous woman from UP.
* © MagMug 2016 . Unauthorised use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from the author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the Author and www.magmug.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content *