[Reader-list] gate ki kahani

[khadeeja arif]

Yesterday I just happened to read a chapter from a fascinating book called Barbed Wire. I found the book lying at a friend’s place. This friend of mine is obsessed with the issue of Surveillance and Security in the city (Actually that is his research project). Anyways, I just quickly read the first chapter of the book. It is a fascinating account of the history of the barbed wire, its use for the control of the space based on the discourse of exclusion and inclusion. It led me think about the various such controlling mechanisms in our everyday existence and these very mechanism make us feel the need to have more security than ever (Mainly physical security). Some of the agencies through which we are made to be conscious of our own security are the TV news, about abduction/ terror acts/; newspaper reports of killing/ abduction;/terror attacks; the announcements echoing in the air (in the markets/parking places etc); the presence of the gates/ fences/ security guards and of courses the BARBED WIRES here and there.

We encounter the everydayness of the city through various purposes like: work/meetings/college/ appointments/job hunts/ house hunt/leisure activities or may be, sometime, just a surreal trip to a MAD world where the ‘normal’ world seems to be turned upside down. 

This constant mobility has become a hallmark of our existence within a city. It may result in our situated-ness or may assure constant movement in search of SITAUTEDNESS- desired by most of us.

The forces to keep us alert as to assure our ‘security’ are galore.  We are made believed that how important our safety is we don’t know? There is need for some one out there to tell us about that. This is made sure by creating a fear of the other (the outsiders/unknown/stranger/ and somebody who is not there, but CAN be there. So JUST BE ALERT!!!

I remember one-winter night during my college days at MCRC, when venturing out in the night (going out to watch films, mainly at IHC, or sometime, if we had enough money, to see the films on the hall) was normal, rather most loved/cherished activity as it not only gave us a great sense of freedom but also meant interacting with the city at a different level all together (something’s which I never would have done/experienced otherwise).  We had neither gone to see a film nor had we gone to meet somebody, rather we were in the premise of our locality. We were actually not able to decide whether we should stay at Bharat Nagar (Where me, Pineneg and Tina stayed) or spend the night at Rita’s place (Another batch mate of mine). Rita stayed in the A Block of New Friends Colony. Rita was also with us. It was 11 in the night when we had decided finally to stay at Rita’s place.  We decided to go to Rita’s place via a short cut, from behind the Bharat Nagar, without actually realizing that we were little too late to be eligible to cross the well-gated New Friends Colony. We walked for fifteen minutes, and, when we reached the A block, we were denied the permission to enter the block by the guards as it was already time to shut the gates and in no circumstances we could cross the gates. Though we pleaded to the guard.

Rita: Bhiya main tau yahin rahti Ho
Guard: tau madam aapko tau pata hona chahiye
Khadeeja: Bhiya abhi tau 11 hi baja hai
  ab ki baar khol dijiye.. phir kabhi aia nahi karengay

Guard: Madam yeh sab aapki suraksha ke liye hi kiya hai

Rita: Bhiya, please!!!
Guard: Nahi madam
.
Khadeeja: Fuck off!!!

As the guard seemed really a tough nut to crack, we decided to go back to the main road and come from the front side of the A block (or the main road). This time again we walked for fifteen minutes and decided to take a rickshaw once we reach the main road of Bharat Nagar. As we reached at the main gate of the A block, we were once again denied the entry by the guard. This time the reason was the Rickshaw. The entry of a rickshaw is prohibited in New friends Colony and if you had come with one you are suppose to get down at the main road and walk inside. This time Rita asked us not to argue because she knew that entry of a rickshaw is impossible!! So it’s better not to argue!! We got down at the well-guarded gate and walked to Rita’s place!!

This incidence, in retrospect, made me think about the paranoia regarding security as the most overrated virtue these days. The narrative connects my memory lane to another story of a gate. I remember once some people coming to meet my Mama on a Sunday morning in our Zakir Nagar house and collecting 500 Rs each to put up a gate and a watchman at the entrance of our gali. I remember myself asking a very obvious and a naïve question:



“ Lakin gate laga kar fayeda kiya
 chor tau kahin se bhi aa sakta hai kiyonki yeh gali tau charo taraf se khuli hai aur sab jagah se connected hai
/”

One uncle who came to collect the money responded: “lakin humay tau puri koshis karni hai. Aajkal mahol  bohat kharab hai”.

Anyways, everybody agreed to have a gate and a security guard to PROTECT/ SAFEGUARD all of us. The money was collected. Gate was ordered. The watchman was decided. Next week the gate was up and everyone was feeling HAPPY and SECURE.

Some people in the neighborhood including one of my aunts took it as a status symbol and were feeling really proud.

Weeks passed. All celebrated gated ness of the lane. What difference did it make to our life in terms of making it more secure? Nobody knew!! Or, there was no way that one could have possibly known.

One month passed. Time was to pay the salary of the watchman. Money had to be contributed by everyone!! Gradually the dispute over the monthly salary of the guard sprung up. People who actually contributed for the gate and advocated the need to be SECURE backed out to pay anymore. When the proper money did not come even to contribute for the salary of the guard, he was asked to leave. After sometime, on a Sunday morning, somebody found out that one of the gates was missing. Somebody said that the people who actually came up with the idea of the gate have sold it out; somebody suggested that Chor le gaye hai. Finally, nobody could discern anything more concrete except for the fact that the gate was missing.

Well, for two or three days it was a hot debate but gradually the conversation faded out and nobody actually cared, as nobody bother or feel the need to have a GATE actually. After sometime the gate was not a topic of the debate at all. The one door of the Iron Gate was standing tilted, but recently it has also been found disappeared. This time I doubt if anyone has noticed it missing. This is just a story of a gate but an interesting one!! For the obvious reason!!

Yesterday a friend of mine from Aajtak was telling me that she is going to shift to the A Block of New Friends Colony. I should better tell her about the great security that an individual is assured in New Friends Colony. And, she is going to be really SAFE in New Friends colony. Gate Hai Naa!!!


Khadeeja
 


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