Tracking two faces of power

On a train journey from Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh to New Delhi, one encountered several forms of power, and its exercise. In one ca...

On a train journey from Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh to New Delhi, one encountered several forms of power, and its exercise. In one case, it was bureaucratic power, power that emanates from the higher echelons of India8217;s public service. In the other, it was political power, granted to elected representatives of the people. The question that intrigued me was, how do occupants of these positions of power acquit themselves; how do they deploy their power and how does the particular culture of a region transmute this power and its exercise?

On entering the compartment several sociology colleagues and I were seated in the company of a couple and as time progressed we realised that the gentleman was obviously of some importance. His dress and demeanor indicated that he was a senior bureaucrat. What soon confirmed this perception were the numerous people who came to see him off and settle him comfortably. They were followed by several men singly or in twos who furtively peeped into the compartment and then came to pay their respects. As the train began moving, others came to enquire about his creature comforts. Tea came in special china cups with a packet of chips while everyone else bought their tea which came in plastic cups and not even in the kulhar. Food was special too, not the watery dal and alu sabzi that was served to the aam janta. Soon, other caretakers came asking solicitously about when he would like his bed made. The special treatment meted out to him was only further underlined by the extremely obsequious demeanour of all who came to wish him and see him off. He and his wife had been assured the two lower berths while lesser mortals got whatever the railway booking officers wished to grant them.

Having persuaded the ticket checker to allot us better berths than we had previously managed, we shifted to another compartment. At 10 o8217;clock when the train reached Lucknow there was sudden commotion and a group of men rushed into the compartment. We heard snatches of conversation which mentioned a 8220;vidhayak8221; MLA. The minions of the MLA checked the seats and settled on the bunk above one of us. We were three women in the compartment. Suddenly, the atmosphere felt menacing. The vidhayak was accompanied by a gunman and about four supporters, who, it became clear, were going to spend the night in the compartment seated on the side berth. The gunman/security guard of the MLA prepared the MLAs bed, took his jacket and hung it up. He also hung up two flasks. Suddenly we began to worry that the oily TT may have deliberately thrown us into a compartment with the ruffian MLA. And the flasks possibly indicated preparations for a drinking session.

In the meanwhile the TTs showed up in great consternation saying that their attache cases had been stolen. Unsurprisingly, they suspected the motley followers of the MLA. The motley men however turned this into a joke, laughing and joking that thieves were never caught.

Soon, the MLA was preparing to go to bed. His security guard pulled the flask off the hook and produced a steel glass. Some of what he poured from the flask, spilled frothily onto the floor. I thought at worst it was beer. But on looking longer, I realised it was milk!

The MLA was a young man and his masculinity and power was in the mode of a modern pehelwan which explained the milk. He was, at the same time sneaky, plotting and planning with his henchmen, yet appearing to be of the modern world. Accompanying him to bed were two other significant items, a Hindi magazine with sexy pictures of attractive women and what again put fear into our hearts, a pistol! He slept with both, one to lull him to sleep and the other ostensibly to protect himself from an attack by enemies. It was clear that he was not just an ordinary MLA. The gun of the security man was not enough to protect him, he needed and probably knew how to use his own pistols. The furtive whispers between him and one of his henchmen regarding somebody in the next compartment pointed to dangers of political life in eastern UP that we were unaware of. The group disembarked in Aligarh.

How can we contrast these two styles of power in India? Both, in fact, reflect the peculiar culture of eastern UP. The extreme obsequiousness of those who came to see off the bureaucrat and the rogue/criminal like MLA were both able to exercise their power effectively. Neither had to demand or make a show of what came naturally with the two gaddis in these parts. The rules of the game were clear to those they ruled. As an engineering student of mine from Bihar, whose aspiration was to join the IAS, explained to me, in Bihar and eastern UP being a mere engineer would not bring him power and without power life was not worth living in these parts. If you did not acquire the wherewithal to step on others and make them do your bidding, they would have that power over you. As an IAS officer in these parts, you are king. Power brings monetary benefits, brings safety and brings large dowries. You can threaten rather than be threatened. That is the choice.

The writer teaches at IIT, Delhi