Topless bottom
Topless does not mean bottom all the time. Here I am seeking you attention towards the topless ladies and the topless wretched in poverty. The first category is generally found in high society of mature capitalist countries. Their showbiz symbolizes modernity and empowerment of women. They are neither ridiculed nor are they looked down upon but they appropriate large space in reputed high-class-society magazine and electronic media. The more they are pampered by the highly-rich-class men the more their demands in the society go up and consequently their positions in the celebrity list keep improving. They do not lie at the bottom but on the top.
The other category of such women is the characteristics of the poverty-stricken third world countries. They lie at the bottom of the spectrum of the development. Their every part of the body bears the cost of impoverishment. In the human history their breast size used to determine their worth. Their gazes are considered vulgar. Their demeanors are look down upon and so on.
Good haven, the situation in third world is improving and their aspirations and expectations are little bit articulated theoretically in the emerging power structure and political set up. In Bihar too their conditions seem to be improving as Bihar has picked up the take-off stage of development and train of inclusive growth has started running in every nook and corner. However, the nature still decides the larger course of life in Bihar particularly in Kosi belt. Monsoon and streams continue to decide whether they will sing in the rain or will be drowned in the rivers.
Araria is the typical case of this belt. The district is criss-crossed by many tributaries of Kosi such as Panar, Bakra, Pankai, etc. Sandy soil is predominant type of soil found in this region. Weather is pleasant and cool so that it has earned the name “poor man’s Darjeeling”. Agriculture is poorly developed. Ground water has not been developed systematically. Flood is an annual phenomenon and the eastern part of the district is the main victim of it. The low lying flood plain and local depression of this area is marked by artificial levees of British periods. Now these levees have been converted into all-weather roads which connect them with the rest of the places.
Vegetable, rice, cattle, geese, chicken, eggs, goats are the main source of their income. Cattle and fowls are raised and managed by women in every household. Colourful chicks with their mother, twittering and pecking could be seen in almost every courtyard. The moment you stop and gawk over them their mother alarms them of danger and rushes them to their darba (a small place meant for them). Cattle are generally found of poor breed. Frequently they are seen driven in flock towards the ‘east’. Cows hardly give milk enough for making a couple of cup of tea.
Bamboos and some local grasses are very common and are used as building materials. Huts of various size made of these materials are seen all along the roads. Some huts are roofed by tin sheets. The sides of huts are beautifully plastered with mud. At the head’s height small bamboo windows are left for cross ventilation. Some pucca houses have started to come up on this terrain. But these are not funded by the ‘indra awaas yojna’ rather owned by rural elites.
Polygamy here is very high and so the brooding. Some women without top could easily be seen along the roads collecting fuel wood or fodder. They cover their breast by wrapping their sari across their upper body. Some pairs of siblings tattered and shabbily wrapped up in barely essential clothes could be seen playing infront of almost every house, or the elder one tendering the younger one, or elder assisting their mother in chores. Majority of the people of this region migrate to the Punjab, haryana and delhi to sell their mannual labour while some are engaged in bamboo work, other flock to the local labour market.
This region is also marked by presence of plenty of middle men, and the vagary of nature prove windfall to them. Common men allege that the district does not move without them. The invariably recurring flood and cyclones do not wash and sweep up their belongings rather strengthen the role of these middle men. And relief work becomes one of the backbreaking tasks of district administration. Politics on relief work is another interesting event of this region. Story concerning corruption in distribution of relief does not fit into this piece of writing so it is better not to discuss here.
Majority of these observations have been made due to the fascinating streams of this region. These streams allured me to meander along their courses and listen to murmur of their flow. Alas! The same streams wash down the dreams and hopes of people of this region. I believe if they are harnessed properly they would never be insufferable any longer in this region.
