Crime and Morality - some Incoherent Thoughts

The people of Champaran, my native place, may not have electricity in their houses but a good many of them are proud owner of things like VCD players, thanks to the porous Indo-Nepal border through which second-rate Chinese goods are routinely smuggled. The region has always taken pride in its being the entry point of Mahatma Gandhi's political career in India, and off late claims regular mention in national dailies for its innovations in kidnapping industry, which unfortunately is not doing very well because these days the hostages are not loved by their greedy relatives as much as the money that is demanded for them. However, relevant industry experience often opens conducive career avenues, most notably in local politics.

Though I am beginning to enjoy talking about this, I will come back to my main point - that the word Crime has quite a different meaning in Champaran. There exists a wide gap between legal crime and moral crime. Most of what is illegal is not immoral there. For instance, looting passengers in a running train is just being naughty. Your mother just twists your ear and then asks you to sit for the lunch. This example may sound rather extreme to you. But I have recently come to know that one of my own uncles had also done that - train robbery - when he was a naughty teenager. It could very well be a lie, because people take pride in saying such things. After all, our sense of pride is singular, just like our sense of crime.

There is a thin line of difference between business and crime - mixing salt with Urea and selling it in market is, technically speaking, a business. And the man who did this is a man of consequence today. Today he sits with other men of consequence and talks about honesty, hard work, and even spirituality. After all, with age, spirituality is a logical inevitability. When sight starts to blur, people start to see God. Till a man is young and virile, he plays other games. God is only a tired man's toy.

Crime is not sinful in Champaran. It is a philosophy in practice - child labor, quackery, smuggling etc are common affairs there. These things don't hurt our sentiments. What hurts our sentiments? What is not common? All the feminine values, like Love. The word itself sounds awkward in that region. If you translate it in local language, it sounds even more awkward. If it doesn't sound awkward to you, your ears are either used to hypocrisy or corrupted by B-grade movies. Others are not as shameless as you are, they get uneasy when they hear such words; the ladies grin and the gents walk out with their offended masculinity.

Proud are the parents whose son is obedient; no conditions apply. If the son is disobedient and decides to marry the one who he loves, it becomes very hard for his parents to breathe normally. What a shame! In case of daughter, it becomes even harder. Shame! Heart Attack!! Suicide!!! If you go on mixing salt in urea, nobody minds your business. But the community will surely mind your business if you dare to mix caste. Anything can be adulterated but the reverend caste; the reverend caste must stay pure, kept at a safe distance from the malicious influences of other caste. Mixing caste is a treason. And that's unforgivable!

Ultimately wisdom wins; reason prevails over passion. The traditional norm is to marry as per parents' wishes and then have your way later on. With age men are known to be more and more fun loving. And if a woman is smart enough not to get caught, even she can steal some fun from life. That is not a problem, as long as you keep your mouth shut, and remember the basic rules of discretion. Obedience is some sort of social etiquette, and people respect its dividends.


*******************************

When it comes to morality, it's simple - a moral society consists of successful men and virtuous women. In Muslim societies, however, the other condition is - people must believe in the words of their Prophet, and follow his imperatives. However, rules are rationalized for successful men, as long as they are successful. For women, the conception of Holy Virgin summarizes it - do give birth to Jesus, but don't get laid. Sexual morality is not a subset, it is the super set of all morality. The root of your morality is located in your genitals, and its other branches stretch into your bank accounts.

With this sense of morality people feel a sort of contempt for call center employees. At the same time, they also feel envy from them. Interestingly, both the sister emotions are engendered by the common parent - rumor. The myth and mystery of the steamy call-center nights provoke wild imaginations in civil minds. And the frustrated civility of mind retaliates - if you can not get what they have, then deny them what you have. Don't regard them with respect. Spit on their face when they are around. In your heart, however, you know that it is not fair. You know that your assumed moral superiority is nothing but a face-saving compromise with your sad state of affairs, caused by lack of looks and/or lack of luck. Had you been lucky, you too would have dug your teeth deep in the meat of life and taken a big juicy bite from it.