A Taste of Group Politics
Patibandla Srikant
Some time back I was sitting in the balcony of my friend’s apartment and sipping scotch on one rainy evening. Naturally the talk shifted to the day of college and University. My friend narrated a story from his university days, which exemplifies the significance of group politics in India. He None of the 80 students knew each other, but they have only one unifying force that is they are all students. Secondly, they have strong unwritten rules like trouble for one is trouble for all; trouble for all is trouble for none. That is how they all got down in Bellary station even though not everybody knew the student caught by the TC. That is the strength of group politics. That is how the poor and suppressed groups, in spite of being powerless, still assert themselves in groups within the public space.studied in SK University, Anantpur and was a hostelite. The students in this relatively unknown university have a tradition of traveling in groups by train. If somebody wants to see a place they will simply put up the notice in the hostels and the train timings along with the time to assemble at the railway station. At the prescribed time around 75-100 students would assemble at the railway station and they will board a general compartment (if it is too packed) or at times in to reserved compartment without tickets. Once they reach the destination they part their ways and decide on return date and time. Thus, they used to travel free of cost by trains without any hassles. However, once they did encounter a problem…
One fine morning there was a notice inviting students for a trip to Hampi along with the date and timings. After one week around 80 people assembled at the Anantpur railway station at the assigned time. When the train came, all the 80 students boarded in to reserved compartments and they decided that they would stick to two compartments and they should go beyond those prescribed two compartments. Everything was going on well, when a TC spotted one among them and started hunting him. The spotted one tried to evade the TC by repeatedly changing places, going to toilet and all that. Finally the TC caught him in Bellary station and pulled him out of the train.
However, the remaining 79 students too got down from the town in solidarity with the lone student. They surrounded the TC and started requesting and demanding the lone person be released. TC did not listen to them, assuming train would start at any moment and all of them would board the train. As the TC thought, the train started moving and with lightening speed all the 79 students ran along with the train, got in to the train and pulled the chain. Train stopped with a loud keeeccch sound. After the train stopped again all the 79 students came back and surrounded the TC to release their comrade. TC, realizing, that the students would not allow the train to move, finally he succumbed to their demand and let off the student. All the students gaining victory finally boarded the train. Meanwhile TC called up the Hospet railway station and updated with the happenings of the day and added that 80 students traveling without tickets.
So the Hospet railway authorities posted railway police and some reserve police in order to handle the students as soon as they get down from the train. At the other end, not knowing all this students were happily coming in the train singing and dancing. Morning when they were nearing Hospet, one among them shouted saying this is the way to Hampi. Immediately another fellow pulled the chain and thus they got down at the outskirts of Hospet and proceeded to Hampi. While the students were enjoying in Hampi, the reserve police along with the railway police were waiting for the action of the day on the platforms of Hospet railway station.
Finally, in the evening all the students reached Hospet railway station for their return journey. One of them was approached by a TC and asked him if they were students from Anantpur. With curiosity this person nodded in affirmative and asked the TC why he was enquiring and how did he know about them? Then the TC narrated the entire story from Bellary and the railway police along with reserve police waiting for them whole day in the station and returning with disappointment.
Patibandla Srikant
Some time back I was sitting in the balcony of my friend’s apartment and sipping scotch on one rainy evening. Naturally the talk shifted to the day of college and University. My friend narrated a story from his university days, which exemplifies the significance of group politics in India. He None of the 80 students knew each other, but they have only one unifying force that is they are all students. Secondly, they have strong unwritten rules like trouble for one is trouble for all; trouble for all is trouble for none. That is how they all got down in Bellary station even though not everybody knew the student caught by the TC. That is the strength of group politics. That is how the poor and suppressed groups, in spite of being powerless, still assert themselves in groups within the public space.studied in SK University, Anantpur and was a hostelite. The students in this relatively unknown university have a tradition of traveling in groups by train. If somebody wants to see a place they will simply put up the notice in the hostels and the train timings along with the time to assemble at the railway station. At the prescribed time around 75-100 students would assemble at the railway station and they will board a general compartment (if it is too packed) or at times in to reserved compartment without tickets. Once they reach the destination they part their ways and decide on return date and time. Thus, they used to travel free of cost by trains without any hassles. However, once they did encounter a problem…
One fine morning there was a notice inviting students for a trip to Hampi along with the date and timings. After one week around 80 people assembled at the Anantpur railway station at the assigned time. When the train came, all the 80 students boarded in to reserved compartments and they decided that they would stick to two compartments and they should go beyond those prescribed two compartments. Everything was going on well, when a TC spotted one among them and started hunting him. The spotted one tried to evade the TC by repeatedly changing places, going to toilet and all that. Finally the TC caught him in Bellary station and pulled him out of the train.
However, the remaining 79 students too got down from the town in solidarity with the lone student. They surrounded the TC and started requesting and demanding the lone person be released. TC did not listen to them, assuming train would start at any moment and all of them would board the train. As the TC thought, the train started moving and with lightening speed all the 79 students ran along with the train, got in to the train and pulled the chain. Train stopped with a loud keeeccch sound. After the train stopped again all the 79 students came back and surrounded the TC to release their comrade. TC, realizing, that the students would not allow the train to move, finally he succumbed to their demand and let off the student. All the students gaining victory finally boarded the train. Meanwhile TC called up the Hospet railway station and updated with the happenings of the day and added that 80 students traveling without tickets.
So the Hospet railway authorities posted railway police and some reserve police in order to handle the students as soon as they get down from the train. At the other end, not knowing all this students were happily coming in the train singing and dancing. Morning when they were nearing Hospet, one among them shouted saying this is the way to Hampi. Immediately another fellow pulled the chain and thus they got down at the outskirts of Hospet and proceeded to Hampi. While the students were enjoying in Hampi, the reserve police along with the railway police were waiting for the action of the day on the platforms of Hospet railway station.
Finally, in the evening all the students reached Hospet railway station for their return journey. One of them was approached by a TC and asked him if they were students from Anantpur. With curiosity this person nodded in affirmative and asked the TC why he was enquiring and how did he know about them? Then the TC narrated the entire story from Bellary and the railway police along with reserve police waiting for them whole day in the station and returning with disappointment.
None of the 80 students knew each other, but they have only one unifying force that is they are all students. Secondly, they have strong unwritten rules like trouble for one is trouble for all; trouble for all is trouble for none. That is how they all got down in Bellary station even though not everybody knew the student caught by the TC. That is the strength of group politics. That is how the poor and suppressed groups, in spite of being powerless, still assert themselves in groups within the public space.
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