Pataudi

My first taste of rural marketing.... As part of the disguised marketing research festival (Illumina), we were carrying out a research for ITC at the Dussehra Mela of Pataudi. For the uninformed, Pataudi was the capital of the kingdom of Nawab of Pataudi, the lineage of Saif and Soha Ali Khan.

Since we were not part of the volunteering team and I have always been a free bird preferring to stray away from the crowd, it was decided we (Me N Lukha) would be going on bike rather than with the rest of the group for whom cars had been arranged by the Illumina team.

The road was pretty impressive with Marigolds being grown on both sides of the road. Of course the government school and PWD rest houses also have a charm of their own when they are built in villages, away from the glitz offered by the cities.

In the mela itself, it was amazing to see people coming in Tractors and descending upon the Ram Leela ground Apart from our stall, there were stalls of eatables as well as toys for kids. Being totally devoid of grass, there was enough dirt being raised in the ground to almost eclipse the Sun. It was almost like there was a shade above us. The best part was when Ravana entered the ground on a tractor as his chariot. The dramatization was pretty impressive to say the least.

Our disguised research was full of mythological characters and it was pretty shocking to see people seeking blessings from our actors who had dressed up as different Gods. Kudos to our actors for such a wonderful job but it was more surprising as how people in villages still worship actors just because they are dressed up as a God.

Off from the mela we went for a small Pataudi trip. There was hardly anything other than the house of Nawab of Pataudi which was a gaurded estate with no visitors allowed.

The best part was the accuracy of the people when it came to distances. Whether we asked the distance o the nearest petrol pump or the distance of the highway, the replies of 2km and 9 kms were accurate up to 100 meters by the odometer. No wonder the government felt no need for putting up road signs along the entire rout !!!

The more things change, the more they remain the same

"plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose"
- Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

Things, or more specifically, people can't change. The basic essence is so strongly imbibed in a person that if he changes, he stops being what he was. And since society and its rules and cultures are made by people, the world itself can never change, at least not fast enough to become a noticeable change.
But then again, what doesn't change in this world? Can there be change and at the same time an things remain the same. Stagnation is the same as death... for there can be no life without change, no life without the constant adjustments and adaptations that come with the rising Sun every morning. Some changes are so drastic that it is almost impossible to recognise the original identity. Harmless individuals become violent criminals. Hardcore murderers can become preachers of non violence.
Can things really change? Or is change just a new body with an old soul? There is a hidden purpose behind every action. The direct motive is always backed by a hidden one, sometimes so deeply hidden that we ourselves are unaware of it. And then there is another action, for a different motive. Are the two linked? Nobody can tell. Every single human being can be described in a few words. Those few words can explain all actions of the person, past and future, as well as what makes the person tick with somebody and blow off with somebody else. True change happens when a person can successfully change those few words which describe him. I don't know whether it can be done or not... for I myself can never be my own judge, but then, there is another definition of life, and that is again the continuous struggle for success, even if it means trying the impossible.