Localization

It is tough to create MTV bakra (on the lines of'Candid Camera') for Viacom-the owner of MTV-in India. Likewise, if one genuinely wishes to go for rural management one has to learn the ropes really fast. It seems there are many fakes like me who do not have an inkling of how a rural life can be but still take a fancy for such a setup. Absorptive capacity in Indian rural market also requires one to be at least abreast of what is hapening in this other INDIA.
I was flabbergasted at my own inefficiency in this fold despite having spent so many years in a small town practically doing nothing. How local Haats are mini-marts and can realize scale economies was evident when I visited one in a village! Even the cattle are sold and they come at a premium. A 'bhains' can cost anywhere from 10k to 100k thrice the cost of an average 'Gay'. A bakra can be bought near 2-3k price. I bought six small sized tea cups for Rs. 20, a scrubber literally free, and a quilt for Rs. 250. The morning dawn squatting was intitally embarassing but the dew-laden long pointed grasses piercing my tiny hips after a while , while I was washing it shit-clean, was enthralling and I had to do frogjumping to few places to perform the entire act. I am talking only about the grass and do not have a Socrates' dilemma on this issue. My sexual preferences are straight.:)
Waise to, the NGOs are responsive in villages but the problem is personalisation and empathy with the plights of the rural folks. One cannot just get in the skin of the character but one needs to be the character itself- one of their own brethren sharing all their physical and mental woes.
The morning musings are initially not that great and it requires cigarette puffs to overcome the time warp. The sinus congestion hits me thereafter but showers in a nearby brook washes away all the negativities for few hours at least. The Harvard case studies in my hand are redundant when I sit to read something. The novels have unforutunately been sold off due to mental recession to a neighborhood 'kabadi' in kilos a dime transaction.
As the evening sets in especially in the winters, a city folk can get nostalgic or rather wobbly over the basic amenities so much lacking in villages. It is tough to imagine how quite a few families survive on less than 2000 rs per month, which can be the monthly expenditure of a moderate alcoholic. Pulse consumption is rare as they are now priced near 100 rs per kg and vegetables are like a glutton's culinary adventures. The foodie is a quixotic hero. Automobile sector seems to be a laggard in the rural market. Jaywalkers exist in differnet avatars. Tarmac can only be a dream and express train travelling is akin to commuting in the latest Chinese 392 km/hr plus speed wali train, forget flying one's private jet. On a brighter side, lifestyle disorders are also rare becuase of a distinctive lack of the lifestyle.
Perhaps this is also because agriculture sector is the poor cousin of other sectors and has been given a short shrift with reagrds to human capital. The intellectuals feel ashamed in owning up any agri-related tasks and fakes like me would simply buckle under the pressures of tilling our own farm. One of the reasons why agri-exports are still at an abysmal low. There were early showers this morning boding well for wheat crops at least. But the optimal rainfall required was not met.
The disparities are stark. Life seems to be gently leading on affectionately but the trials and tribulations are testing for someone like me who is not used to wading in different if not troubled waters. But I am trying to be one with the vilagers and I will love to do something genuine so that my consciousness does not trouble me calling me names as a 'fake'.