IDENTITY AND COMPLEXITY OF IDENTITY (3)

(New Series Number 250, April 2009)

Emergence of I

‘Who am I?”

In a single I,
there are many I’s

Beyond I

*In all living species, there are many kinds of relations between its unit and the collective-community. In the human species also, that was the situation for a long time. Only a few thousand years ago, in small scattered areas of the earth, ‘I’ emerged amongst humans. Despite the efforts of human beings, in other species, the‘I’ did not progress/advance.

*In a species-community’s unit, togetherness is common. But now and then, conflicts do take place. Mutual conflicts are not fatal. They are the basis of the species' existence. It is inherent in each species that conflict not be fatal.

In a fight, the death of anyone is an exception. In the human species, during 95% of its existence, this has also been the case.

Now the murder of an human by another human, murder of humans by other humans, singles out the human species from all other species...

*Accumulating a part of their activities in material skill and knowledge-forms are normal activities of living species. To stay alive, expand for a better life such accumulations are seen on a wide scale. In every living species, relations in a generation and amongst generations gains fragrance from these accumulations.

Until 2,000 years ago, this was also the case in the human species.

Now, developing mountains of accumulation in material-skill-knowledge-forms for destruction-bitterness-worsening life separates the human species from all other living species.

It is necessary to reevaluate worm, animal, wild-uncivilized versus civilized.

It seems that in the near future, the destructive dance of identity politics will increase greatly. Good desires of human one-ness and fraternity have suddenly been rendered incapable of stopping this destruction. Often, they have become tool-weapon of this or that politics of identity. Very deep urges emerge in each one of us which is exploited by a specific person sitting on or desirous of and wishing to sit on the pyramids of heads and shoulders.

As in other areas of social life, in the politics of identity and institutions has become dominant. To overcome the means and professional methods of institutions we have begun this discussion as a contribution.

*Efforts of the past to dominate the whole constitute the chains of civilization. The earth is a common planet of the solar system and the sun is the common star in the universe…During 95% period of its existence, the behavior of human species has been as a part of nature.

But during these 5-7,000 years, the human species increasingly refused the reality that it is a part of nature. Control, control upon control has become our obsession. While control over one’s sense organs, control over one's self has become one end of the spectrum, the grip/throttle of every ‘other’ lies at the other end.

*Although the control of humans is crossing the sky, ‘nathna’ (nose ring) is not in currency today. Nathna means to control. Making an hole in an ox's nose and taking a rope through it was called natha. The actual rope in the ox’s nose was called ‘nath.’ In the stages of gathering and hunting, our ancestors' behavior was chiefly that of being a part of nature. Controlling animals through nose-rings began changing many things.

-Putting nose-rings/controlling the ox, exploitation of the cow... This did not stop at animals. The owners of animals became the lords of slaves. And husband became the synonym of lord and nath…

-In nature, such related capacity of a woman is equal to that of many men. One man cannot sexually satisfy one woman…Therefore, ‘nathna’, putting nose ring. Continuous conflict within man and woman. There are no limits to doubt-suspicion-cruelty. Anecdotes regarding a woman’s character. Today DNA tests exist to verify paternity…

It has been a synchronicity of weapon and text that nose-rings became the ornament of strength or power of market. It is the increasing weakness of man that is forcing woman also to become a wage worker. One politics of identity that places curtains on this reality presents it as woman's empowerment…Becoming of woman as wage-worker is seen-shown as a step on the path of emancipation.

Market-Money are making the individual the unit of a social construct. For the wage system, even a deformed community is a barrier. Therefore, while using deformed communities through various kinds of identity politics, market-money and wage system also continuously attack deformed communities. The making of the individual as an unit has rendered woman also a wage worker, transformed her into a carrier-vehicle of “I.”

* With the making of individual as unit, “I” becomes universal. "I" keeps gobbling the space for normal relations. The “I” of men was dreamed for lessening his pain through the continuance of his lineage. Now with the woman’s “I”, standing side by side with the man’s “I”, the individual in the continuity of “I” in lineage is put to an end.

This also is a reason for ‘don’t want children.’ Today, the certainty of death after birth is increasingly making ‘I” insane. Look at sexual relations in this context. In place of an easy, leisurable activity, it has become THE only relation. Be it woman or man, the hunger for intercourse is there all the time and many kinds of traders cash in on it. In this situation, in place of being a relief from pain, sexual relations have become a cause of psychic pain.

Be it woman or man, increasing loneliness is what confronts us. Regarding this, we will continue the discussion about ‘who am I’ and keep in mind that fact of our being a part of the whole.

On Schools

(New Series No. 168, June 2002)

*The aim of the institution in the form of school today is to assist in the molding of children according to the needs of the market by chiselling, thrashing, and placating them.

*Schools have taken the shape of factories. School is a factory and in it children are raw materials, teachers are machine operators, buildings-books-other employees are auxiliary materials. In the form of ready goods after education, those youngsters who cannot be sold are called unemployed-useless and those who get good rates in the market are praised. We send children to school to prepare being sold in the market.

*To make the life of children is the overriding tenet. Generally, no stone is left unturned in making life hell for children and for parents to 'create a life for themselves.' Those teachers who take 'making a life for children' seriously, they sometimes surpass parents in making life hell for children.

We know it, we repeat it like a chant that a wound by an axe gets healed but a wound caused by a sharp tongue always remains raw. But..the dance of the destruction and violence by words is thousands of times greater than the widespread physical violence against children. Generally, no restraint is exercised in giving innumerable wounds to the mind and soul of children by poisoned word-arrows because we put on the armor of 'making the life of children.'

Like almost every elder person, every child dies hundres of times every time. This is not news.

Look at the news: Children in increasing numbers are committing suicide in Japan; incidents of multiple murders by children inside schools in U.S.A. are increasing; to 'improve' the mind an psyche of children, expansion of medicines and psychiatrists is increasing.

In such a situation, instead of gulping, repeating the dominant meanings of making a successful life, it seems necessary to have extensive discussions on them in a critical fashion.

Success is a bad fruit

*To consider as success being one-up amongst those closest to us is not just widespread but has engulfed the routine activities of daily life. To be one-up vis-a-vis sister, brother, neighbor, co-worker, or fellow classmate in what all arenas, what all efforts have become a part of our daily life; gate or door of the house, clothes, and shoes' value, height of the son, the daughter's color, power position of the acquaintance, marks of the girl in the class, expenses on the birthday party, capacity to drink alcohol, expenses on tent, lighting, status, knowledge, articulation, approach, qualities of your son in-law...To be one-up amongst near ones, you go from shallow to even more shallow levels. This can be taken as an expression of the increasing significance of person in hierarchic social systems. By making a person's being or not being equal, the present social system has made one-upmanship into a psychotic condition. Social psychosis.

*Climbing up the ladder of hierarchy is in reality extremely scarce. but dreaming of it is very common...Those who do make it, their phony or real efforts for success become anecdotes or stories for the lower sections. It's also current to call real success the climbing up over the pyramid made of heads and shoulders.

*To maintain an hold on the upper rungs of the ladder in hierarchy is also called success. Becoming unstable due to the constant efforts of those below and the scramble to climb up does not leave anyone on top for long.

To be one-up always carries with it the fear of being tripped. Tension, guardedness, alertness, putting on a mask is the flipside of the coin of one-upmanship. And to see success in being one-up from one's nearby ones is a barrier to coordinations with those near us. Efforts to be one-up does not allow relations to be easy.

Efforts to climb up the ladder of hierarchy requires extreme stretching of body and soul. One dislikes being subservient to anyone. And efforts are made to impose subservience on others which shatters one's personality into peices. Manipulation, insidiousness, kissing up, lying, cheating become common activities. To hide the real emotion and put on an image is a compulsory aspect of climbing up the ladder of hierarchy. The higher one climbs, so much is one doomed to attempt personal solution of social poblems. 2,500 years ago, Emperor Chandragupta was doomed to change his room each night for security.

Eforts for success bind us, pierce us. Efforts towards success inflict innumerable wounds on body and soul. Efforts for success bloody relations between human beings. And today on acquiring success, what is it that is available? An even worse life than the confined, limited, narrow life of Emperor Chandragupta which consisted of doubting others, constantly hesitating, being devious, and cruel.

In view of success being a bad fruit, climbing up the ladder of hierarchy is a problem in itself. To sit on heads and shoulders is itself a problem. To identify control and management as the source of problems is a point of departure for the creation of a new society.

Let's return to the school.


Abduction of Whom?

Influence during nurturing-stories, anecdotes produce such emotions about education, school, and teacher-guru that one then comes face-to-face with these in the present. Often it is said and heard that education has now become a business. Schools have become licensed enclosures for business. In place of guru, servants have been given in the form of teachers. Pain bursts out in words. "In today's system, education has been abducted."

Rather, the very coming of education-school-guru is linked to the coming of hierarchic social systems. In the ashram, sage-guru used to give education to slave-ownes' sons- this education used to teach how to keep slaves under control and generate one-upmanship amongst slaveowners. An example of the negation is the thumb of Eklaya. (Eklaya was denied education by a guru...) In fact, school, guru and education had abducted the mutual easy relations amongst generations in the community. Education and school in essence are anti-community and feed hierarchy.

Schools have opened in large numbers because of the compulsion which masks extensive literacy as the requirement of the market. Sages and gurus have been transformed into specialists-reputed professors and these people create ever new logic and theories to maintain hierarchy.

Yes, in very large numbers, teachers have become educational workers. They have become wage-workers of the educational field. This is not something to regret. Rather, this is good news. It is the advent of a large group who have the capacity to lift the curtain from anti-community education-school.

Let's go beyond breast-beating and look at "Workers are shirkers." "Gov't employes don't work." "Teachers don't teach." In doing so, the emptiness of the present hierarchic, social system will be clearly visible. From this positive point, we will attempt to go ahead with the discussion of education, school, teacher, student.

Solidarity with Viva Global Workers

Solidarity with Viva Global Workers, London

WORKER ACCOUNT OF VIVA GLOBAL DISPUTE

(New Series No. 267, September 2010)
A worker’s account of the Viva Global dispute, Marks & Spencer supplier. 413, Udyog Vihar Phase III, Gurgaon.

“Often there’s no water in the toilets because the pipe is bust. During the summer, drinking water is warm from the overhead tank. Workers on the 3rd floor must go to the 1st or 4th floor for drinking water since there’s none on our floor. It’s too hot on the shopfloor and workers faint. The annual wage increment is too low. Overtime is paid at single rates while we’re told to sign that we’ve received double. To overcome the problems faced by these regular workers, tailors took the initiative to start a union. Slowly 250 workers hired by the contractors were thrown out. Among these thrown-out workers there were 150 women (threadcutters and sequin/ bead sewers, repair workers) earning Rs.3,000 per month (significantly below the minimum wage). Since April the company has closed overtime and management started getting work done outside the factory. They began discriminating against permanent tailors by giving less work and then making allegations that they weren’t working. 20th August, some workers went with the union to the labour office and one representative from management came, carrying merely a letter. On Monday August 23rd, 14 workers were stopped at the gate and prevented from going into duty and told that they were suspended. Instead of the usual 3 guards, there were 7, as well as 8 others to bully the workers. 120 workers stood in the rain and arguing that these 14 should be let in, there arose a scuffle between the workers and guards. Then others arrived with hockeysticks from the company’s side. Male and female workers were beaten with hockeysticks and so forced away from the factory gates. They also took one worker away.

Workers went to the union office, then the union called the labour officer to the factory. But nothing happened. Since August 2rd, 120 workers have been sitting at the factory gate in a protest, with only 50 working inside. The union president and a tailor sat on a hunger strike to get the kidnapped worker released, which he was the next day, dropped beaten and injured, 500 yards from factory gate.
On 27th August, the police arrested three persons in relation to this case.

The factory makes goods from M&S. The buyer came from Bangalore. She made enquiries and called the union and management representatives for a meeting in a hotel. Then she left for Bangalore after saying that there would be a meeting on 28th August between management and union to reach an agreement. But until now (12 p.m., August 28th), management had not shown its face”.

Students comment on the protest
“2nd September labour commissioner himself came to the factory (from Chandigarh). He stayed for 2 hours with management. After coming out, he told the (non-suspended) workers to return to work, saying that an agreement would be reached. Then the workers roughly spoke to him and the union leader spoke in his favour. There was some discussion among the workers that they should negotiate for 6 of the suspended workers to stay out and for the rest to go in.”

WAGE WORKERS IN GURGAON

(New Series No. 266, August 2010)

India Bulls worker- 448, 49, 50, 51 Udyog Vihar Ph V.
3,500 workers. Share market, electricity, real estate, finance company.
60 – cleaning
26 – security (‘Swift Securities’)
15 – maintenance, all hired thru contractors.

Security guards: 2x12 hour shift, no weekly off. Rs.6,200 for 30 days at 12 hours per day. July 7th, 8 a.m, all guards left their duty posts and by 8.30 a.m., management had offered Rs. 1,000 extra to all per month.

Bharat Export Overseas (garments)- 493, Udyog Vihar Ph III.
Production Dept: Work starts 9 a.m., finished at 8.30 p.m. daily required. 4 days per week, until 1 a.m.

Finish Dept- 1 a.m. daily is shift close and few times per month, work whole night (to 6 a.m.). For all these days they get Rs.25/ day for food. All overtime at single rates.

350 workers, none have ESI/ PF (only small ‘staff’).
Helpers on Rs.130 and tailors Rs.180, for 8 hrs.

16th July, production workers were collected in the basement and finishers on 1st floor and were told that buyers are coming next day (17th) and if they are asked, they must say that helpers get Rs.162/8 hrs and tailors Rs.270/ 8 hrs, there’s no overtime, and all workers have social security benefits…

Buyers came, saw, went and didn’t talk to the workers.

Toilets are filthy.

Hyundai Supron showroom- 255 Udyog Vihar Ph IV.
All workers (not staff) thru contractor, Rs.3,500-4,000.

2nd week July, labour inspector came, met officers and went away.

Libas Exports- 357 Udyog Vihar Ph IV.

Landlords: in Kapa Sera and other villages, landlords say that to stay in their house, worker tenants must purchase from their shops at higher rates.

Eastern Medikit- 196 Udyog Vihar Ph I.
Casual workers given June wages on 20th July. Permanent workers work in 3 shifts of 8hours, while casual workers have two 12 hr shifts. Overtime payment is less than single (Rs.15/ hr). May overtime was not paid until July 11th.

Graffiti Exports- 377 Udyog Vihar Ph II.
On July 10th, company closed all stitching work. 350 workers were total, now only 85 in finish dept remain. Helpers are paid minimum wage of Rs. 4,214 against 10.75 hrs instead of 8 hours. Shift is 9:30 a.m. to 8:15 p.m., and frequently to 2 a.m. This overtime gives helpers only 5 hours overtime (while checkers get 7 hours).

Few workers have ESI & PF.

Buyers include ‘White & Company’, ‘Nimi Mazi’, and ‘Noa Noa’. Wages paid only the 15th of every month. Drinking water is poor.

EEL- 402 Udyog Vihar Ph III.
8 a.m.-8 p.m., 11 a.m.-10:15 p.m. are two main shifts. 175 workers make machinery for cement plants. Overtime paid at single rates. Another factory at 509 UV Ph II(50workers the same 12 hr shift).

Rakheja Enterprise- 74 Udyog Vihar, Ph I.
Helpers’ wage: Rs.3,500
General checker: Rs.4,000
Tailors: Rs.4,500

Overtime less than single rate at Rs.16.66 per hour.

700 workers make garments for ‘Jack Jack’, only 3 of these have ESI & PF.
Second factory at 744 UV Ph 5, where helpers’ wages are Rs.3,000.
Dirty toilets.

Sarthi Security- Hanuman Mandir, Dunda Hera village, Udyog Vihar.
Guards work in two 12 hr shifts and no weekly off. After 30 days, paid Rs.5500.

Sargam Exports- 152-153, 210, Udyog Vphar Ph 1, 224 Ph IV UV & 540 Ph V, UV.
Payment of wages is according to minimum wage. Overtime at greater 100 hours per month all paid double.

Management is very abusive, and they take bribes of Rs.500 per month from helpers (arguing where else do you get such a good deal). Buyer is H&M.

Bhurji Supertec- 272, Udyog Vihar Ph II.
June wages not paid until 22nd July.

Premium Molding- 185, Udyog Vihar Ph I.
Making steering equipment for Maruti.

Helpers’ wage Rs. 3,500, 80 hours overtime per month, paid at 6 rupees per hour.

S&R- 298, Udyog Vihar Ph II.
9 a.m.-11 a.m. standard shift and if don’t work Sundays to 6 p.m., get thrown out.
Overtime paid less than single at Rs.17.5 per hour.

Can only drink water only at lunch and must go out of factory since none inside. Toilets are very dirty.