A short and not-so-sweet story of the ‘Awaam’
So this Awaam we hear about all the time on the half billion news channels on Pakistani TV, what does it really do when it is not protesting over some serious non-issue or burning, breaking, and stealing public and private property? (Allow me to pull an Inzi here) I have been blessed by God (and read Allah if you’re reading this between the 1st and 30th of Ramadan) with a position to employ enough people and to also have the time to sit back and wonder, ‘why do any of my employees not frequent dharnas, jalsas, and other methods of stabbing our severely injured economy in its only functional lung?’ They too complain about the scarcity of electricity and how difficult it is to survive on one salary while all they do is work extra shifts, take up part time jobs, or pilfer. But not a single one of them has ever requested leave or not shown up at work to attend a protest, or has come back bruised after a laathi-charge. The human resource turn over in a business like mine can be frightening, so that’s a mother lode of half-skilled people and yet no political involvement or inclination. Leaves me wondering but with fewer possibilities this time: 1. I’m paying them way too much (which I figure am not) 2. Have employed all pious, god fearing, civilized angels, content with what they make and how they live (which is not true either). While the most likely 3. These people just have a real job. With that said, I’m beginning to believe that this bhooki, nangi, mazloom, children selling, wrist-slitting, press club frequenting, somersaulting, suicidal awaam has to be plainly bored, or frustrated, or both to end up protesting as often for miseries everyone else is also equally subjected to. While my question remains where it was, we have at least established the fact that people (transporters, masons, paanwalas, jamadars, cops, shopkeepers, blue-collar employees, entertainment and service business sector, shopkeepers, hawkers, barbers, et al) that lose a day’s worth of income due to such protests and other beyghairati do not make up the awaam. Unless it’s a conspiracy of the Jews, the Indians, the Americans, the Afghans, the political opposition or side-effects of predator drones, or acidity from greasy samosas, or even Satan himself, this all seems pretty made-up, plastic, a drawn-out drama, useless waste of a potentially money-generating day, or even another useless tradition we’re yet to grow out of. To most people (if any at all) reading this, I might be heartless and insensitive or in simpler terms, a cold-hearted bastard worthy of a dozen lashes, drive out to your nearest slum, there will be dozens of unemployed people hanging around waiting for some kind of an opportunity to relieve themselves of built up frustration while those that are at work will be at work or remain indoors when the opportunity for the bums presents itself.
