I was born and bought up in Meerut ,a town of U.P. Childhood is precious to all, but UP under congress and then under SP,BSP deteriorated in front of my eyes. We had all given up on Meerut, asking our family there to shift out. Then Modi happened and then Yogi..and now we all are seeing a new UP emerge.
As a girl, I do not remember ever going out without an escort. We had trustworthy rickshaw wallas who would drop us to school. Evening meant being escorted by a male,and after sunset, no one went out.
Things worsened under SP rule. On certain festivals, peacefuls would Zip through Hindu areas on their mobikes ,fearlessly Eve teasing ,because the police had instructions not to book them. After Yogi came ,mobike police squads began patrolling areas . Now my nieces and her friends are able to be in market after dark,wearing jeans and dresses, which we never did . Only time we wore dresses was in school fetes or visiting Delhi. I remember police outside our girls’ school on Saturdays as girls would face Eve teasing on wearing sports tee shirt and skirt. Law and order had deteriorated so much that dress for senior girls changed to salwar kameez.
Under yogi, we have pink booths. The house help in my maternal home bought her 13 year old daughter to work. She was being stalked by a 30 year old peaceful who wanted to marry her. His mother was actively supporting the son and trying to lure the girl. I took the girl and the mother to the Thana nearby. As soon as I entered, a woman constable approached me,took me to the pink booth in the Thana. A woman inspector helped us to write the complaint ,explained the pitfalls of the situation and legal implications. By evening the man had been arrested and his mother too counselled. This is Yogi government. Previously, the girl would have been lured, trafficked and her mother would have been helpless.
As a kid I remember no flush toilets, and ‘bhangis’ who would clean up our laterines. A flush toilet with tiles was a luxury. I still owe a debt to our ‘Bhangis’. Now their third generation is driving e rickshaws or are employed by nagar Nigam. Now toilets are accessible to the poorest . And fancy tiles and bathroom fittings are no longer a luxury.
I remember power cuts for hours in UP. The torture of returning home in summers after school to no electricity was Hell. We would draw out water from the handpump for bathing and wet our sheets before laying down. I remember some black and white pics of Indira Gandhi with Priyanka - both looked cool and crisp in cottons while we were wilted . That envy still stalks me when I see Priyanka . On a school trip where we visited Rastrapati Bhavan and Indira Gandhi , the cool manicured lawns and cool environs made our dusty, sweaty life in meerut all the more unbearable.
In 90’s generators and inverters became accessible. We installed motors in our homes for water as government supply was erratic . Septic tanks were the norm except in aawas vikaas colonies. The power supply was so poor that inverter batteries would not get charged . I stopped visiting in summers because my kids were small and heat unbearable. I stopped visiting in peak winters as there was no warm water . My mother bought gas fired geysers. Buying LPG in black was the norm.
Now inverters lie unused because there is ample power supply. There is Government water supply . Drainage has replaced septic tanks. Now I visit my maternal home in all Seasons. Piped gas supply has made gas shortages a bad memory.
Recently my aunt returned from USA because now life is comfortable in her birth place. Her house help got Covid in the third wave. I rang up the helpline and was amazed at the response. My aunt got private RTPCR tests done at home, 4 members of househelp were positive. Government people visited ,gave kits and kept tabs for 7 days. I was so proud of my Uttar Pradesh ….world class medical response.
State elections are approaching. Time for us to decide whom to vote for. The SP, Congress and BSP destroyed the state, killed its education system by allowing state supported cheating. Employment was for the ruling party supporters. Law and order had deteriorated so much that cases were not filed on supporting communities . There was migration of Hindus from localities like Khandak, L2 colony of Shastri Nagar , state bank colony on Hapur road etc. Business of sports goods and scissors was dying because the owners were Hindus, while workers were from a peaceful community,who began blackmailing owners. With no succour in sight many Business folded up.
Uttar Pradesh is reviving. I write this as I have witnessed both the phases . Up to the voters to decide what they want…The 40 minutes drive on a safe ,smooth road at any time or a pot holed ,4 hour drive to Delhi from Meerut - with late night drive being out of question.
I heartily pray Yogi returns ! So that I may also come more often to my Birthplace -with pride and a feeling of Security.
