Sunday, August 7, 2011

The Pigs and IIITians

The pigs have a very important place in the imagination of Human race.

Remember the pig was one of the Dasavtars.

One of my favourite books is Animal Farm by George Orwell. He wrote the book as communism was on the rise. The story is about an Animal farm. The animals revolt and throw the owner out. They run their own farm which is supposed to be sans exploitation. The leaders are the pigs. The pigs slowly start ruling the farm and start enjoying all the good things which comes at the cost of other animals. It also runs a KGB style intelligence apparatus to keep the animals in check. The finale involves pigs wearing ties and learning to walk like human beings. In Orwell's mind, the Pig is the animal which comes closest to human beings.

Pigs are staple diet for majority of human beings. The pork, ham and other variations are favourite dishes for a lot of people. The Muslims and Hindus do not eat them because they are thought to be dirty.

When I was watching Chillar Party, one the characters was saving money in a Piggy Bank. What does pigs have to do with banks and money? The idea of saving starts with piggy banks for children.

In Bengal, a favourite expletive is Suarer Bachha (son of a pig). The interpretation of a Pig is a low form of animal. Son of a Pig is worse than son of a bitch which will make one a dog.

I am reminded of a story where a man and a pig get into a fight. The man was appearing to be winning. In the process of fight, they get into a ditch with smelly, filthy dung. The smell was atrocious. The man suddenly saw that the pig was enjoying the fight. It was feeling very comfortable in the environment. The outcome was clear: the pig won.

Where are the IIITans in this blog.

Last few months, I am noticing a lot of garbage in the campus. Much of it is solid waste which is a result of construction. A lot of it is plastic waste thrown around by students. In the hostel, below the windows one can see plastic wrappers of pepsi, kurkure, lays, fruti, emply plastic cups of coffee and tea, plastic bags. When I discussed about this with some students, they seemed to be oblivious to such garbage. Our own cleaning staff clean the corridors but feel quite comfortable with the stewn garbage.

Have we become the pig feeling very comfortable in the filthy environment? I hope not!