Another article on GURJAR DOMINATED VILLAGE ULLAWAS DISTT GURGAON
fridaygurgaon.com/news/162-it-s-not-all-about-money.htmlForty years ago, Rajpal travelled 30 kilometres on a bicycle to sell milk, from his village Ullawas, to scattered households in what we today know as new Gurgaon. Cut to the present; these households have been replaced by large clustered skyscrapers. As for Rajpal’s own house, three generations later, they now live in a spanking new Bollywood-style mansion. All they have to show for the past is a 90-year-old, haveli that is on its last legs. His grandson Anil Kumar was bestowed the task of coming up with a new house that the family could live in. His inspiration—similar to that of thousands of Indians—was Bollywood.
With more and more farmers being seduced by a luxurious urban lifestyle, Friday Gurgaon finds that it is not just flashy SUVs and Bollywood-styled mansions that they crave. Like all of us, their needs too circle around education, roads, sanitation, water and electricity. Despite having acquired large sums of money, the nouveau riche farmer of Gurgaon is a worried man.
Showcasing his work of art, Anil Kumar walks us through his glass and concrete mansion. Defending his Gujjar pride like an elephant guards her calf, Anil Kumar categorically states, “There is more to our lives than selling land to builders and buying SUVs. The media is quick to tell stories about SUVs parked outside our houses. But has anyone bothered to ask why we buy them? It’s because no other car would go through our kutcha village roads, without getting stuck in open drains criss-crossing the village. Where are the roads to drive cars in this area?”
Rajpal’s family is amongst the many that reside on Gurgaon’s periphery. Their land has become a prized possession for the government, builders and corporates.
Back in the old days, Rajpal’s son, Master Nathimal, would read letters aloud to village folk. He was the first man in his village to pass matriculation in 1966, from Punjab University. That is how he came to be known as Masterji. “During those days, Punjab and Haryana were a joint state,” he recollects.
Today he sits on a charpoy, guarding his piece of land—off Golf Course Extension Road, in village Ullawas—from government acquisition.
Master Nathimal is amongst those who have sold part of their land to builders. “In the village, ours was the last family to part with land. If we don’t sell to builders then the government hounds us—under the garb of Section-4 of the Land Acquisition Act.
The farmer is left with two choices. One is to sell their land to the government, and wait for the money to come in; or sell at a better price to a builder.” Earlier this year, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda put on hold the process of acquiring land, till the Centre introduces an amendment to the Land Acquisition Act.
We probe further. Where is most of this wealth going? How are the city’s nouveau riche utilising this newly acquired wealth? After all, upgrading a lifestyle is no crime. In fact, it is natural progression. Master Nathimal explains, “It is true that some people in the community buy cars and houses as a status symbol, to show who has a bigger car and a better house. However, for the majority of us, the one time that we splurge—is during marriages. That is one exhibition we don’t shy away from. Today, everybody wants to showcase their social status. It doesn’t matter where this status comes from. In our case, it is from sky rocketing land prices.”
Manoj Kumar, who runs Shiva Corporate Management Services, further demystifies the puzzle for us. He has “collaborated” with a leading corporate for the sale of his land. “It is unfair to say that everyone selling land to builders is spending it on cars and bigger houses. Inherently, we are farmers. We are attached to land because it is a part of our identity. I have collaborated with builders here, who have purchased some of my land. In our community, if we sell land here, we buy more land elsewhere. Because both the government and builders are eyeing land in and around the city, I have bought 200 acres at Sohna, to get out of their way.” But buying and selling land is the least of their concerns. “You can have crores in your bank, but what’s the use if children of the village have to travel eight kilometer to go to a senior school,” says Manoj.
A common concern for Manoj, Anil and Master Nathimal, and numerous others residing in Ullawas, is education for the village children. Anil Kumar, 26, is married with two children. Anil adds quickly, “I couldn’t clear BA 2nd year exams, and had to get married. But today, I’m not worried about myself. My time to study has passed. What worries me is that, despite the money, my children still don’t have a decent school in the village. When it comes to land, the government recognises the importance of our village. But when it comes to education, they are nowhere to be seen.”
The village has a primary school for children, till Std V. Those who want to continue further education, have to travel eight kilometres, to Badshahpur, to attend a senior secondary school. “We are not worried about the boys, but for girls to travel every day, raises concerns. Also our village has become synonymous with criminal activities. Times are changing so rapidly, I’m scared to send my children to school here.”
Add to that the shortage of electricity. “Power supply is for just six hours a day,” says Attar Singh, who sits outside his double storey house, fanning himself with a hand-held fan. “We were promised electricity supply for 18 hours a day. Today, we are lucky if we get six hours of continuous electricity at night.” Similar is the story of other surrounding villages. Recently, a few dozen furious farmers of Badshahpur, one of the villages absorbed into the sprawling new territory of the Municipal Corporation, gathered, frustrated at the MCD office, demanding sanitation and better roads. They said their village was becoming an urban slum.
For people like Manoj Kumar, the answers have to come from the village itself. He explains, “We cannot live with false promises. I stood for the last panchayat elections held at the village. Of the 600 votes, I got 250—the second highest in the village.” Although Manoj lost the election, he hasn’t given up. “It doesn’t matter how many times I lose. For the village to change, it is people like us who have to stand up and address concerns. If that doesn’t happen, there is nothing that will stop us from becoming an urban slum.”
As for Master Nathimal, his father’s haveli will stand as long as he does. After him his sons are eager to tear it down, and “collaborate” with builders.
