MARWARI LOGIC
LT COL NOEL ELLIS
15/VI/2023
One has been observing the ‘Marwari’ way of life. Now that one is amidst them, it is fun to understand them exhibiting those qualities.
They believe in the principle of ‘Chamri Jaye par Damri na Jaye’. ‘He’ is a miser of the highest order. Some of these traits have been discussed below, so read on.
Our colony is on a National Highway. While broadening the highway, the cut to turn into the colony was closed. Now, one has to take a U turn about a kilometre ahead. Knowing a Marwari inside out and his calculations based on the cost of petrol, there is no way he would traverse the extra distance.
He would rather take a short cut through the first cutting before the colony and drive two kilometres on the wrong side of the road, risking his own life and of all those on the highway. To add to the haughtiness, he flashes his headlights, blinding you while keeping them on high beam that too at full speed. He is warning you to get away for your own safety, it is my right of way, he means.
Why do they come on the wrong side? Was it due to the extra fuel consumed? Someone replied, not only that, tires and engine “faltu gheesay hai”. Marwari Logic at its best.
Our car washer goes to another extreme to save petrol. He washes around five cars in our lane. Instead of parking his bike at one end and walking down washing cars, he halts at the first car, then pushes his bike till the next car and so on. I wanted to understand why. Petrol consumption was the second reason. Main reason was 80,000 rupiyo ro fatka, if it gets stolen. Don’t you have insurance? What! he frowned? I understood. Besides, “kun panch bar kick mare”, he saves energy too. Balle-balle!
Our neighbours went to the other extreme. First, was sticking ‘car perfume’ bottles on their champa tree. Why waste the leftovers, he chuckled. One can keep smelling perfume till the bottle goes bone dry. Car perfume gets activated with movement and flow of air. The wind is free and while the branches shake it displaces the liquid inside. Can you beat that logic?
There is another saying in Marwari. Fokat ka to daam hi chokho. Which literally means that if someone is ‘branding’ animals with a hot iron stamp, they would love to get such tattoos for free. That is the limit to which a Marwari can go. ‘Mufat ka Chandan ghis mere Nandan’ runs in their DNA.
Today, one witnessed the limits of “Marwariness”. Our neighbours have a few Banana trees, which had tilted towards the road were about to fall. Fruit laden bunches tilted it further due to its weight. We suggested they tie the trees with a rope to arrest their fall.
They did tie the tree but with a thin plastic rope which must have come free wound on some package. That string cut into the tree trunk and sliced the banana tree at the place where it was tied. The tree fell with the laden bunch. While they were away, we chopped the fallen bunch and handed it over to them.
Like good neighbours we discussed the issue again. I reiterated that the “rope” was too thin and sharp. It will slice the other tree too. This time they used a different kind of material. The banana bunch on the second tree fell yesterday, however the tree kept standing, thanks to the supporting rope. They were out of town again. We picked up the bunch before someone whacked it.
To my utmost surprise I saw a letter M written on the rope which was holding the tree. A little ahead ‘MACROMAN’ was embossed on it. A bell rang, though I don’t use this brand but it sells underwear. Our Marwari friends had removed the elastic waist band from their used ‘chaddies’ and utilized them effectively. No kharcha of buying ropes. Heights!
I only hoped that they were not using the rest of the ‘Kachha’ to seko rotis, like a lady was shown doing in the film ‘Three Idiots’. May God bless this community. Loved their ingenious ways of putting waste to use and saving every ‘Paiyha’ (paisa).
“Marwariness” at its best. Can anyone beat such Marwari logic? I wonder!!!!!!!!
JAI HIND
© ® NOEL ELLIS
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