Chapter 174 Brahmins in the Slums
The monsoon in Mumbai has not yet passed, and the Sur slums remain overcrowded.
In addition to the jugglers and their animal friends, the sidewalk dwellers also took refuge there.
They had been living on any unoccupied land they could find, including sidewalks large enough to erect their flimsy shelters.
These shelters are usually made of cardboard, rags, and plastic film, and are only big enough to accommodate one person.
There is actually no difference between living in a shack made of rags or sleeping on the mud ground outside the shack.
Sleeping outdoors might provide better air, and having a few rags to keep out the rain is better than getting soaked.
But this is not the case during the rainy season, as a heavy rain can easily destroy their homes.
So over the past month, more than 5,000 outsiders have gradually crowded into the Sur slums to seek refuge.
There are millions of people living on the sidewalks of Mumbai. During the rainy season, they disperse into small groups and hide in nearby slums like migratory birds.
This is not a difficult task, but the real problem comes from outside the slums.
Sidewalk dwellers originally made the streets their home and bought their daily necessities from local shops.
Because they were too poor, they didn't buy much, mainly eggs, milk, tea, bread, cigarettes, vegetables, kerosene, children's clothing, etc.
But because there are so many people, the overall population becomes an important source of business and income for local shops.
Now that these sidewalk dwellers have taken refuge in the slums, they often turn to the dozens of small shops within them.
The problem is that the legal shops on the sidewalk outside have no business.
The shop owners all hated the small shops in the slums for taking away their business, and this hatred became more and more uncontrollable as the rainy season prolonged.
So surrounding shop owners, real estate developers, and others who feared the slum's expansion joined forces and recruited thugs from other places.
They paid thugs to sabotage the supply lines of slum shops.
As a result, shop assistants in the slums are often harassed. They buy vegetables, fish or dry goods from the big market and load them onto carts, which are the main targets of hooligans.
In addition to goods being damaged or robbed, sometimes people are even physically attacked.
When the slum shops ran out of supplies, the people living there naturally suffered.
Finally, everyone decided to unite and fight against foreign enemies.
This matter should have been organized by Anand or Ashish, but neither of these two guys is good at fighting.
One was short and stocky, with no intimidating presence at all. The other was a scholar, a writer.
At this time, a man was pushed out. He was Amor.
He was a well-known gangster in the area, strong and fierce in fighting.
If we talk about who in the slums can rival those gangsters, it has to be him.
Amor accepted the job without hesitation.
He divided the children into several teams to patrol the perimeter of the slums and keep an eye out for enemy movements.
Then form several teams of young and strong men to escort the shop assistants to the market to purchase goods.
Amor led a team himself and took the lead wherever there was danger.
Sometimes he would just hold a table leg and fight with the thugs holding knives on the opposite side.
He never cared about casualties, nor did he set up ambushes, relying solely on his bravery.
But the gangsters armed with sharp weapons would flee in panic after fighting with him for no more than two minutes.
After several offensive and defensive battles, the gangsters no longer dared to show up easily.
Amor's reckless playing style earned him the nickname "Mad Tiger".
The war that took place in the outer slums did not demoralize the residents.
On the contrary, the popularity of various stores has increased dramatically. In order to thank the residents for their support, the stores responded with big sales, price cuts, and a carnival-like shopping atmosphere.
In this turbulent season, a rare scene of harmony appeared in the slums of Mumbai.
All these things were reported to Ron by Ashish, who usually monitored every move in the slums.
"That Amor, is that the person you mentioned last time?" Ron asked.
"That's right, boss. He is a good fighter and likes to charge into battle." Ashish added quickly.
Ron couldn't help but think of the figure standing at the front of the car, using slogans to incite the crowd to the most primitive and blind fanaticism.
"Where is he now?"
"Just wait outside the door."
"Bring him in."
Soon Amor was led into the office, and without saying a word, he immediately stepped forward and touched Ron's foot.
"Huh?" Ron raised an eyebrow when he saw his skin color.
It is rare to see light-skinned people in South India. If you do see them, it usually means that they are of a high caste.
Of course, there are also white people among the lower castes. They are often descendants of rebels and criminals from the Aryan period.
But Amor doesn't look like a pariah at all. His temperament is different from those illiterate people.
"What's your last name?" Ron asked curiously.
"Mukherjee," Amol answered honestly.
“Are you from West Bengal?”
If Ron remembered correctly, this was a Brahmin caste, meaning ruler, and there was this family in West Bengal.
“No, I grew up in Mumbai,” Amol shook his head.
"Have you ever been to school?"
"Undergraduate degree in economics."
"Um?"
Not only Ron was shocked, but even Ashish next to him was stunned.
"Have you been to college?"
"Yes, but it's useless."
"Why?"
"Because those companies only recruit members of their own family for management positions, whether or not they've attended university is not important."
In 1993, there were only private and state-owned enterprises in Mumbai. The former were nepotistic, while the latter added bribes to the mix.
Amor couldn't get in at all. He had no money and no connections.
"So where did you work before?"
"Working as a worker in a dairy factory."
In fact, there is no need to ask any more questions at this point. This Amor must be a Brahmin without a doubt.
Both his skin color and his academic qualifications can prove this.
Ron didn't know why a Brahmin would live in a slum, but thinking about his initial situation in Mumbai, he wasn't too surprised.
"You'll start working at Sur Electric tomorrow and start as the deputy security captain. You'll have twenty people under you, responsible for patrolling and protecting the factory. The salary is 4,000 rupees. Is that okay?"
"Of course!" Amor was overjoyed and couldn't wait to bend down and touch Ron's toes again.
This was better than he had expected, as three thousand rupees had been his biggest wish before.
It suddenly jumped to four thousand, leaving Amor stunned.
Ashish next to him was quite envious. When he first came in, he only had two thousand.
"Okay, you go first, and someone will take care of the rest."
After Amol left, Ashish came forward again.
"Boss, I didn't expect this guy to have been to college but live in a slum."
"It's okay. I'll ask my friends at the police station to help investigate. If they have a dirty background, we'll just kick them out."
Ron was going to ask Ajie for help. It would be better to investigate this high-caste person whose background he didn't know.
As long as it's not murder or arson, there's no problem.
Wow, even the security guard at the gate is an undergraduate, amazing!
"How's the recovery going at the Kimble branch?"
"The equipment has been basically repaired, and the technicians are doing the final maintenance. It will be turned on once the power supply is restored."
Speaking of power supply, Ron also had a headache.
As India's largest city, Mumbai has a reliable power supply most of the time, with the exception of the rainy season.
Ron tried using his connections and gave the electrician tips, but to no avail.
This matter might still fall on the shoulders of the city hall, and he planned to inquire for some information when he went to Chauvin's party in two days.
"We'd like to keep all the original factory's skilled workers here, and we can give them a proper salary increase. It's hard to find experienced people like that right now."
"yes."
India's illiteracy rate is still too high, and it is not easy to find a few qualified technicians.
To be honest, the workers at the Baniya factory were really miserable.
Bania has a lot of money in his pocket, but he is extremely harsh to his subordinates.
The salary of an engineer is less than 2,000 rupees. Other supervisors earn even less, around 1,500.
This is in India, where engineering is almost always the first choice for most men besides being a civil servant.
Not only do they have a high social status, but their salary levels are also among the highest in all industries.
Unfortunately, the scale of the factory in Mumbai was shrinking, and those people did not dare to resign easily, and in the end they were controlled by Bania.
Not to mention the workshop workers, many of them are paid only 500 rupees.
The most bizarre thing is that the factory produces electric fans, but the workers can't enjoy any cool breeze on their heads.
He was reluctant to even install a few more ceiling fans, as if he was treating a group of pigs crammed into the workshop.
Until now, Bania still owes his workers two months' salary, even though he doesn't need the money.
It is not difficult to guess why no one stopped Amor and his men when they rushed into the workshop.
He is a complete black-hearted capitalist. I guess everyone is hoping that he will get into trouble.
Bania was indeed unlucky. After leaving the Sacre Villa that day, Kaplan immediately taught him a profound lesson.
Ron didn't know what exactly happened.
He only heard that Bania had left Mumbai and had not taken any assets with him.
Evil will be punished by evil.
Ron wasn't interested in asking; he had his own things to do.
Ding-ling-ling. The phone on the table rang.
Ron picked it up and listened to a few sentences before frowning.
Something unexpected happened in Uttar Pradesh.
(End of this chapter)
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