A Not So Glorious Story Of a Shepherd
Mundane yet stimulating
Shepherding is one of the oldest occupation in the world and a shepherd, probably one of the most glorified character in literature.
The first account of a shepherd hero goes all the way back to 1000 BC in the Old Testament. A young shepherd named David goes on to become the great Kind David of Israel and such a compelling biblical figure, that David is the second most popular masculine name in America today.
According to the Old Testament, David was a teenage shepherd in Bethlehem who was brought to King Saul of Israel by Prophet Samuel as a musician. His harp was so soothing that Saul called for David whenever he was vexed by an “evil spirit”. Saul was so taken with this young man that he appointed David the armor bearer in the war against his biggest enemies, the Philistines. And then took place that legendary battle where the Philistinian giant Goliath was defeated by David with a sling shot.
For 3000 years, this battle has become a representation of mind over might and David, the hero of the underdogs.
Another great shepherd story is so popular, it holds the Guinness World Record for the most translated work by a living author, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. A young Andalusian shepherd named Santiago travels from his home in Spain to Egypt, seeking treasure in the hidden pyramids of Gaza. In this journey, he gets robbed, works for a crystal merchant, saves a tribe from an attack, falls in love, learns alchemy, even raises a sandstorm, only to find at the end that the treasure was hidden under the same tree in Spain, sleeping under which, he first dreamt about it. Santiago finally concludes that his personal legend was not to find the treasure but to acquire the wisdom to help him connect to the Soul of the World.
But the story of our shepherd is different. It is different because it is not a fable but a true story. Devoid of omens and serendipity, it represents what David would have been, had Prophet Samuel not found him or where Santiago would have been, had he not dreamt of the treasure under that sycamore tree.
But the story of our shepherd is different. It is different because it is not a fable but a true story. Devoid of omens and serendipity, it represents what David would have been, had Prophet Samuel not found him or where Santiago would have been, had he not dreamt of the treasure under that sycamore tree.
Our shepherd is called Ganesh Kumar and he lives in Amravati, a small town in the state of Maharashtra in western India. Ganesh is 26 years old and identifies his occupation as a Gadi-Manus, word used for shepherd in Marathi, but the one who tends to the livestock of his employer not his own. He is paid 40,000INR (~$600) per annum for this job along with food, lodging and a change of clothes three times a year on Holi, Dussehra and Diwali.
His daily routine encompasses bringing the livestock to the pastures along with two other helpers and make sure the animals do not get lost or attacked by predators. In case they do, the wrath of the employer awaits.
Ganesh did go to school as a child. India has free public schooling system. But as all children in the poor strata of society, bypassing the child labor laws, he was working most of the days to procure some earning for his poor family. There was no Prophet Samuel waiting for him back in school. Instead, a teacher who told this third grader, education isn’t for you. Quit.
There was no Prophet Samuel waiting for him back in school. Instead, a teacher who told this third grader, education isn’t for you. Quit
His mother passed away soon after and bullied by the stepbrothers, he eventually left his home in central India and came far away to Amravati, without a home or a human being to call his own.
How did I come across this man? I did not. Swati Mishra from The Lallantop did in a bucolic part of Maharashtra, during the ground reporting of 2019 General Election. Indians take pride in being the largest democracy in the world casting over a 100 million votes in the general election. Swati was out in the remote corners of the country to know how some of those billions decide their vote.
In her quintessential genial style, she started chatting with Ganesh in a relatable jargon and the man opened up. Ganesh had never voted, nor did he have a voter-id. We know poor people are often procured their voter-ids and paid by the politicians when they want their numbers up. The fact that Ganesh still did not have the Voter-ID means he is irrelevant even to the caste-based politics of India. His own constituency must be run by an individual from a different caste who is not impacted by Ganesh’s vote.
Consequently, he does not understand what an election is or who presides the highest office of Prime Minister in the country. Swati’s eyes were filled with dismay when the befuddle man answered, Sonia Gandhi (who by the way had never been the PM of the country albeit a powerful majority leader a decade ago).
Prime Minister Modi is known to be the man of the masses. How come this man not knew of him? Well, he kind of did. When asked who the Chief Minister of Maharashtra is, he answered Mo-T-i Sarkar, where Sarkar translates to government. Abki bar Modi Sarkar was the popular slogan in Mr. Modi’s successful election campaign in 2014 General Election. The cheap smartphones have at least made sure the propaganda reaches the masses, whether or not literacy and opportunity does.
A problem with a well-off, well-read, romanticist like me is that I expect some great inspiring story in every person’s life. Living in a first world city of immigrants like New York, where every person’s struggle is little short of heroic, that expectation only seems fair.
But Ganesh’s story opened my eyes to the lives that debunk the Mythology of Man — the idea that we are the center of the universe and ought to live up to that reputation. It rives up the fabric of democracy we so value. The idea of democracy has been obfuscated by the glaring inequality in the system. As long as that inequality exists, people like Ganesh, who form the bedrock of our societies will stay buried in the depth of ignorance and purposelessness.
Source video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yBfldRRzYw
