Street scenes in Vellore

During a recent visit to Vellore in January, 2023, I came across a bullock-cart in the main road transporting goods and men.

Anna remembered that she travelled with her parents, from Katpadi station to the Christian Medical College campus in a bullock-cart in 1968, when she came to attend the interview for her undergraduate studies. Horse carts and bullock carts were the main modes of transport for people and goods at that time. 

Now horse carts are no more in the streets, but bullock carts are still there. 

What has changed! 

The buses, autorickshaws and medium sized goods-carriers have replaced the carts for public transport.  But people who owned bullock-carts and who could not avail loans from the bank to move to own vehicles, stayed with bullock carts. A friend told me that there are several of these carts in Vellore who have regular contracts with merchants to transport goods. 

The cycle-rickshaws have been replaced with auto-rikshaws for which the state government gave a concession and easy payment mode in instalments, when the drivers wanted to change to their cycle-rickshaws to auto rickshaws or  tempo travellers. 

The banks became a source for social change and upward economic mobility for those who lived in the low income category.  

It was Mrs. Indira Gandhi, when she was the prime minister of India, who nationalised the banks forty years ago, through which the banks were made to participate in the social and economic mobility of people. I found out that eighty percent of scooters and cars are brought through the loans that banks provide. Nearly ninety percent of houses are bought through loans from the banks which can be repaid over twenty or more years. Eighty percent of students in professionals colleges study through the loans provided by the bank. This access to bank loans made it possible for many to access overseas education.

If the state and national governments are more people friendly towards the lower strata of the society, the people can have better living prospects. People would then move from a barely surviving mode to a more comfortable way of living!

From all that we hear and read, a lot more of attention from the state and central governments is needed to support the farmers, small and medium scale enterprises and start ups.  

The senior citizens who have no access for pensions will be another group who would need consideration and concessions form the governments.

My hope is that more state governments and national government will feel for such people and respond with a social conscience! 

M C Mathew (text and photo)