Kanpur- Pigs, Vikrams & Gutkha.

Once upon a time, Kanpur was called the land of swine and auto-rickshaws, speaking in English: pigs and Vikram auto only. It was a popular idiom among citizens that beware while driving Vikram and the pigs. They can stop, run and take unpredictable turns on the road. And in fighting, you can't win from their masters.

Kanpur is without a doubt one of the most polluted and chaotic cities. Today the world is hit by swine flu, I recall the old days when private pig farms proliferated in the city without any monitoring. Kanpur was the center of bristle trade for the whole of India under colonialism mainly done by Khatiks. After the decline of the bristle trade, the Khatik switched over to public pig rearing which became a menace to the whole of Kanpur.
The brief rides on the “Vikrams” for roaming in the city can invariably be left an outsider tired, irritable, and generally sick. Still, People prefer Vikrams to crammed buses for their mobility and fast service inside the jammed road of Kanpur. But I loved them for their talkative drivers and mithun da-type sidekicks hanging outside autorickshaws. The image down there is of an old autorickshaw which was the master of the road in starting '90s. Pretty fun to ride in them, now they are replaced by better ones. Still, a crazy drive in Vikram having a seat beside the driver is a must part of all Kanpur trips.
Now the number of pigs is significantly reduced by the action of ex-mayor Anil Kumar Sharma. And CNG buses considerably reduces the workload of transportation and outing of old vehicles (15 years old) reducing emission considerably.

One more deserving mention about the specialties of Kanpur is Gutkha. Wikipedia defines Gutkha (also spelled gutka, guttkha, guthka) as a super kick a** version of Skoal tobacco. Spitting paan masala is so common that even your white shirt is saved from blackening due to pollution, a journey on the local bus will surely make it damp with a red mark. Pan Parag, Kamla Pasand, Talab, Rajshree, Natraj, and Wah are the name of the popularized brands here.
While the decision to ban gutkha is well received by and large, it is seen as a big blow to some five-lakh people who are employed in this sector and the revenue loss to the state government is immense. Over fifty different Paan Masala and gutkha industries will not be the only losers, even the itra (perfume) industry of Kannauj fall into this trap. Ninety percent of the perfume here is used by the Paan Masala and Gutkha industries in Kanpur.

I am not uttering a single word about the dying roads having valleys and plateaus on them. On every single Billboard and wall, there is the name of the Member of the parliament of this city Mr. Sriprakash Jaiswal who also happens to be a cabinet minister and that too home minister (state). I wonder if he ever visits his constituency or makes cunning speeches!!

Here only, I saw filth all around and myself experienced this, now I call it a ‘Human Jam’. What a city, what a mess. Kanpur Series goes on....

Truly, Wah Kanpur, Ahh Kanpur!!!..........