Chapter 707 Madness and reason

Chapter 707 Madness and reason

Local states in India often have a local king. They are basically the descendants of the rulers of the land where the state was located. Even in today's era of Indian unification, they still have great power in the local state.

The wind can enter, and the rain can enter, but New Delhi's policies cannot enter.

They will implement any policy that is beneficial to the king of the earth, and they will often follow the policy that is unfavorable to the king of the soil, which is difficult to implement locally.

The local chiefs seem to be appointed by the central government of New Delhi, but in fact, if they want to stand firm in the local area, they cannot do without the support of the earth king. If the earth king is unhappy, the position of the chief will be unstable.

There are often great earth kings in other states, but not in Uttar Pradesh where Varanasi is located. The earth kings here all sink to a more local place.

This has something to do with the geographical location and complex history of Uttar Pradesh. In the divided ancient India era, Uttar Pradesh has always been at a strategic point. Whether it is fighting north or south, the battlefield is easily opened in Uttar Pradesh, around Fight a battle of attack and defense along the Ganges.

Whenever there is a separatist force in Uttar Pradesh, it will be beaten by the North and the South. Therefore, the forces that emerge in Uttar Pradesh will often migrate to Delhi soon, and there is no way to develop based on the strategic point.

Precisely because Uttar Pradesh is a strategic hub, the dynasties of ancient India have a tacit understanding of the strategy of dividing power in the Uttar Pradesh region.

During the Mughal period, the entire Uttar Pradesh was divided into three layers of mandala [understandable as the sphere of influence]. The first level of the upper river is the territory directly under the central government, and the second level of the middle river. In Akbar's reform of the land tax system, the land, the lower river land and the Odd area became the Jajir territory of the military generals, which gave birth to the later taxpayer Zamindar system, and Rothirkand was also taken over. Aurangzeb "rewarded" foreign Afghan mercenaries to live;

The third level is the territory of Hinduism or the native Indian "Mu Baihat" state. After they surrendered to the Mughals and expressed their allegiance, the original territory was taken as their own. A fief that supports an army for the court].

The current political and economic blocks of Uttar Pradesh are actually not much different from those at that time, which can be seen from the stability of the urban distribution from the 16th century to the present.

For the divided ancient India, Uttar Pradesh was a strategic hub. For the current unified India, Uttar Pradesh is the world’s granary and political hub. Uttar Pradesh has a large population and holds many votes. Who will win? Uttar Pradesh ticket warehouse means that the top game is stable.

Wang Chongyang, the supernatural power of Zhongyang, is firmly in the first place, and the rest of the southeast and northwest will compete for second place.

To a certain extent, Uttar Pradesh controls the political structure of India, so what if the southern state is rich, we in Uttar Pradesh directly send someone up to slap your big mouths.

There are good countermeasures at the bottom, and policies at the top. Uttar Pradesh has a large population, and the speed of giving birth is also fast. The population grows geometrically every year. As the end goes, the election tends to change from LAN games to Uttar Pradesh. .

Seeing that the situation was wrong, Uttar Pradesh came up with an idea—freezing parliamentary seats and constituencies. Simply put, it was freezing the number of votes. No matter how much the population of Uttar Pradesh increased, the number of votes would be fixed.

This happened in 1976. Since then, Uttar Pradesh, which was slapped with a sap, went home to play with itself, and the political parties in India have been unswervingly on the table because of the freeze period [unfreeze in 2026] On the surface, they worked hard to achieve the goal of dismantling Uttar Pradesh, but under the table, they turned a blind eye to the internal conflicts in Uttar Pradesh.

There is no common history within Uttar Pradesh, no common social structure, no unified rules and governance framework, long-term political and cultural fragmentation, community-induced fragmentation, and long-term lag in economics and governance.

These have brought Uttar Pradesh not only the lack of development, but also the inability to form a state-level political community because of the lack of underlying political logic and ideological anchors.

A politically divided Uttar Pradesh is very beneficial to the rising national political parties, and the five-year term of Uttar Pradesh's supreme chief executive has not been able to stay in peace in the past 12 years since 1976. complete his term.

Because none of the top officials who came to serve represented the interests of the indigenous people of Uttar Pradesh, the policies promulgated and implemented often harmed the interests of vested interest groups in Uttar Pradesh.

The political turmoil has also caused strong anxiety among the landlords in Uttar Pradesh. They will not cultivate their own land in person, nor will they increase their investment in agriculture. They will directly lease the land to tenants and charge high fees. Land rent, and by the way, carry out usury business on their own land.

The tenants cannot create any added value from the rented land other than filling their stomachs, and they have no funds to purchase production tools, irrigation equipment, seeds, and fertilizers, and they have no funds to engage in high-end consumption such as medical treatment and children's education. , It is impossible to leave half a big child in the pocket.

If you need money, you can only go to the landlord to borrow it, and then you will fall into the vicious circle of compound interest rates, and you will be deeply locked up and cannot escape.

In good conscience, the lending activities of landlords here in Uttar Pradesh should not be classified as "usury". The interest they charge is actually very low, much lower than that of bank loans.

It's just that the life of the tenants is too miserable, not to mention asking for interest, even if the principal is reduced or deducted, they still don't pay it.

This situation is like a "good man" lending money to a patient with a "rich man's disease". He borrowed 10,000 yuan and charged 1% interest a year. In contrast to the miserable life, the good man has become a usurer.

More glib good people will jump out and criticize the "loan usury practitioners", "How can this be so, people are so difficult, can't the interest be waived, can't even the principal be waived? If it weren't for my son to buy Villa, if I hadn’t been going to Omen, I would definitely donate a large sum of money…”

Just because there are too many kind-hearted people who are good-natured, the banks who are disadvantaged groups dare not lend to these "poor people". “I’m sorry, but you do not meet the loan application requirements of our bank.”

The bankers don't even dare to provoke the gay type. For their own survival, they can only ask their grandpa to tell their grandma to lend money to people who are not short of money.

No shortage of money means happiness. A happy person spends a little more and does not show off. The bank will not attract abuse when dealing with them.

Also out of this consideration, the business strategy of the Nanguo banking system has always been to attract deposit users as much as possible, and deal with happy loan users selectively.

After subletting their land, landowners in Uttar Pradesh often turned their wealth into economic centers or towns, turning their wealth into luxuries or more lucrative business and financial investments.

Under the oppression of exploitation and heavy debts, ordinary tenants live in the fear that the lease term, property rights and income cannot be guaranteed every day, and they will not and are not qualified to increase their investment in land.

The lack of confidence of tenants in the security of property rights and the "absence" of landowners have led to a long-term lack of basic agricultural input incentive systems in this fertile flood plain in Uttar Pradesh.

...

The scenery by the Ganges made Sophie Marceau feel uncomfortable. In the next journey, Nanyi consciously avoided the Ganges. At Pulan's suggestion, the group went to the small town of Pilicotti.

The small town of Pilicotte is a textile town. The handmade Banarasi silk sarees produced here have complex patterns and unique images. The bright satin is inlaid with a large number of gold and silver tie embroidery, which is the object of flocking.

When it comes to the wedding season, this kind of handmade saree is even more popular in the eyes of the bride. A beautiful saree can make her stand out in the crowd.

Nan Adam Smith Yi once said a famous saying: "There is always such a piece of clothing missing in a woman's closet."

All beautiful women like beautiful clothes. Walking on the narrow path of Pilicotte, listening to the crisp sound of looms echoing in the town, it is located in Pilicotte in the northeast of Varanasi. Some residents are textile workers, and almost every household has a textile machine.

Magenta threads are wound on handlooms, where beautiful sarees are born. The hands of the weavers move back and forth in an orderly manner throughout the seasons, and the songs of Indian laborers linger among the crumbling red brick huts, echoing endlessly and passed down from generation to generation.

In the suffocating hot workshops with dim light, hazy vision, and suffocating air, magenta and bright gold collided and splashed, interlaced horizontally and vertically, and an old wooden handloom continuously spit out Delicately handcrafted silk.

As the production cost of modern textile machinery has been reduced and the efficiency has been greatly improved, it has impacted the hand textile industry and sounded the alarm for the hand textile industry. They need to change if they want to survive, such as expanding their customer base.

Today, the main consumer group of Banarasi silk in Pilicotti has gradually shifted from local Indian customers to foreign tourists. Therefore, although this place is a settlement of Mubai hats, it is not closed and the residents are friendly. Every visitor is welcome to come and visit.

In a workshop, several people in Nanyi watched the textile worker Ali and his son work while chatting with their son Lanzan Ali.

Ranzan Ali is not shy and very talkative.

"My grandfather, my grandfather's grandfather were all weavers. I was born and raised here, and I was destined to only be a weaver." Lanzan Ali crossed his legs and kept pulling silk threads with his hands, "I I have studied in a textile vocational high school, but it is still not easy to find a job outside, I mean I can’t find a better job than a textile worker.”

Lanzan Ali's English has a strong curry flavor, but it does not prevent the people in Nanyi from understanding it.

"Lanzan, have you ever thought about making your workshop bigger?" Nanyi asked after hearing Lanzan Ali speak in a very orderly manner.

"Think about it, but it's useless to think about it. Two hundred years ago, the imitation trade in India was inseparable from the caste system. Basically, we Mubai hats were engaged in the work of textile workers. From grandfather to grandson, art skills Passed down from generation to generation.

If we want to expand the workshop, we need to recruit weaving workers. This is very difficult. Although we don’t earn much, we don’t have to worry about work. One saree needs to be made for about a month, and more than a dozen saris are made every year. The weaving here work can be received.

Also, I don't have the ability to get a large number of stable and profitable orders. "

"Lanzan, doing business doesn't necessarily require you to be able to do all the work yourself. The earth has entered the era of global collaboration. You can be responsible for the production and hand over the sales work to your partners."

"Sir, you don't know enough about India, and I have heard what you said, but it is very difficult to do so in India." Ranzan Ali smiled wryly.

"Adam, you can call me Adam. I haven't been in India for too long, so I don't know much about it, but I think there are some things that you have to try first, without delaying your own livelihood. On, you can take the time to try to find a partner."

"I can?" Lanzan Ali asked with uncertainty.

"Try it, there is nothing wrong with being young." Nan Yi encouraged again, then turned to Sophie Marceau, "Has your masterpiece design been completed?"

Sophie Marceau pushed her drawing paper between the two, "Adam, look, I want to draw some butterflies here, but I can't draw them all the time. I will tell you what I think, and you can help me." I draw."

"I'm not good at painting. I'm not as good as you. You should tell Lan Zan directly that he can weave beautiful patterns. Painting is definitely not a problem for him."

"Yes, MISS, I can draw, you tell me how to draw." Ranzan Ali continued.

Both Sophie Marceau and Marion will order clothes in his workshop, and it is a very high-end order. As long as this order is accepted, he will not need to worry about the order in the next few months.

"Ah, here, I need a blue butterfly, and here I need a golden butterfly, the one with gold wire..."

Sophie Marceau spoke out her thoughts completely, and Lanzan Ali presented the effects one by one on paper according to her thoughts.

I have to say that Lanzan Ali's painting level is good, the butterflies he draws are lifelike and look very spiritual.

Sophie Marceau, Marion, and Lanzan Ali were communicating, and Nanyi chatted with old Ali through Puran, listening to old Ali tell the history of Banarasi silk.

According to the old Ali, the Banarasi sari took the name of the city-Varanasi, but the locals called her "Banarasi".

The silk produced here has a brand name of its own, with India's unique history embedded in each stitch, and Banarasi sarees are a staple of saree weavers, women who wear them, traders and designers. Ho stuff.

When and where Varanasi's silk industry originated is still an unsolved mystery. According to ancient Buddhist and Hindu text records, the city has become a cotton spinning base in India. During the Mughal Empire, Persia textile The master came to India, and after some discussion and exchanges, India's silk textile technology also flourished.

For centuries, the city of Varanasi has been a holy city for devout believers and a stop on the road for businessmen and tourists, photographers, writers and skilled craftsmen have also been making pilgrimages for a long time .

Varanasi's weavers adorned their silk brocades with rich gold and silver embroideries in intricate designs, which made the city more famous.

In the evolution of time, the images on the cloth have also undergone a series of evolutions. Flowers, animals, birds and plants and herbs thrive on Banarasi sarees, and geometric patterns are also popular designs for handmade sarees.

To weave a high-quality Banarasi saree, master-level skills, artistic aesthetics and patience are required. Weavers sit in front of the loom for as short as a few weeks and as long as half a year, just to create a saree , if the pattern is complicated, it will be a more protracted work.

Under normal circumstances, old Ali and Lanzan have to sit in front of the textile machine for 15 hours a day. If the customer needs more urgently and is willing to increase the wages, they are willing to work overtime and increase the working hours of coal to 17. , or even 18, 9 hours.

Holding a shuttle, wearing filaments, shuttles back and forth between rows of weaving threads.

"In India, you can't find any place with such a large textile scale. In the world, you can't find any workshop that can create such amazing works." Old Ali said proudly.

Although textiles did not make Ali's family rich, it also allowed them to live a life without worrying about food and drink.

The birth of each sari comes from the overlap between the warp and weft of the yarn. The brocade weaving technique of Banarasi sari is very special. The craftsman will add a bunch of silk threads, shuttle between horizontal and vertical, and weave patterns into the cloth. , creating exquisite imagery as decoration.

"These patterns are very delicate and delicate and must be done by hand. We have to stare at the embroidery and must be meticulous." Old Ali said, "Slow work produces meticulous work. Not everyone is competent for this job and requires special skills. We Ali's family has their own unique skills."

Nanyi didn’t ask what unique skills he had, and he didn’t let the old Ali show too much. He just asked a question-electric looms are gradually replacing handlooms. What impact does this have on you?

"With an electric loom, as soon as you press the switch, it starts to babble and work automatically, and people just need to watch from the sidelines; the hand loom is different, we need to constantly work on it."

Old Ali said, eyes full of confusion and worry, he turned his head to look at Lan Zan, then turned to look at Nanyi and said, "I'm saving money, as long as I save another seven or eight years, it's enough to buy an automatic The textile machine, Lan Zan has grown up, with the automatic textile machine, Lan Zan can marry more wives and have more children, and the Ali family will grow stronger."

After looking forward to the beautiful scene of a row of daughter-in-laws calling him father-in-law, old Ali sighed again and said: "There are very few young people who are willing to pick up the shuttle. The younger generation grew up watching electric looms and handlooms. How it works, they have no clue.

However, these hand tools still lie in many people's homes, passed down from generation to generation, and we continue the tradition. "

"If you want to weave high-quality silk, I think handlooms are still better. Complex patterns and constant switching of silk threads are not something electric looms can do. Moreover, I think this is an art, and they cannot be Classified as an industrial product."

Nanyi put forward his own opinion, which was mixed with truth and falsehood, with the purpose of comforting.

"I'm not so optimistic. Electric looms are becoming more and more complex, and they can weave complex cloth. Hand-looming will definitely decline. One day, we will have no way to survive. This day will not Coming today, but certainly in the not-too-distant future."

"Perhaps." Nan Yi said thoughtfully, "Keep busy, I won't disturb you."

Nan Yi winked at Pu Lan and led her to the outside of the workshop.

"Do you know who the biggest underground leader in Varanasi is?"

"Don."

"Don? Don? Something to do with the Mafia?"

"Probably not. I've heard gossip that Don likes Marlon Brando very much, and he likes his "The Godfather" very much."

"Is this Tang not very old?"

"Not too old, probably no older than thirty-five years old."

"How's your personality?"

"Boss, I'm not very clear. I'm not very familiar with Varanasi." Puran said.

"It's okay, butt wiped clean?"

"It was very clean, and the team responsible for wiping has returned to Mumbai."

"There are now 160 Dalit female soldiers?"

"A total of 165 people, 90 members were transferred by the company to Madagascar to protect the mahogany felling team there."

"Well, I know this. From the rest of the people, 7 people will be drawn from Luban Wood Industry to form the most capable and reliable team, code-named the pilgrimage team, and they will be transferred to Varanasi to set up a team here. Safe house, we're going to make a big move here."

"clear."

"Adam."

Sophie Marceau walked out of the workshop and saw Nanyi and Pu Lan talking, so she didn't step forward, but shouted from a distance.

"Have you finished talking?" Nanyi heard the call and asked Sophie Marceau.

"It's already been negotiated. Lanzan said that the clothes for me and Marion will be finished in less than three months."

"Oh, then you and Marion are bleeding profusely."

Just now Nanyi heard from Lan Zan that it would take half a year to complete the two women's clothes, but now the time has been shortened by more than half, it must be that the wages are very considerable, and Lan Zan is willing to risk his life to do it.

"Yes, Marion and I increased our wages just to get the clothes quicker."

"Oh, then let's take a look at the way we came from just now? I don't know if those ascetic monks have left."

"Okay, I'll get Marion."

Sophie Marceau called Marion, and the three of them returned to the loess road they had come back from.

There are many ascetic monks wandering around in Varanasi, wearing clothes and dresses that are strange and incomprehensible to others, but they actually show the beliefs of the monks.

If we go back to the source, the ascetic monks, a special group of monks, originated from Brahmanism in India. The classical epic "Mahabharata" said, "Everyone who is defeated will suffer, and only after suffering can he turn around and defeat his enemies." , and eventually become victors, and even gods.”

Therefore, Hindus believe that asceticism is the only way to practice. Asceticism can purify one's soul and get rid of all worldly desires.

Asceticism is rooted in a deep pessimism about the world and life. India, from ancient civilization to today's globalization, just like most ancient civilizations, cannot avoid the conflict or even rupture of values ​​brought about by rapid development.

And their way of facing conflicts is not fierce confrontation or extreme assimilation, but more of the coexistence of diversity. Everything that seems to be opposite and incompatible is wonderfully healed and unified here. This may be what attracts young people from the West to come to escape. one of the reasons.

Here, they can re-examine the civilized society in which they live.

India's deep-rooted caste system is also an important reason for the existence of asceticism. People cannot choose and surpass their own caste. Asceticism is one of the ways for low-caste untouchables to eliminate their humble status, and it is also the only way for their suffering to be respected in the Brahmin class. .

In the "Rig Veda", austerity means "warmth" or "heat", "heat", and is usually understood as the mysterious "heat" obtained through excessive body movements and self-torture.

The ancient Indians believed that the world was born because of this heat. When Sakyamuni founded Buddhism in India, the wind of ascetic practice was already prevalent in the middle and lower reaches of the Ganges River.

To this day, on the banks of the Ganges, there are still some people who pursue the state of existence in their hearts through ascetic practice. They stand in the shallow water of the Ganges with water up to their waists, fold their hands together, and pray to the sun. They are not necessarily ascetics, but they are is an ascetic.

The original intention of asceticism is to obtain divine power, and many ascetic monks have become obsessed with it.

In Varanasi and other ancient cities where Hinduism prevails, ascetic monks are often seen showing some cruel and unusual ascetic methods, such as lying on cow dung, staring at the sun for a long time, raising one hand for a long time, and keeping one foot on the ground for life.

Among them, there are even more weird ones, such as exaggerated behaviors such as hanging iron chains and millstones in mysterious places, or hanging iron buckets on them, or even pulling carts. Through all kinds of farce-like behaviors, they show the divine power gained in ascetic practice. There is a special name for a kind of crazy ascetic monk - Sadhu.

Sadu is a group of special ascetics. Their extreme cultivation methods have become a special "performance" in the eyes of tourists. In fact, more and more ascetics have already taken this as a way of making a living and publicized it in the streets and alleys. Demonstrating practice, after winning bursts of amazement from tourists, they will show a sophisticated smile and ask for money to sculpt their own golden bodies.

A Sa was very cooperative in asking Marion to take a photo, and even made a few exaggerated gestures, such as holding him up to two meters long, with yellow fuel on the outside, braided into small braids that were glued together" Beautiful hair", showing his warm smile to the camera.

After the photo was taken, Sa Du showed a warmer smile, raised a finger, and said in very pious English with a very standard accent: "Photo, Ten rupee."

Well, this is an old fried dough stick, and it is not the first time to do this kind of business.

Marion happily paid Satu 20 rupees, and took a few photos with him, one holding Satu's hand, one head next to Satu's, and the most exaggerated one was kissing Satu cheeks.

"Flat shoes, isn't he cool in your eyes?"

"Yes, it's cool, Adam, I want to take a photo with him too." Sophie Marceau said eagerly.

Nan Yi nodded, and said with disgust: "Yes, after the filming, please take a bath with concentrated sulfuric acid eight times, or don't lie on my bed."

"Stingy man." Sophie Marceau pouted.

"Thank you for the compliment."

At this time, Pulan leaned into Nanyi's ear and said: "Boss, there are often western female tourists and strong ascetic monks who have sex by the Ganges River, some of them are directly on the embankment in the open air, and some will be in the open air. In the jeep."

"The ascetic monks you are talking about are those who were originally trained here by Westerners?"

Nan Yi asked, but absurd images appeared in his mind - crazy, gorgeous, bloody, and romantic intertwined, under the orange-black gradation of fire clouds, by the ebbing Ganges River, Jackson shouted "just beat it" hoarsely, wet The temperature is rising...

"No, ascetic monks are not as pure as they appear on the surface. There are many ascetic monks who use the theory of practice and the will of the Xingli sect to wanton fornication. They regard that kind of thing as the only way to practice."

"Um."

As far as Nanyi knows, when religion develops later, distortions will inevitably appear. No religion is a piece of pure rice paper, not to mention that the deep essence of Indian culture is absolute individualism and hedonism;

It is manifested as the absolute pursuit of freedom, which is in the same line with Western philosophy. It is no wonder that many Westerners will come to India to practice hard and practice hard.

Saying goodbye to Sadu in front of them, Nanyi and his group walked forward and soon saw the ascetic monk with a western face, young, with hippie and madness on his face, some of them were abnormally thin, and some were uncoordinatedly fat.

Papa, one of "addiction" and one of "rebound after detoxification", two labels were posted by Nanyi to the two people he thought were a good match.

There is a special existence among the ascetic monks. His hair is very messy, but not dirty. He wears a bun on the top of his head. His hair, eyebrows, and beard are all golden, and they are surprisingly long. There is a sun and moon pattern tattooed between his eyebrows. , with the day above and the month below.

Wearing an orange tight vest on the upper body, the exposed skin is clean, but the bushy chest hair on the chest looks a bit obtrusive; the lower body is wearing a mutated totti derived from traditional Indian men's clothing, and the exposed calves are also It was clean, except for the yellow mud on the bare feet.

Not to mention, this man is quite handsome. From him, Nan Yi saw the combination of the eternally young River Phoenix and the young Keanu Reeves.

"Don't look, if there's anything to see, just look at me, do you want to look at the left cheek or the right cheek?"

Marion was attracted by this ascetic monk, jumped out of the car and chatted with him, and Sophie Marceau was also ready to move. If it wasn't for Nanyi, she would have gotten out of the car and walked over.

"Ha, Adam, are you jealous?" Sophie Marceau, whose head was held down, said playfully.

"I don't want to be jealous. I just want you not to disturb Marion. Look at her eyes."

"Ha, don't hide it." Sophie Marceau touched Nanyi's cheek, "Don't worry, I like mature ones, Adam, you are very mature, I mean mentality."

"I'm serious, you can see for yourself." Nan Yi pointed to Marion and said.

Seeing what Nanyi said, Sophie Marceau lay on Nanyi's body and looked out of the car, "Wow, Marion is so crazy, I just kissed her, so romantic."

"They've only known each other for a few minutes, do you think it's romantic?" Nan Yi said disapprovingly as he looked at the two writhing together madly.

"That's right, romance, a foreign country, two people meet by chance and then attract each other, this is much better than the deliberately arranged hero rescue."

"Who are you laughing at?"

Nanyi reached out to Sophie Marceau's armpit and scratched it twice, causing her to writhe all over.

"Let go, let go, I won't laugh anymore."

Nan Yi let go of his hand, and patted the stick, "Don't be naughty, what do you think, leave a car for Marion, let's go first?"

"Good idea, let's do it." Sophie Marceau agreed with a sly smile.

Nan Yi said in Cantonese and the school flower: "Leave two people, VIP can do whatever he wants, but she must be absolutely safe."

"GOT."

Leaving behind a car and two people who protected Marion, Nan Yi and Sophie Marceau left first.

Back at the Ganges, Nan Yi and Sophie Marceau also went crazy for a while. That night, on the banks of the Ganges, the two played "Forest Rhapsody" with other shameless strangers.

After a night of madness, Nanyi regained his senses the next day and took Sophie Marceau on a purposeful trip.

At the first stop, they went to the Galaxy Goddess Mineral Water Factory.

Under the guidance and introduction of Shatish, Nanyi and the two took a good look at the production and assembly process of the Goddess of the Galaxy.

"Boss, the mineral water we produce now does not come from the Ganges River, but from the deep well we dug ourselves..."