LIKE
the “Yuppies” and the “Puppies”
the “Kakajis” are a very typical genre of
the Malwa region of Punjab. You can spot them a mile off,
tall, bearded and clad in snowwhite “Pathanis”
paired with Nike or Adidas open-toed sandals. They sport
bling-bling gold “Karas” and the very latest
in toys for boys; iPods, Handhelds and Mobiles.
The
colour of their turbans is usually indicative of their political
affilitiation but that’s only until they don golf
caps to tee off at the Golf Club.
Sartorial
preferences apart, they have a very distinct lifestyle too.
They are raised on vast farms in the Malwa heartland, in
large joint families, by surrogate Mothers-cum-Nannies who,
usually survive several generations and call both the Grandfather
and the Grandson by the same euphemistic epithet: “Kakaji”.
Raised
in large joint families, Kakajis are the quintessential
boys who never grow up. Responsibility is dispersed; hence
its not a sought after trait. Life is simple and easy as
only inherited wealth and largesse can make it. Schooling
is typically in the hill boardings, Sanawar and Doon being
particular favourites.
It
could be followed by the occasional degree in Commerce or
Law, usually in the royal division. Education is not a priority,
but a certain savoire faire and some old school ties and
networking skills are desirable. After all, someone has
to manage all those “killas” (acres) back in
Bathinda, Faridkot, Muktasar et al.
Kakajis
are usually into a lot of male bonding rituals such as “Shikar”,
cockfights and “kabutar” (pigeon) flights etc.
While they may not actually get down and dirty, they are
responsible for introducing some of the most enlightened
and modern agricultural practices in the country. They also
display a natural flair for affairs of the State and that’s
where the colour of their turbans and their old school-tie
affiliations come in rather handy and make politics the
next logical progression.
They
typically have three homes, one back on the Farm, one in
Chandigarh, where the wives take turns to attend to the
children’s education or even just catch up with the
city life and, of course, the mandatory summer cottage in
the hills, to escape the vile Malwa “loo”.
Their
cars now truly reflect both their preferences and bank balances.
MUVs for the farm and the long dusty commutes from the Malwa
heartland, and spiffier cars for city driving. They switch
with facility between “thet” (colloquial) Malwai,
Punjabi peppered with the choicest expletives to the Queen’s
English, each language spoken with the perfect accent. But
the same proficiency cannot necessarily be attributed to
their written word in either language.
This
is the season when the Kakajis flock to Chandigarh. You
can see them in their signature “Whites” on
the Sukhna Lake, in multiplexes, and in the clubs, accompanied
by their little Kakajis who are back home for the summer
vacation and enroute to the Cottage in the hills or for
the Sanawar/Doon
Founder’s Week. They are gentlemen of leisure who
have travelled the world, but their food of choice is still
“Kukkad”, whether its served up as butter chicken
with “Nans” or on pizza a la Pizza Hut. So when
you hear them call out to each other as “Baiji”,
you’ll know it’s the Kakajis at work @ killa.network.
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