• Latest A Dystopian Road to My Home
• Dr Abhijit Ray - Nov 12, 2025

I used to live away from my hometown, while my parents still live in Bijni- a small town on the periphery of Assam. We often romanticize our village, city, state, or home when we stay away from it- probably because, in our imagination, we create stories about our ‘homeland’ to escape the harsh reality of not belonging anywhere, or simply to feed our ego. Or perhaps it’s the ‘magic of oxytocin’- that inexplicable warmth of attachment and love toward what we call our ‘own’, what feels familiar, what carries the scent of childhood when we absorbed the world with wonder! But what if we set aside that romanticism? I recently tasted that ‘bitterness’- and it’s frightening!

Whenever I come home and get down at New Bongaigaon station- the nearest station to Bijni for long-distance trains- I always find a group of auto and e-rickshaw drivers rushing toward me. Like in many other places in Assam, they are aggressive and rude. Their cunningly mischievous smiles reveal dirty, yellowed teeth. Though they wear no uniform, their colorful, grimy shirts look almost identical. Their very attitude makes even their smiles intimidating!

They will almost forcefully push you into their vehicle- overcrowded and reeking of filth. In that moment, you are no longer an individual. You are not even a human being anymore; you become an object instantly. They will shout, their vehicle will shout, and even the ‘objects’ will begin to shout.

The government has recently built a four-lane road. It is dry and looks oddly out of place amid its surroundings. It passes through poorly maintained houses where aesthetics seem to be the last consideration. At regular intervals along the road, you will find small ‘shops’ or dukaans covered with plastic sheets. In every shop, you’ll see skinny people with dirty teeth and shabby clothes. All of them sell similar products- gutkha, cigarettes, chips, betel nuts, biscuits and cheap toffees for kids (basically sugar balls)-… toxic offerings for everyone!

In between, you will see men and women on the road- in dirty, smelly clothes, with frail bodies and decaying teeth. The women, in particular, look especially unwell- you will rarely see one with a healthy body.

All of them dress in the same manner. The moment you see their attire, you can easily recognize the community that ‘owns’ them. Just imagine- wearing a kind of ‘community uniform’ for the rest of your life! Perhaps only a few barbaric, uncivilized people are left on this planet who continue to follow such rules. In this ‘barbaric land’, a woman can think of wearing clothes of her choice- even a ‘moderate’ choice- only if her family has enough money and power.

People are not concerned with individual choice, taste, desire, fashion, beauty, or comfort. If you are a woman, you must dress in the way your community has chosen to cover its women’s bodies for the past hundred, two hundred, or even a thousand years.

You don’t even own your ‘own’ body. The moment you decide to choose something different, the society or community that ‘owns’ you will do everything to destroy you.

We are so ‘trained and trapped’ by our surroundings that we find these brutalities quite normal.

It is not surprising that along the way, you will rarely see anyone with a smiling face. However, at times, you may hear the eerie laughter of a group of men- their criminally offensive jokes, filthy humor, and leering eyes make the laughter more frightening than amusing.

Forget about the older people- you won’t even see a single young boy or girl with a pleasant smile, let alone a young couple holding hands- something as beautiful as a pair of a baby’s eyes. You will never see that brightness here.

If, by chance, you see a young couple together (and of course, not holding hands), just observe them- they always look frightened, as if being together were an unforgivable crime. Sometimes the boy tries to display an ‘attitude,’ but only as a form of defence. If the ‘predators’ around them sense even a trace of weakness, they might hurl aggressive comments- or, in the worst case, even attack them- on ‘moral’ grounds!

Their fear is understandable- anyone can confront them for simply being together. They might even be harassed for it. In this place, if you are with a girl who is considered the ‘property’ of a particular dominant community or ethnic group, you might be beaten up brutally. And by the way, we can’t even criticize those people (or community or ethnic groups) in the mainstream media- that wouldn’t be politically correct.

Sometimes, on this dry and ‘lifeless’ road to my home, you may also come across a religious procession- something that has dramatically increased in recent times. A group of people, followers of some ‘mediaeval traditions,’ carrying an idol, playing loud music, and dancing wildly. It is perhaps the ugliest dance form one can ever imagine!

In between, you will see a few people in expensive luxury cars- that’s what sets them apart from the rest. Just look into their eyes- the anger and arrogance you’ll find there are enough to intimidate you. If you observe carefully, you’ll notice that those intimidating people inside their luxury cars almost resemble the very idols before which the dirty, skinny, ugly, and loud crowd dances in madness…!

* The article is a semi-fictional work. The places and characters mentioned are used metaphorically and are not intended to defame or degrade any caste, community, or class.

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