Nehru place was first imagined as one of the important `district centres' of the city. It was planned with a Cinema hall, telephone centerer(s) and banks in the same complex. It hasn't been able to evolve as the important `district centres' but has made it's marks as one of the most important market for `computers', software in particular in the Asia. The direct dealing involve transactions within the country though the import and export (not so much) brings in the gamut the entire Asian and South-East Asian markets as players. The constant negotiations necessitated at the level of everyday practice to deal being the part of the larger global economy and the dichotomies of `legality' and illegality render a complex materiality to this place. Piracy as a social phenomenon offers, at one level, an alternate reading into the state policies, the laws and the operation of the agencies which maintain it. The everday negotiations with `legal', `illegal' while constantly harboring on the fringes of the later have evolved a `system' with it's own rules and regulations, means and mechanisms. An `informal informed illegal' system. There being no normative problem indulging in the same as brought forth in the IPL workshop is relevant at the `personal-user' level (to my reading) as the ones involved in the trade do not treat it as the most `natural' thing to do and the `risk' factor involved making it that much more exciting and rewarding. Piracy, is considered `wrong' but indispensable to the trade which is based on re-circulation.

However, when i entered today after a week well stocked with things i had promised to get the last time (A book for karim. Cd's for Harinder) a ominous silence hung over the place. A lull. Nehru Place has never seemed this expansive or clean ever before. All the stalls on the pavements and the courtyards had been removed. And predictably, my landmark, Karim's corner was also not there. (His stall is not in the corner but right in the center of the main courtyard but thinking of it as a corner makes it more comforting.) For a moment, I felt as if my breads crumbs were eaten away. Some urgent inquiries where made. Kahan chale gaye hain karim bhai saab.`raid hua tha tho nikal diya' paar who tho pechle hafthe hua tha. `nahin phir do baar hua. chinta na kaare monday thak saab thik ho jaayega'. i moved on thinking about karim and his books. what happened to them? what is he doing today? is the shift going to be permanent? O! shit, i should have taken the phone number last time! when will he come back? what happens if his house is also demolished? A friend identifies colours for landmarks and loses them and feels lost. I understood her now.

I proceeded hoping to see him next week.

Harinder, the `pirate'; the man with a blue file greeted me with a warm grin as if I was early for a scheduled appointment. Today he was sitting slightly away from his stool next to the garment shop. Stools were pulled out. Chai ordered, `tea bag walli'. Introductions were exchanged with his partner, sonu and the boys, chotu and ........(i am forgetting the name at the moment.).

"aur kaise hain aap, suno phir se raid ho gaye?`ab aaisa hi hai, is baar tho hamara ladka bhi padka gaya tha" (So how are you, heard that Nehru Place was raided again? I am fine, This time one of my boys was also caught)

The nature of raids and the agencies conducting it in Nehru place is a complicated affair. The raids are conducted by DDA, Nasscom (for software piracy) and t-series agency (for music piracy). In Nehru place it is the drive against software piracy which is one of the most dreaded and in the recent year most frequent as well. In the last week two raids were conducted in the area, back to back. These raids were conducted by the `crime branch'. In the earlier days, the patterns of the raids could be predicted, inside information sought but it has become very difficult now as the companies interest and stakes have gone up.

I still haven't figured out the agencies which conduct the raids, their network within the area and negotiations with the locals over here. In the conversations, it is always the crime branch which is referred to as the raiding agency. In the first raid one of harinder's boy `chotu' was also arrested. Chotu, is an agile boy of around 14-15 years. He moves around in fast, rhythmic motions as if dancing to a tune playing in his head. And abruptly stops to bemused smile as changing the song.

`kisse se jaada baat-chit nahin karta, apne mein mast rahta hai'.

He is smart, courteous, eager to learn and has a `thing' to take risks. Usually he is very careful but that day when a customer wanted a CD instead of just getting the one asked for, he got the entire stack which put him in trouble. Interestingly, the CD which was being transacted was `Mandrake 8.0'. Speaking about the implications of `free/open software and their license policy' which would safeguard them from prosecution it came forth that during the raid it really doesn't matter to the officials. The notions of copyright, piracy evolve out of the practical interactions with the same and lead to the `crime branch'. The police is considered to be doing their job, which is right and they are doing their's which is equally valid. Chotu was released on a bribe of Rs. 25,000/- to the crime branch officials. It takes about a month and a half to recover this amount according to harinder.

Every stall, selling pirated software, is manned by these `boys' while the actual owners sit at a distance and supervise the proceedings. The age group for these `boys' to be employed is between 12-18, preferably 15 and these are the ones who actually carry on the transactions. This is a well thought out strategy as in case of arrest during a raid these `boys' cannot be charged under a criminal case and are tried under the juvenile court. The relationship between the stall owners is based on mutual trust and need.

Why do they take so much of risk for you? `We treat them quite nicely. And they are also assured that if they are caught we are going to get them out of it. Moreover, compared to the work boys of their age do otherwise this is very relaxed, there is no running around, no manual labour. Chotu has got a taste of this work and will not shift to any other given a chance as well'. I was informed.

`Saab kutch bahut filmi tha,' chotu remarked. He was caught, hit by the policemen and threatened of dire consequences if he did not tell them the name of his `owner'. But chotu did not reveal anything and proudly claimed that, `agar poori raat bhi marte rahte tho kutch nahin batatha'. He got a pat on the back from Harinder at that moment. The next time i am going to have a chat with chotu, if he is willing.


Harinder hails from a village in UP, two hours drive from Meerut, and belongs to a family of farmers who have `lots of land' and `tractors'. After completing his 12th he hung around doing nothing. `Ghar pe kutch karne ki zaarot nahin hai'. He bought a jeep and used it to ply from one meerut to the village but soon got bored of it and drove down to Delhi to `do something'. For a month he did nothing just hung around with his friends who are with the Delhi Police. During his time he got in touch with one of his friends who had just started `this' business at Nehru place, sold the jeep and joined his business. `I could not anything menial and do not have the aspiration to make it big so this work suited in quite well. I am generally a relaxed person and have got used to coming here everyday and doing nothing. And this way, i make around 10-15 thousand easily so that is comfortable'. While he was narrating his shift to Delhi Chotu packed up the stall as there were some policemen started doing rounds. `Don't worry. Today there is one of our men go set up the stall,' he told chotu. The stall owners have to pay a monthly bribe to the local constable and the shop owner outside who's shop they set up their stall. However, in times of raid the shop owners get away by pleading ignorance of any activities that takes place outside their shops.

All the stall owners involved in the trade are bound by the safe distance they keep from each other. There is no organized set up of these stall owners or for a new comer to set up a stall. What are the terms of negotiations of occupying the `illegal' space, establishing claims over the same and the mechanisms to do the same are of interest but haven't really gone too far with that. Except Harinder informing me that you can trust that no one is going to reveal any information about you. Partners in crime.

As mentioned earlier, there is no organized union in this market place.

The software is made available by `suppliers' who come twice or thrice a week in the evening to give the latest CD's on half of the payment in cash. As it comes across the stall owners do not involve themselves in the `production process' as it riskier. Though in times of need, a CD or two is copied. Most of these suppliers work in close conjunction with professionals from the `mainstream'. In this context it is interesting to go through the following  news item which repo rts Microsoft punishing it's staff for illegal software resale. http://www.ciol.com/content/news/repts/103020604.asp?nl=ctt-2_6

Along with the issues of `piracy' and the aura of illegality around it, it is interesting to note that the distinction between `mainstream' and `pirate' economies is highly blurred and in the everyday practice the two intersect at vital junctions. I am trying to get in touch with some people who work with the `mainstream' corporations; Sun/Orcale/Microsoft to speak about these trends. Sun and Oracle will be interesting case studies as these have migrated to Free/open source platform and devising their own mechanisms to control and define piracy.

Taking leave from Harinder, I decided to move around Nehru Place. The main courtyard and the buildings around it are flanked by shops of all kinds, congested and chaotic. Usually, in a room there are upto four offices clamored together. Unless these are big showrooms or larger corporations. The cardboard waist high partitions lay the boundaries for these offices.

The Paharpur business area at the backside is in stark opposition to the main buildings and office areas. Punj lloyd, Ranbaxy and other major corporations flank the area. There is even a `Software technopark' which hosts the famous `Cafe Einstein'. All these area are antiseptically clean, look very serious and the guards questioning one's intentions at every level make it seem that something really important is going on. Strolling around this area, a man carrying visiting cards got talking to me. `Job madam. Best placements inside. I will take you'. I wanted to resist but went in, nevertheless. A brief interview by a woman, Dr. (mrs) Sharma. `So what sort of job do you want?' `research' `okay, there is market research for products already launched or looking for markets for products to be launched. what sort would you prefer?' `no, actually..hm,. maybe advertising'.  `yes, advertsing will be good for you. Indoor work, creative and get to meet interesting people. Come on Monday with your CV and give the registration fee of rs. 130 valid for a year'. `okay. fine'.

I moved on to the other side of Nehru Place right next to Park Royal. This was area was much less crowded than the rest of the market place. A 14-15 year old boy in an Indian-american accent was shouting at his father/uncle for having left him alone in `such' a place. What if he got lost? What would he do? Oh, my god the `things' that could happen to him.

The father/uncle tried to placate him by telling him that he had the home address, phone numbers and all of that..he could always take an auto back. `But you cannot leave me over here, in this place'.

I was again approached by a person with card of placement agency, I tried to resist but he wouldn't hear. `Meine apko do-thin baar jaate hua dekha hai, job mil jaayega'. I gave in. The office was in the annexe and the set up was like the other offices with about four `offices' sharing the space. I was introduced to Mr. YB Chaudary. Before he could offer me anything I said, I am not looking for a job. I am trying to research on `nehru place' how it has evolved in the last few years, how the new industries have changed the space and how the space has changed the nature of the industries or the relations around it. Bitto, as he is referred to, was more than eager and excited to talk. He has been there for the last six years and according to him, `seen the place go from bad to worse'. The placement trends, the background of people seeling jobs and the sort of jobs available have changed drastically in the past few years. Till five years back usually graduates sought the services of the placements agencies but now professionals are the one who flood the markets. And they are ready to do anything, just anything. Software engineers top the list and are the worst hit.

When can you trace back the trend to? `I think it all happened when the `biggest attack on the world happened'. Which was? `In america, when the buildings came down. The software industry was very badly hit. But the affect was not limited to the software industry and everything came to a stand still'. But weren't things going bad before that? `Yes they were. Another event which has had an important affect is that of the Okhala Industrial Area closing down and all the industries being established in the far away areas like faridabad and noida. This closure has led to hundreds of people losing their jobs and many smaller establishments, primarily dealing with hardware, closing down. The state of the software industry is so bad that the `engineers' come to us, offer us money to get them jobs anything, anywhere'. Bitto, a very soft spoken person, hailing from haryana is of the view that there is no `human element' left in the people working at Nehru Place. `You cannot be nice here and have to be as bad as everyone else to survive. When i first came to this place i was so embarrassed to talk either to girls or who could speak in fluent english. I would get really nervous and almost loose my voice but i have learned now'. Are you happy with this state of affairs? `Madam, in a place where to stand outside a shop for more than half an hour
you have to pay rent to the landlord, can you afford to be `simple'. I also cheat people. Have to survive'. Why don't you leave Nehru Place? `As anybody who has come over here and left. You just cannot'. He has been thinking of shifting to `software' industry. He is waiting for the right time, though. Promising to come next week I take my leave.

Walking down the alleys in front of the Punjab National Bank sits a very old sardarji on his chair. He has no folder, no banners, no boys hanging around. People around tell me that he is the `oldest living thing in Nehru Place' and he sends people abroad. He gets `passport' made for people. I approach him, he is dozing in between the conversations.

`Today is Saturday and moreover there is no business as all of the pavements stalls have been removed. No janta. And these people in the shops think that they run the place. What is Nehru place without these stalls? Today is my half day, come on one of the week days'.

I leave thinking what Nehru Place is going to be like without the stalls on the pavements. Who's space is this? What claims can be made and bought?

Visit the first and only cyber cafe at Nehru Place as the person manning the shop informed me. When did it open? who comes over here? is it primarily the people from the offices around? At this point he said exasperated, `peche pesticide ka office hai aap saahab se baat kaarne'. At the siesta hour, i lacked the energy to do so.

I visited the hardware guy `sachin'. He greeted me with sense of familiarity but no surprise and as i approached him he asked for a cigarette and ordered tea and did not bother about me. I sat at his shop for around 20 minutes. `Engineer nahin aaya hai aaj. saab kutch mujhe karna hai'. The customers at the shop ranged from individuals who were buying for personal use to the ones involved in wholesale distribution. From what I made out of the transactions, the second hardware market in a bit of a flux because of the prices of the `originals' being slashed by a remarkable percentage. The prices of the components are circulated every day(xerox copies of the rates are available with regulars) and at times at an hourly basis. Recycling and circulation are the key words in this market. Sachin, at several times, is asked for things he does not have, 10 GB harddrive/usb port etc. All he does is dials a number on the intercom (most of the `permanent' shops are connected by the intercom facility) and asks for the same. Apka stor house hai. `Nahin bhaichara. Ek dusre ke bina kya karenge'. I take my leave as Sachin finds it slightly difficult to manage the balance between his clientele and the interest i have aroused. `Agle hafte'.

Before leaving I visited Harinder whom i handed over the CD's i had got for him. `Itne dher thak kahan thi aap' Yunhi nehru place dekh rahe thi. `ap bhi, dekhi layak kya hai yahan'. (Where were you all this while? Was just seeing around in Nehru Place
You are (too much), what's there to see here?)