According to sociology definitions, a society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Talking about Guwahati, there are many societies but what is nowadays pertinent are the various “lobbies” across sections of professional arrangements.
While travelling from ISBT to Jyotikuchi Tiniali in a shared e-rickshaw, it was observed that the e-rickshaw driver picked up a passenger from the Dhapolia area. He was followed by two e-rickshaws, stopped and verbally abused for taking a passenger from Dhapolia. It seems that only e-rickshaws from Dhapolia area can carry passengers from Dhapolia and e-rickshaws from other areas cannot take passengers from there.
Similarly, there are auto stands where other than the auto rickshaws parking vehicles there, cannot take passengers. And if someone does, the auto drivers lobby starts fighting with the driver coming from another area. There are street vending lobbies across Guwahati. To start vending anywhere a vendor has to pay the local vending lobby or else they are not allowed to start vending in the area. There are lobbies of two wheeler taxi riders at many junctions these days specially in Khanapara, near ISBT and Jalukbari.
That is not all, there is the IAS officers lobby, IPS officers lobby. All officers are not part of the lobbies, but there are lobbies. There are lobbies in universities, schools, offices, and private organisations. There are lobbies within political parties too, as for example in Assam it is easy to know which politician is in which lobby in any given party.
Whether the lobbies are benefitting the society or not remains a question, but should we be a part of any lobby is what we should be introspective about.