Aamchi Mumbai

With all its shortcomings; my Mumbai is an amazing amazing city. This city breathes poisonous gases and drinks contaminated water. It resides on the plank covering a gutter as well as in sky scrappers. It hogs everything from a 500 Rs. Shark’s fin soup to a 5 Rs. Vadapav. What’s most fascinating is the pace…a grand prix happens every single day on every single railway station of Mumbai; and that’s the Formula-1 to live, as it teaches us Mumbaikar’s. For some the lifestyle may appear very mechanical; for some it may be too much stressed and for some others it may be chaotic. All of these being true; it always have been felt that Mumbai is not just a piece of land… it lives. And its soul is noticeably felt in none other than the catastrophes it faces…every now and then.

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People who criticize mumbaikar’s insensitivities don’t know that on the 27^th July last year, there were hundreds of people serving Poha’s and tea on flooded roads to those thousands of people, making their way to home without food or water for hours. After the bomb blasts of ’93 people participated in rescue operations; during the riots of ’92 mumbaikars went out of way to support Mumbai police and restore peace.

Let’s analyze the probable causes of the proclaimed inactivity of a mumbaikars! First one; non-violence? No way. I am sure in today’s era we don’t even know the correct interpretation of non-violence. With all the due respect to the greatness and to his sacrifice; Gandhiji’s doctrine of the one sided non-violence had rooted massacres; which in turn elicited indigenous peace lovers like Bhagat Singh to clasp armaments. Bypassing this rather controversial topic, the point is; non-violence isn’t the substance of Mumbai. [Off course; there sure will be other opinions.]

Second: passive resignation. Acceptance has deemed part of our Indian-nes. The only issue is it is a passive one. This great melting pot encompasses both yin and yang;

unfortunately in an imbalanced ratio; and that’s why it ends up in a mess like this. Had we curbed consumption of dynamite to building tunnels…the picture would have been better; ain’t it? Had we controlled the torrents of people constantly barging in scorching the city’s resources; had we ensured that (rather enforced) rules by the municipality are meticulously observed; it would have remained yet another dazzling city; as it originally was. She is nothing but a prey of the politics and eco-dynamics.

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The third case of adaptation needs a deeper peep. Yes. Both flora and fauna adapt cleanly out of their threat of extinction. However human adaptation extends beyond just the basic survival instinct and exponents towards improvement of quality of living; which also includes one’s temper and mindset. Fundamentally being the worshipper of peace and harmony; development of aversion to brutality, filth, and frustration is a natural tendency and exactly that happens in Mumbai. How much and how often will a Mumbaikar cry? There is a saying in Marathi “Roj mare tyala kon rade” meaning “who will cry for someone who dies everyday?” Mishaps every single day. Emotions are bound to get bruised and ‘fed up of’ if overwhelmed everyday. There is so much misery round the world if one looks; and in some or the other way one can find oneself contributing to their misery. This fact can make every breath of us guilty and every day a funeral. The spirit of life lies in keeping the show go on. I recollect a movie based on a true story, starring Glenn Close and Kate Blanchet, about a bunch of American women, comprising of a musician, arrested as war prisoners. This group is sent to a god forsaken place and their life is made hell by the Japanese soldiers. This musician in her tenure in prison continues with her music practice and gets everyone involved including their Japanese ‘caretakers’. At the end of a few weeks; they manage to craft a phenomenal orchestra with no instruments; just their vocal chords! Now at that point of time; the entire world was a burning chamber…yet the music never died in the musician. And ‘that’ supreme fortitude to “live” than merely “existing”; propels an ever painful human life towards comfort.

Sensitive; doesn’t mean grieving for ever and never rejoicing. Sensitive to me means serving those in pain while celebrating life. And the same spirit was exhibited by mumbaikars by resuming to their routines right after the recent bomb blasts and commemorating the Ganapati festival immediately after the 26 July peril last year. No one can deny their bit to the victims of all the hazards of the city. Yet; they didn’t give up.

<>I admit all the evils of this cursed princess. However; she seems to me like an HIV positive gorgeous lady; battling for life; struggling for joy while going through excruciating ache. She knows the end. However; she won’t seize subsisting with her valor till the doomsday takes the final toll on her. Blasts can shatter rail compartments. Roaring rains can sink edifices. Riots can murder humanity. But Mumbai…aamchi Mumbai remains unbeatable. For ever…and ever…