Aamchi Mumbai or Anarchy Mumbai?

I am and have been a huge fan of Mumbai. As a child, I cherished the word 'Bombay' and always wanted it to top lists in my geography and social classes i.e., for biggest city, highest population, highest exports etc. I used to go ga-ga over 'Bombay' pages in Manorama quiz book. I liked the terms related to Mumbain in the quiz book - Mazagon docks, Nariman Point, Santa Cruz etc. I visited Mumbai for the first time in 2004 when I was short-listed at SP Jain. I was in love with the city instantly. I liked the vibes around me. I liked the liveliness of the city. I liked the local-train rides. I liked the crowd. More than all, I liked the freedom. Aazadi, you know.

My friends pointed out that just because I had a fascination for this city, everything there appeals to me. Could be. I did not care then. But now, when I read some news articles about Mumbai, Marathi manoos, MNS etc., I feel a prick in my heart. There were many instances of violence in Mumbai. Right from colonization to the Black Friday and quite a few that followed. But I don't think Mumbai felt this vulnerable. And the reason is quite obvious. Mumbai was united throughout its struggles. But this time, it is struggling to be united.

Would Mumbai have survived if this regional divide existed in those crises? Definitely not.

So what has changed? Did we move over religious divisions and re-invent regional divisions? Are we sending out a message to terrorists across our borders that we don't need them to hurt our nation and that we are capable enough to do so ourselves? Why are we as a nation getting so indulged in emotional dilemmas and in essence preventing the coutnry from going forward?

Politicians are clever. As I mentioned in my earlier post, they want to divide people for their personal gain. 'Divide and Rule' is not something new. They know what strings to pluck that can stir regional, religious or caste sentiments. They know people, no matter if they are educated or not, are susceptible to these sentiments. And when these sentiments are aroused, reason gives way to hysteria. This is what is happening right now in Mumbai. In what is a clear power struggle between Shiv Sena and MNS, the latter has managed to unleash the regional sentiment and make the Marathis feel represented. Anyone would agree with reservations for locals. But are harassing, abusing and even killing the so-called 'outsiders' acceptable?

I came across an article in 'Times of India' where the author mentioned couple of things.

"At Mankhurd station, a north Indian boy standing at the door was deliberately hit on the head by someone in the surging crowd. The man then quickly disappeared inside the compartment but continued to pass snide remarks to provoke a fight."

"On Thursday night I found an autorickshaw driver weeping at Gokuldham in Goregaon. I asked him what was wrong and he said that his previous passenger, a Marathi man, had refused to pay and slapped him when he asked for the fare."

Quite appalling. Isn't it?

There are two ways people can deal with retrenchment or displacement. The smart way is to upgrade your skill set, retrain and relocate. It may take time but is the ethical way to handle recession. The other way is retarded. It is to campaign against 'outsiders', malign them, burn busses and what not. Not that doing this can earn them their jobs again. But this is the only way they can vent out their helplessness.

An important aspect that is totally left out in this second approach is that we are in a global recession. Recession may not be as rampant in India as it is in the US but certainly there are ripple effects and those are being felt. And due to this, jobs are retrenched here and there is no policy in place to retain 'outsiders' and lay off locals. It is happening everywhere and not just in Mumbai. But given the fact that Mumbai is the heart of India's economy, more pain is felt here. But what have the common men who have migrated from UP/Delhi/Bihar, or for that matter, anywhere from India got to do with it?

It is flurrying to notice people put aside reason and go with their instincts. It is not humane to act by instincts. Reason that is attainted by involving heart and mind is what makes one a human. Now, freedom in Mumbai is at stake. Only when we put aside these regional feelings by realizing that it is fodder for fools and make ourselves immune to political gimmicks we can claim to be independent. I hope Mumbaikers realize this sooner than later and get back Azaadi to Mumbai and not lead it to Anarchy.