I want my Mumbai back

To me, Mumbai has always been about Fashion Street, Flora Fountain, Bade Miyan, Mondegar's, Strand Book Stall, Central Camera, Chimanlal, Vithal Bhelpuri, New Excelsior & Sterling & Regal, Jahangir Art Gallery, Marine Drive....

My first job was that of a restaurant cashier in Oberoi Hotels. In 1990. I used to travel from Dombivli (a distant suburb of Mumbai) to Mumbai CST every afternoon for a night shift. I would walk from the station to Oberoi Hotels - from DN Road, to Regal circle at Colaba and then a right to nariman point and finally to Oberoi. My 2nd shift used to get over by 12.00 am and I used to sprint on the lonely roads - from Oberoi Hotel to Mumbai CST to catch the last train at 12.44 am. And every night when I sprinted, I was scared - of the prostitutes standing in the by-lanes, of drunkards hovering around them and some (invisible) mugger lurking around (mostly in my mind, rather than on the roads). After 21 days of this misery, I gave up. I quit.

I was 21 then.
I am 38 now.

And how times have changed. I no more work in town. My office is 10 minutes away from my apartment. I travel in an a/c car with a driver. But today I was scared to go to my office. Over the past few years, due to the repeated attacks on Mumbai, the concept of fear has drastically changed. Today, I find the prostitutes, the drunkards and the muggers too innocent to scare me. Now I fear for my life or losing my family and friends to mindless terror acts unleashed in Mumbai. And all I can do is to be a silent spectator - like everyone around me. It makes me feel like a loser. And I hate this feeling within me.

I find the Manmohan Singh (with his Sachin Tendulkar like voice), Vilasrao Deshmukh and Shivraj Patil response to the ongoing terror attack so blatantly dumb, that I am aghast - are these the same politicians we elected?

What use is Mr.Singh's financial and economic acumen when he cannot resolve some of the more basic issues of farmer suicides, religious terrorism (of both Hindu and Islamic fundamentalists) and religous conversions (of the Catholic fundamentalists)? Mere economic progress, higher GDP, lower inflation, forex reserves, a booming share market, cannot make an India survive. India survives as much on religion and sprituality as it does on economic progress. Which is why we survive economic depression much better than the Americans.

If we want our Mumbai back, then we need to seriously think of the politicians we get to power. And for that, this time around, we need to vote.

Color of Obama

One small observation on the fantastic Obama victory in United States. It seems like the whole election was a clash of race and color - between the whites and the blacks (and the browns).

It was also between the haves and the have nots and between the inhabitants and immigrants.

Iraq, economic depression, etc. were issues too but deep down I could feel that what decided Obama's fate as the new President of United States was the color of his skin.

A report says that John McCain won more white votes than Obama. McCain won 55 percent of white votes. But Obama still won easily, winning huge majorities among minority voters. He attracted 95 percent of black votes and about 67 percent of Hispanic votes!

Obama represents a hope for millions of americans and immigrants who lost out on a better life and/or respect simply because of their color, race, economic and immigrant status.

I may be wrong - but then look at this pic, look at the hopes in the eyes of the people, the lady on the right with a hand on her heart - what else can this be?

Can you believe this? Kenya has declared a national holiday to celebrate Obama's victory.

Obama would surely have to read Hanuman Chalisa to fulfill the dreams of his billions of supporters within and ouside the US.

Photograph Courtesy: Paresh Gandhi/Rediff