2011-07-17

...and the city gets back on track

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This is Mumbai. Maximum city, the city that never sleeps. A blast from the past is passé and Mumbaikars know that it isn't certainly the last. The people faced several terrorists attacks in the past and we have become resilient to terror attacks now. Some proudly call it, The spirit of Mumbai while most are fed up with these strong words coined by the media to describe Mumbai and it's people. It's just that we have come to terms with everything that happens in the city, blast, waterlogging and Shiv Sena ka natak. We are used to it and are plain fed up of the old songs hummed by politicians. Great ideas and no implementation to make the city secure. It's not resilience but rather a habit. We must travel by local trains, board the BEST buses and taxis, go to Gateway of India, work in SoBo or Andheri, have a beer at Leopold, Cafe Mondegar or Sports Express bar. Mumbaikars like any other resident of any city in India know how to survive and they must get out of the appartment.
It is also true that when we leave our houses in the morning and travel by local trains, we don't know how we will come back home..as a dead corpse or a life. We are forever grateful that we are still alive. Like Abhishek Bachchan told Priyanka Chopra in Bluffmaster, Juhu ke terrace par ya Lilavati mein. It perfectly suits Mumbai and its people. It is the grim reality everyone has come to terms with.

Mumbaikars have lost hope on politicians, netas, Congress-NCP cat fighting in Maharashtra and it showed on the day of the blast where our intelligence services have blatantly failed. The police, hospitals and the government of the state was not working. Everytime on the day of blast, phone lines are jammed and makes it difficult for Mantralaya and police to communication. Beware! I am not saying this but our dear CM, Prithiviraj Chavan has admitted it. Then, we have Congress poster boy, Amul baby face, Rahul Baba Gandhi who showed his I am different attitude with his irresponsible and insensitive statements when the whole of Mumbai was in shock on the day of blast, "We were able to prevent 99 per cent of the attacks."Oh! really Amethi boy!!!
Mumbai and the whole of India needs a citizen movement and Anna Hazare's movement shouldn't stop here. We want every citizen of Mumbai to be an Anna Hazare. We are just so tired of seeing everyone, standing as a candle vigil at Marine Drive, station or the Gateway of India. Perhaps, what happened in Egypt should happen here. Not to throw away the government, of course! We need answers why only 150 cops out of 45,000 have safety jackets, what happened to the money to strengthen our sea water, community policing in slums, the huge budget devoted to strengthen the city and its infrastructures. This cannot continue like that. They must be able to answer us and we have every right to hold them accountable for their acts. We must be able to give a warning to terrorists and the world..This is Mumbai, do not mess up with us.
I was not born in Mumbai. The day I came to the city I made this my home like millions of Mumbaikars not born and brought up in the city. I am a proud Mumbaikar and made the city my home. For the time being, I am not in the city and planning to make my return soon. In times of need, like a true and ever lasting friend Mumbai embraced me and no terror attack can and will deter me to be in the right place and for the right reasons. I witnessed several attacks and with immense pride I say that we can got back on foot the next day. Our life, the jam-packed locals is on its way early morning and the last one reaches the station at 1.40 a.m. Travellers, college goers, working people are on their toes and no matter how much we crib about the attack and the fact that we have no choice, the next day is just another day in the life of a Mumbaikar. This makes our strength, not resilience. Habit makes the city move yet we are forever on the edge.

There is no city like Mumbai.
Every year there is a terror attack on us.
We have become immune to such violence.
Some call it the spirit of Mumbai some call it our resilience in the face of danger.
Yet, the next we move and thrust on our feet as if nothing happened.
No one bare talks about it.
We are so used to terror.
Waise, there is nothing new in it.
For we know we know that it is not the last terrorist attack.
As we hums, aaye dil hai mushkil hai jeena yahan,zara hatke zara hatke
Yeh hai Mumbai meri jaan.
Love you, Mumbai my amchi Mumbai

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