Salutations to the Father of the Nation.
I believe that you can't make a Mithunda fan love Kukunoor movies by showing him loads of Kukunoor ones. Its the character of a person, his upbringing, his persona that define the kind of taste he exhibits. This taste is reflected in most of the choices that we make as a person through our lives.
I saw a program to be telecast tonight on CNN IBN called as "Did Gandhiji's death go in vain?". Being an ardent blogger as well as someone who adores and admires the Mahatma such programs and the increasing debate with regards to the relevance of the Mahatma in recent times has compelled me to write this up.
Love and Truth. Are they relevant in today's times? When won't they be ? Infact they are more relevant than ever before. With a well educated, affluent and growing middle class this is just natural. The dilemma of the geat Indian middle class is that even though it itches to get to the upper echelons of society, it fails to do so and since going down isn't an option, it prides itself by scorning wealth and living by the values. Thats why I think that this middle class believes in and lives by the ideals of the Mahatma and a large and shrinking section of the society actually understands and loves what he stood for. And for those who don't I'll cite the Kukunoor example.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Mumbai
That day I again managed to breach the cordon and entered the Virar fast boarding it from Borivali. After a few hostile glances and some mumblings indicating - Better get into your own train, I settled into my customary position beside the train door.
After Andheri passed by, I heard him preaching. He was talking about the Lord Christ, referring to him as Yeshu, a term used by the lower class Christian community when speaking of Jesus. As soon as he started he was warned and asked to stop. He didn't pay much heed to this and continued nevertheless. Hearing the commotion I tried getting a look at his face but was unable to do so as the train was heavily overcrowded. Soon there were shouts which forced him to discontinue and confront the shouters. He tried placating them in the softest of tones as the rest of the travellers were hell bent on pushing him out of the train.
Travelling in a jam packed train where humans are worser off than cargo - that compartment is the roomiest one I have observed, commuter anger has been a cause of concern in Mumbai since a long time. And every "Train Travail" as I called it is a testimony as much to the grit and determination of the Mumbai junta as to the apathy of the different governments that ruled over it which has reduced our financial capital to this state.
Studying in a convent, Christmas was as much my festival as it was for my Christian friends. Yet over the years I had come to love the way it was celebrated in Mumbai. I still vividly remember the Vile Parle streets adorned with christmas trees and lots of stars of different shapes and sizes. The gaiety was somehow always missing in Gujarat. In my recent visits to Mumbai though this sentiment seems to be waning. And its just not me that thinks this way. A prominent actor isn't given a house as he is a Muslim, compulsory reservation of flats for Marathis in locales, separate societies, not just by Parsis, but the newly rich Jains and diamond merchant Patels.
I dont know wether its commuter anger or Shiv Sena rhetoric at play. When I work in an office in Hyderabad where my colleagues constitute virtually the whole of India, and who readily celebrate Uttarayan - eating the chikki, with us, all I ask is where is Mumbai heading ?
After Andheri passed by, I heard him preaching. He was talking about the Lord Christ, referring to him as Yeshu, a term used by the lower class Christian community when speaking of Jesus. As soon as he started he was warned and asked to stop. He didn't pay much heed to this and continued nevertheless. Hearing the commotion I tried getting a look at his face but was unable to do so as the train was heavily overcrowded. Soon there were shouts which forced him to discontinue and confront the shouters. He tried placating them in the softest of tones as the rest of the travellers were hell bent on pushing him out of the train.
Travelling in a jam packed train where humans are worser off than cargo - that compartment is the roomiest one I have observed, commuter anger has been a cause of concern in Mumbai since a long time. And every "Train Travail" as I called it is a testimony as much to the grit and determination of the Mumbai junta as to the apathy of the different governments that ruled over it which has reduced our financial capital to this state.
Studying in a convent, Christmas was as much my festival as it was for my Christian friends. Yet over the years I had come to love the way it was celebrated in Mumbai. I still vividly remember the Vile Parle streets adorned with christmas trees and lots of stars of different shapes and sizes. The gaiety was somehow always missing in Gujarat. In my recent visits to Mumbai though this sentiment seems to be waning. And its just not me that thinks this way. A prominent actor isn't given a house as he is a Muslim, compulsory reservation of flats for Marathis in locales, separate societies, not just by Parsis, but the newly rich Jains and diamond merchant Patels.
I dont know wether its commuter anger or Shiv Sena rhetoric at play. When I work in an office in Hyderabad where my colleagues constitute virtually the whole of India, and who readily celebrate Uttarayan - eating the chikki, with us, all I ask is where is Mumbai heading ?
Hyderabad Blues
After spending the last few years of my predominantly uneventful life, travelling in different cities, the "blues" article has become a regular feature of my blogs. Its nice to dissect and discern the different cities that I travel to and gain an insight into, not only the city but my perception of my surroundings there.
Six of us disembarked the Satyam train, alongwith a host of fellow Satyamites, all of us temporary migrants to the Telugu town of Hyderabad. Unsure of a halt by the train we had started hauling out our luggage on the platform long before it stopped. Consequently by the time all of us disembarked, our luggage adorned half the length of the Begumpet platform. And that was the beginning.
Its been exactly one month and eight days and two invaluable kilos of body mass in Hyderabad and each day has been a day of celebration. Celebrating our successes, our failures, celebrating the loss of a roof over our heads, celebrating the loss of a companion, celebrating our new homes and our new friends, celebrating a journey so topsy turvy that we smile through our tears.
Hyderabad is a city that owes a lot to its administrators and unlike Mumbai its for all the good that they have done for the city. A very well developed and even better maintained city with inhabitants who possess the laidback attitude of a small city and the cosmopolitan culture of a big one. This optimism also stems from the fact that my last sojourn was Mumbai during monsoon.
Summarising, I luv the place and the city and am looking forward to moving out of its hospitals which have become my favourite weekend hangouts to exploring it in its entirety.
Six of us disembarked the Satyam train, alongwith a host of fellow Satyamites, all of us temporary migrants to the Telugu town of Hyderabad. Unsure of a halt by the train we had started hauling out our luggage on the platform long before it stopped. Consequently by the time all of us disembarked, our luggage adorned half the length of the Begumpet platform. And that was the beginning.
Its been exactly one month and eight days and two invaluable kilos of body mass in Hyderabad and each day has been a day of celebration. Celebrating our successes, our failures, celebrating the loss of a roof over our heads, celebrating the loss of a companion, celebrating our new homes and our new friends, celebrating a journey so topsy turvy that we smile through our tears.
Hyderabad is a city that owes a lot to its administrators and unlike Mumbai its for all the good that they have done for the city. A very well developed and even better maintained city with inhabitants who possess the laidback attitude of a small city and the cosmopolitan culture of a big one. This optimism also stems from the fact that my last sojourn was Mumbai during monsoon.
Summarising, I luv the place and the city and am looking forward to moving out of its hospitals which have become my favourite weekend hangouts to exploring it in its entirety.
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