[Reader-list] A letter from mumbaikar

Tue Jul 18 20:42:03 IST 2006

just to add to what prashant has written..
majority of people are pushed towards this city, and a sizeable miniroty of
people like me are attracted towards it. a better part of the "spirit of
mumbai" is the inability of the people to leave it once they land up here.
mumbai the "financial capital" of this country, and mumbai "that contributes
the most to the state exchequer" is also the city where people arrive with
very big yet seemingly attainable dreams. if maharashtra government were to
build a "jaali" at the Kurla, Andheri, or Mumbai central stations, we'll get
to see the "200 families that are added to the population of mumbai everday"
saying their first prayers there. they'll be found tying the customary piece
of thread or piece of a cloth on it in a hope that they'll come and un-tie
it the day their "mannat" comes true. but "mannats" are expensive in this
city. 73% of the city's households live in 1-room tenements, shanties,
kholis, etc.
the "spirit" of hunger, and the "spirit" of hopelessness that prevails in
parts of this country isn't "spirit"enough. the "spirit" of the "marqaz"
that this city has become; of a million dying and already dead dreams, is no
different from the the "spirit" that we saw rallying behind the
"anti-fanaah" protestors in gujarat, and the meritorious "YOUTH FOR
EQUALITY" forum( this deserves "upper case") at the AIIMS. there are
(vested) interests to protect and EMIs to pay. what are we going to
celebrate and what are we going to condemn. and now that we are done with
mumbai...a cheers also to the "spirit" of cities being pounded by apaches as
i write.
G8 summit is on, my friend can't access his own blog, and the power of CNN
IBN has been seen by the world now.

much regards,

faiz
,

-----Original message-----
From: "Prashant Pandey" jumpshark at gmail.com
Date: Tue, 18 Jul 2006 19:05:44 +0530
To: "kaiwan mehta" kaiwanmehta at gmail.com
Subject: Re: [Reader-list] A letter from mumbaikar

> Hi

My  cousin who once used to live in Mumbai and now wo> rking Delhi
called me up and said," Mumbai has become a s> hit-hole".
I remember when I had met him in Mumbai he wou> ld say " its the best
city in the world..." I also rememb> er a family trip to Siddhi Vinayak
temple where he told m> e to pray to lord Ganesha...." say ive come here
and will>  always seek your blessings"
This phone call he sounded r> epentant and bitter. He has a big
apartment in Mumbai but>  now he wants to settle in Delhi. "Its always
raining pro> blems  in Mumbai." I dont know if he would have said the
> same thing if he was working here and had no option to mo> ve out to a
different city.

I have always suspicious of > this spirit business. I was once
travelling in the 2nd cl> ass compartment of the local train. It was
unimaginably c> rowded. A man in 40s standing just beside me started
swea> ting. He wanted to vomit. He started to gasp for air. I e> mptied my
plastic bag
and gave it him. In seconds he fill> ed it with foul smelling vomit.
Before disembarking I gav> e him a mint gum so that he feels better.

Would you call>  it spirit ? No. I think this so called spirit is a
myth,>  a construct. its rather a euphemism for may be a kind of>  a
collective guilt, extreme form of self-survival instin> cts or
selfishness.

On 7/17/06, kaiwan mehta <kaiwanmeh> ta at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi   This is the second time I hav> e received this highly 'spirited' and
> emotional mail.  >  The other version of this letter conviniently assumes
th> at
> the terrorist essentially sits in Afghanistan, Pakis> tan or Iraq.   The
front
> page of Indian Express, on 14 > July, 2006... has a story on how the
Courts in
> India do> ubted that the Blasts at the RSS head quarters and anothe> r
city in
> Maharashtra were doctored from 'within'.   An> d about the 'spirit of
mumbai'
> the 'spirit' has now rea> ched nauseating levels!! One day all of us will
die
> in > the assumed/presumed garb of 'spirit' of the city.... and>  what will
be
> left is only 'spirit'..... yes read the T> imes of India, Times Review
page in
> the Sunday 16 July,>  2006 edition.   Accept the fact... the city was
> jostle> d... the city was literally out of steam at least for two>  days
after
> the blast.   Where does our spirit go when > tonnes of families and kids
are
> thrown homeless brutall> y when the slums were demolished in Bombay/Mumbai
> itsel> f?   Where does ourr spirit go when people are thrown hom> eless,
> landless and jobless when they are evacuated for>  Dam constructions?
Was my
> spirit sleeping when farme> rs are commiting suicides?   Maybe I never had
a
> spirit>  till the media gave me one, a week ago!!   warm spirits.> ..
Kaiwan
>
>   On 7/16/06, Aaditya Dar <aadityadar at gmail> .com> wrote:
> > just wanted to share this mail forward i>  got:
> >
> >
> > We don't know whether you are Hindu / M> uslim / Christian / Indian /
> > pakistani/ Afghanistani > / Iraqi / American or from any part of the
> > world
> > > but
> > only name we can give you is terrorist.
> >
> > E> ven if you are not reading this we don't care. Time and a> gain you
> > tried to
> > disturb us and disrupt our life>  - killing innocent civilians by
> > planting
> > bombs i> n trains, buses and cars. You have tried hard to bring de> ath
and
> > destruction, cause panic and fear and create > communal disharmony but
> > everytime you were disgusting> ly unsuccessful. Do you know how we pass
> > our
> > life>  in Mumbai? How much it takes for us to earn that single > rupee?
If
> > you
> > wanted to give us a shock then we a> re sorry to say that you failed
> > miserably in your ult> erior motives. Better look elsewere, not here.
> >
> > We>  are not Hindus and Muslims or Gujaratis and Marathis or > Punjabis
and
> > Bengaliies. Nor do we distinguish oursel> ves as owners or workers,
govt.
> > employees or private > employees. WE ARE MUMBAIKERS (Bombay-ites, if you
> > lik> e). We will not allow you to disrupt our life like this. > On the
last
> > few
> > occassions when you struck (inclu> ding the 7 deadly blasts in a single
> > day
> > killing > over 250 people and injuring 500+ in 1993), we went to wo> rk
> > next
> > day in full strength. This time we cleare> d everything within a few
> > hours
> > and were back to > normal - the vendors placing their next order,
> > busine> ssmen
> > finalizing the next deals and the office worker> s rushing to catch the
> > next
> > train. (Yes the same > train you targetted)
> >
> > Fathom this: Within 3 hours > of the blasts, long queues of blood
> > donating
> > volu> nteers were seen outside various hospital, where most of > the
> > injured
> > were admitted. By 12 midnight, the ho> spital had to issue a
notification
> > that blood banks w> ere full and they didn't require any more blood. The
> > > next
> > day, attendance at schools and office was close > to 100%, trains &
buses
> > were packed to the brim, the > crowds were back.
> > The city has simply dusted itself o> ff and moved one - perhaps with
> > greater
> > vigour.
>>  >
> > We are Mumbaikers and we live like brothers in tim> es like this. So, do
> > not
> > dare to threaten us with>  your crackers. The spirit of Mumbai is very
> > strong
>>  > and can not be harmed.
> >
> > Please forward this to > others. U never know, by chance it may come to
> > hands
> > > of a terrorist & He / She can then read this message > which is
specially
> > meant for him / her !!!
> >
> > Wi> th Love,
> > From the people of Mumbai (Bombay)
> > _____> ____________________________________
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>
>
>
> --
> Kaiwan Mehta
> Arch> itect and Urban Researcher
>
> 11/4, Kassinath Bldg. No. > 2, Kassinath St., Tardeo, Mumbai 400034
> 022-2-494 3259 > / 91-98205 56436
> ______________________________________> ___
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