The siege in South Mumbai continues….A tribute to the lesser known

I am sick of watching the television coverage and waiting for all that’s happening in Mumbai to get over. The number has increased to 125 dead and 327 injured. The seething anger of the common man was evident when late at night as the army chief came out to talk to the press he was welcomed to a loud applause, giving a clear message that Mumbai would not tolerate an attack on its freedom.

As the long haul continues... I can’t stop praying …for the safety of the innocent hostages; the army and security personnel who have been braving this situation; and for the families who are anxiously awaiting some information about their near and dear ones.

As this Mumbai mayhem continues it is heartening to see the human side…. The real stories… some brave, some miraculous and some thoughtful. Insignificant, unknown people who came to the rescue and will remain etched in the minds of many who went through the ordeal.

Lauding them and their spirit that makes Mumbai what it is, a vibrant, resilient city.

Sarita, the senior executive at Taj who after being held hostage for hours with other guests in the lounge was the last one to leave the place once the fire brigade reached them. The fire brigade put up a ladder and asked everyone to come down one by one, but this lady stood up to the occasion, organized the rescue and left the premises only after ensuring everyone else was safe… A brazen approach by an unknown face in the Mumbai crowd.

Even after many of their colleagues were killed in the initial hours the staff at Taj acted quick and clever. Acts that might have costed them their lives! Counselage Taj's staff immediately sent our SMS to their guests asking them not to return to the hotel. They closed the doors of rooms they could get access to and called all the rooms that had been occupied to latch themselves in to minimize damage.

The maid and home servant of the Rabbi at Nariman House who secured the rabbi’s child, locked themselves in the kitchen and braved an attempt to escape and alert the police about the hostage situation in Nariman house with the exact number of militants present.

A citizen journalist Sharma, a resident of Colaba appeals to the public at large

He requested people to remain indoors, to provide space and freedom for the army and commandoes to carry on their operations.

Keep the phone lines free for people to contact their near and dear ones in this time of distress.

Volunteer at hospitals; Donate blood

While sharing critical information act judiciously and responsibly as it might put many other lives in danger.

Finally let’s fight it out and show that Mumbai is resilient, by not letting this fear settle in our minds.

These people rose to the occasion and did their bit to support this ongoing crusade. It is people like these who instill faith in the fight against terrorism. Who make us realize that though it’s a long way to go… we can make it. It’s up to us to stand up against these lunatics who want to take charge of our lives and tell them firmly … We were born free and will remain so.

26/11- Another horrifying day in the life of Mumbai

The mundane life of a common Mumbaikar is disrupted yet again. 100 dead around 250 injured while two hotels are still under siege with people taken as hostages by some unknown, average looking youngsters. Some strangers just walk into the lives and hold them at ransom, making us feel agitated….. Helpless and leave us with a feeling of loss.

This time the militants (Deccan Mujahideen) have actually ventured out and shot at people, holding many at ransom even now. Is this because they are considering themselves so powerful that they are confident of getting away with this one? Or is it a wake up call to the security measures in place? It’s a war like situation in some parts of Mumbai… What is Mumbai heading to… How can anybody just pop-in and ruin our lives?

Whatever said and done, the only real sufferer in this is a common man. He is at a loss both in life and death! He doesn’t know what to believe in, whom to trust and if he would come back home alive the next day.

I don’t believe these terrorists have any religious sentiments or are avenging some cause or the other. They cannot be. These are just flimsy covers to their real motives. The 1992 Bombay bomb blast proved it, when finally it all boiled down to Mafia and the external power houses that were sponsoring these attacks. They know no religion or cause. The common man is at loss every single time.

And what is he suffering for? Cause he believed that once he has elected a government they would take care of his security and prosperity? Cause he believed that he has empowered the police and judicial system enough to take care of his fate?

After this is over the politicians will go back to mud slinging on each other, some officials would be suspended and some would be honored awards. They might book the nine people who have been caught on some x,y,z charges and the case would continue for years to come. The next generation… would remember sketchy details about the incident and when the verdict finally comes… if it ever comes would bring little solace to the families of the people dead! And till then… the common man might continue enduring some more blasts… Isn’t there anything that we can do?

Did we miss the bus?

It might sound like a U –turn to many, but I think I need to reconsider my strong stand against Raj Thakre's views. And don’t get me wrong here, in no way do I support the vandalism and hooliganism that’s become his norm. No city can be held at ransom because somebody wants his views to be heard.

However yesterday I was viewing the ‘Devils Advocate’ and Shobha De the guest, was being grilled for being sympathetic to Raj Thakre’s views. It was an eye-opener of sorts. Sadly I had no answer to the few questions that she raised in the interview. The questions that were innate yet had a great impact and made me introspect and think.

I know that Raj Thakre’s comments or stand is with political interests, however there is somewhere a discord in the city’s daily mayhem that was being conveniently ignored by us till Raj Thakre’s violent outbursts shook us and made us sit up and take notice.

When Shobha De says, I don’t hear Marathi in Mumbai now, isn’t it sad that the state capital is loosing its local flavour? Mumbai can be the next Shanghai, but should that happen at the cost of our local essence? Maharashtra is known for its intellectual forerunners, but where are they today? Where are the street plays, the responsible journalism, the revolutionary thinkers, the protestors…. Where are the likes of Vijay Tendulkar (Gokhales and Kale’s). This certainly made me sit up and take notice. Isn’t it true that today these words are mere text-book connotations ?

As an industry why is the Marathi theater and cinema suffering? Is it that people don’t enjoy them? That can’t be true, otherwise movies like Saade Maade Teen and De Dhakka, (both with borrowed concepts from Hindi and English movies) couldn’t have been a superhit. Is it that people now don’t want stories with strong message or thought provoking issues? This cant be true either or plays like ‘Kusum Manohar Lele’ or movies like 'Dombivali fast' couldn’t have been running full house. Then what is the issue?

We as Marathi speaking people need to introspect a few things. Is speaking in Marathi demeaning? Or is it that it doesn’t fit in the current definition of an upwardly mobile crowd? Do we need to hide or shy away from simple things like our language or culture so that we could fit in the current genre of hip n happening crowd? And this is same for all metro cities in varying degrees. We are a multi-lingual, multi-cultural, diverse nation. That is our identity. Why shy away from our own identity? Knowing two or three languages is no big deal in our country, then suddenly why have we turned into chauvinists who believe they can only speak in English? Is it necessary to settle in places like California or New York before you start becoming the flag bearers of Marathi and then make special efforts to join the Maharashtra Mandal etc?

The media who have been following this issue of non-marathis have just been fanning the news to sensationalize the issue and spread panic thereby aggrevating the situation. I have witnessed the flimy news covering tactics of these media channels. The Bangalore blasts where low intensity crude bombs exploded around 2 months back were presented in such an unruly manner that I had calls streaming in all day checking our safety when it did not demand such kind of blown up coverage.

I think its not an issue of outsiders settling in Mumbai or any other Metro city but it is upon us as individuals to realise and draw a line between thoughtful change and listless aping. It cant be the issue of outsiders as we have been migrating to different states for a long time, however then it was natural to follow the principal of ' When in Rome do as the Romans do'. I had many so called outsider friends, but when in Pune they all knew and spoke Marathi, respected others sentiments and participated in local festivals. Their culture and tradition was preserved in their homes and we inturn respected their sentiments and their festivals. I dont think there would be many Maharastrians who dont know 'Onam' or the Gujrathi 'Thepla' and 'Khandavi' or the 'Idli' & 'Dosa' and vice- versa.

The media for sensationalizing all news without having a barometer to check the intensity and present facts, the common man for trying to ape the West to the extent of losing their individuality, the politicians for politicizing every issue and the theater and entertainment industry for not doing its bit to create awareness and providing the viewers with thought provoking messages, we all have somewhere missed the bus and need to seriously reconsider our stands.

Its really sad when people make statements like, ‘We are happy to stay here as this area is populated by Maharashtrians (read Marathi speaking)’ while staying in Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra!