We are all craving for a better quality of life in Mumbai. Politicians have been promising us a Shanghai and a Singapore . It has not materialized. Indeed, many of us would say that things have got worse. We have discussed this, wrung our hands in despair, and waited endlessly for a noticeable improvement in our surroundings.
But the garbage continues to pile up, the traffic continues to be chaotic, the elderly and the infirm have no footpaths to walk on, there is no sign of the Rs. 25 lakhs each of our Corporators get per annum to spend on amenities. . . . the list is endless. All this despite paying high taxes to the civic body. The property tax whammy is just round the corner, make no mistake about this!
Conditions will not change - UNLESS we, the tax-paying citizens, sit up and DEMAND a better life. There are many problem areas. But these need to be addressed one after another, in a focused manner, and in unison. And we shall do so.
A few of us have therefore got together under a common banner called CITIZENS FOR A BETTER MUMBAI (CBM) to induce the BMC through the Right To Information (RTI) route to make life easier for us. For this, we need your active support and encouragement.
To begin with – we shall be taking up other common issues in Mumbai in quick succession - we have decided to focus on pedestrian (Zebra) crossings on Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg (from GPO to Sassoon Docks to Navy Nagar) by making mass applications under the Right To Information (RTI) Act to the “A” Ward Officer. Attached is a copy of the same. Please download it and fill in the appropriate blanks. Please support this move. Citizens’ voice is the only way to make life better in Mumbai. It doesn’t matter if you don’t live on S.B.S. Marg; I don’t. We shall shortly be taking up common issues all over the city. All we ask you to do is to open the attachment and
i. fill in DUPLICATE (one copy is for you) your name, address and signature
ii. Affix a Rs. 10/- Court Fee stamp (available at any Court)
iii. File it at the “A” Ward BMC office near RBI, Ballard Estate.
You could also send it duly filled and signed at my residence at 301 Shivala, Khatau Road , Cuffe Parade, Mumbai 400005, or at my office at 302 Marine Chambers, Opp SNDT University , 43 New Marine Lines, Mumbai 400020.
We only ask for your support and an application with a Rs. 10/- Court Fee stamp. Let’s make our life better. Together we can. We must.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010
Islam and World Freedom - A Dutch perspective
I was forwarded recently a speech made by Mr. Geert Wilders, a Dutch Member of Parliament, at the Four Seasons in New York. The speech was rabidly anti-Islamic, and the forward roundly castigated him. Is the liberal West turning insular?
I felt that the contents of his speech, though sweeping, were perhaps not entirely unjustified.
I think what has triggered off this xenophobia in the West is as much a cultural issue as a religious one. We in India are less severe in our attitudes because we have always lived in a multi-religious and multi-cultural environment, though not always in harmony. Burqas and minarets by themselves do not upset us – barring the RSS and their ilk - because these have been a part of our existence since the days of the Khiljis and the Tughlaks. But Europe is a different world altogether. They do not wear Christianity on their sleeve, and are bound to feel swamped under by a cultural-religious influx. Within the last two months Switzerland registered a 65% protest against mosques and minarets, and Sarkozy has banned burquas and veils in public. This goes for the Sikh turban also.
And that is my point. While in Rome do as the Romans do. Integration is the key. Stand out like a sore thumb and one should expect some criticism. Wave the sore thumb in your face and you will have scores of Geert Wilders coming up to protest. The Gujaratis got the boot from East Africa because they refused to integrate with the black majority, preferring to create their own Gujarati neighbourhoods. So did the English in India with their unique cantonments and No Indians Allowed attitude.
This brings me to a larger issue.
If those following the Islamic faith expect full religious freedom including the right to dress according to their interpretation of the tenets of Islam, should others not expect the same from the Middle Eastern countries?
I have not known of churches or temples in these countries, nor have I known of Christmas or Easter being declared holidays. Iraq, Lebanon and just maybe Turkey, are exceptions. But they too make concessions only for Christianity. What is significant is that the religious minorities in Dubai, etc do not demand these privileges because the pain of punishment is far greater. To this extent I would compliment the Europeans and the Americans for assuring us our freedom to practise our own religion. But if what Wilders says - that one-third of the French Muslims do not object to suicide attacks – is true, then it is time to sit up and take notice.
Stereotyping? Perhaps. But closer home, I feel the solution lies mainly with our Muslim friends. Yes, my friends do not like this religious rigidity, BUT they are unwilling to protest. A few months ago a religious group issued a fatwa against singing the Vande Mataram. It triggered off a furious debate on TV, but only people like Farooq Abdullah and Salman Khurshid protested against this fatwa. They protested intelligently by quoting chapter and verse of the Koran. But the overwhelming majority of the Muslim community remained silent. Yes, they may not like the rigidity of the mullahs, but they will not protest. I have not seen a single e-mail or a debate on this issue. So, the mullahs rule, and continue to control the minds of an overwhelming part of a large but silent community. Silence is soon translated into acceptance, and acceptance to intolerance. In contrast, the Hindu majority stoutly rejected the divisive dharma of the BJP, spoke up against the Babri Masjid demolition and firmly voted the Congress to power.
Next, in my view, the largest religious minority must actively participate in the nation-building process instead of carrying a perennial chip on their shoulder. Coming from a Services background I am appalled at their low levels of entry into the IAS, IPS, and the armed forces. People like former Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor are the rarest of the rare exceptions.
To come back to Geert Wilders, the most significant sentence is his speech is “They (the settlors) do not come to integrate into our society; they come to integrate our society into their Dar-al-Islam”. I would love to hear a storm of intellectual protest against each point made by Wilders, and a louder protest against the fatwa issuing followers - not of Islam, but of the Taliban.
This is just my personal opinion, and I hope it is borne in reason.
I felt that the contents of his speech, though sweeping, were perhaps not entirely unjustified.
I think what has triggered off this xenophobia in the West is as much a cultural issue as a religious one. We in India are less severe in our attitudes because we have always lived in a multi-religious and multi-cultural environment, though not always in harmony. Burqas and minarets by themselves do not upset us – barring the RSS and their ilk - because these have been a part of our existence since the days of the Khiljis and the Tughlaks. But Europe is a different world altogether. They do not wear Christianity on their sleeve, and are bound to feel swamped under by a cultural-religious influx. Within the last two months Switzerland registered a 65% protest against mosques and minarets, and Sarkozy has banned burquas and veils in public. This goes for the Sikh turban also.
And that is my point. While in Rome do as the Romans do. Integration is the key. Stand out like a sore thumb and one should expect some criticism. Wave the sore thumb in your face and you will have scores of Geert Wilders coming up to protest. The Gujaratis got the boot from East Africa because they refused to integrate with the black majority, preferring to create their own Gujarati neighbourhoods. So did the English in India with their unique cantonments and No Indians Allowed attitude.
This brings me to a larger issue.
If those following the Islamic faith expect full religious freedom including the right to dress according to their interpretation of the tenets of Islam, should others not expect the same from the Middle Eastern countries?
I have not known of churches or temples in these countries, nor have I known of Christmas or Easter being declared holidays. Iraq, Lebanon and just maybe Turkey, are exceptions. But they too make concessions only for Christianity. What is significant is that the religious minorities in Dubai, etc do not demand these privileges because the pain of punishment is far greater. To this extent I would compliment the Europeans and the Americans for assuring us our freedom to practise our own religion. But if what Wilders says - that one-third of the French Muslims do not object to suicide attacks – is true, then it is time to sit up and take notice.
Stereotyping? Perhaps. But closer home, I feel the solution lies mainly with our Muslim friends. Yes, my friends do not like this religious rigidity, BUT they are unwilling to protest. A few months ago a religious group issued a fatwa against singing the Vande Mataram. It triggered off a furious debate on TV, but only people like Farooq Abdullah and Salman Khurshid protested against this fatwa. They protested intelligently by quoting chapter and verse of the Koran. But the overwhelming majority of the Muslim community remained silent. Yes, they may not like the rigidity of the mullahs, but they will not protest. I have not seen a single e-mail or a debate on this issue. So, the mullahs rule, and continue to control the minds of an overwhelming part of a large but silent community. Silence is soon translated into acceptance, and acceptance to intolerance. In contrast, the Hindu majority stoutly rejected the divisive dharma of the BJP, spoke up against the Babri Masjid demolition and firmly voted the Congress to power.
Next, in my view, the largest religious minority must actively participate in the nation-building process instead of carrying a perennial chip on their shoulder. Coming from a Services background I am appalled at their low levels of entry into the IAS, IPS, and the armed forces. People like former Police Commissioner Hasan Gafoor are the rarest of the rare exceptions.
To come back to Geert Wilders, the most significant sentence is his speech is “They (the settlors) do not come to integrate into our society; they come to integrate our society into their Dar-al-Islam”. I would love to hear a storm of intellectual protest against each point made by Wilders, and a louder protest against the fatwa issuing followers - not of Islam, but of the Taliban.
This is just my personal opinion, and I hope it is borne in reason.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Mumbai's Traffic Nightmare
14th March 2010.
Dear Kishore and friends,
Thank you very much for sending me various updates on Traffic Meetings and the like. I also thank you for publicizing Adv Armin Vandrewala’s efforts for better traffic management through a PIL. I was very keen to attend the meeting organized jointly by the NPCCA, OCRA and the 3rd and 4th Pasta Lane Support Group, particularly as it was being addressed by Mr Barve, a fairly senior IPS Officer. However, I was quite disappointed on reading the report of the meeting in the DNA of 11th March.
According to the DNA report, JCP Traffic, Mr Barve, attributed the chaotic traffic situation to the poor design of roads, lack of education of signs, and the indiscipline amongst the motorists. He further said “Enforcement is the last of the 3important factors for good traffic management. Unfortunately, it is at the top.”
Now I just don’t understand this, Mr Barve. If the roads were perfect, if the people were fully aware of the signs and if the motorists were disciplined, do we really need you at all?!! It is because of these shortcomings that you are there – so we would really like it if the Traffic police did their job instead of passing the bureaucratic buck!
We do appreciate the efforts of the Traffic police to curb drunken driving. However, we expect more from the Police, not shallow reasons for inaction.
I understand that Armin Vandrewala’s PIL is the outcome of motorists halting ON the zebra crossing. Why can this not be stopped by the Traffic cops even when they are posted there? A classic case of chaos is the Churchgate-Eros junction in the morning and evening hours. Motorists halt ON the zebra crossing, the pedestrians walk at will, the honking reaches deafening levels – and the cops turn a deaf ear and blind eye to these obvious violations. We do realize and understand that police are short-staffed and overworked, but surely that is no reason to abdicate duty and responsibility!
That brings me to the next point – Jaywalking. I believe there are laws against jaywalking. But do the traffic police enforce them? No, Sir, hardly ever. A 4-lane road from Eros to Churchgate station becomes a 2-lane path only because pedestrians walk on the roads instead of using the subway. Ditto at Metro cinema junction. The road from Eros to LIC building has wide footpaths without encroachments. Yet pedestrians walk on the road instead of using the broad footpaths built for them. The traffic police are again oblivious to this! We do have good, broad roads in South Bombay with wide footpaths from the British era. Perhaps the traffic police have not noticed this. Let them maintain at least this patch!
What is very unfortunate is that Adv Vandrewala’s PIL has had no effect on the traffic police at all. I wonder if Mr Barve would trot out these excuses before the High Court when the PIL comes up for hearing. On reading the DNA report I was also disappointed that Sudhir Badami and Nitin Dossa were not given adequate time to make their points. I am sure they would have had something more positive and constructive to say about the traffic nightmare than the reported ‘reasons’ given by Mr Barve.
Yours sincerely,
Deepak Tralshawala
Dear Kishore and friends,
Thank you very much for sending me various updates on Traffic Meetings and the like. I also thank you for publicizing Adv Armin Vandrewala’s efforts for better traffic management through a PIL. I was very keen to attend the meeting organized jointly by the NPCCA, OCRA and the 3rd and 4th Pasta Lane Support Group, particularly as it was being addressed by Mr Barve, a fairly senior IPS Officer. However, I was quite disappointed on reading the report of the meeting in the DNA of 11th March.
According to the DNA report, JCP Traffic, Mr Barve, attributed the chaotic traffic situation to the poor design of roads, lack of education of signs, and the indiscipline amongst the motorists. He further said “Enforcement is the last of the 3important factors for good traffic management. Unfortunately, it is at the top.”
Now I just don’t understand this, Mr Barve. If the roads were perfect, if the people were fully aware of the signs and if the motorists were disciplined, do we really need you at all?!! It is because of these shortcomings that you are there – so we would really like it if the Traffic police did their job instead of passing the bureaucratic buck!
We do appreciate the efforts of the Traffic police to curb drunken driving. However, we expect more from the Police, not shallow reasons for inaction.
I understand that Armin Vandrewala’s PIL is the outcome of motorists halting ON the zebra crossing. Why can this not be stopped by the Traffic cops even when they are posted there? A classic case of chaos is the Churchgate-Eros junction in the morning and evening hours. Motorists halt ON the zebra crossing, the pedestrians walk at will, the honking reaches deafening levels – and the cops turn a deaf ear and blind eye to these obvious violations. We do realize and understand that police are short-staffed and overworked, but surely that is no reason to abdicate duty and responsibility!
That brings me to the next point – Jaywalking. I believe there are laws against jaywalking. But do the traffic police enforce them? No, Sir, hardly ever. A 4-lane road from Eros to Churchgate station becomes a 2-lane path only because pedestrians walk on the roads instead of using the subway. Ditto at Metro cinema junction. The road from Eros to LIC building has wide footpaths without encroachments. Yet pedestrians walk on the road instead of using the broad footpaths built for them. The traffic police are again oblivious to this! We do have good, broad roads in South Bombay with wide footpaths from the British era. Perhaps the traffic police have not noticed this. Let them maintain at least this patch!
What is very unfortunate is that Adv Vandrewala’s PIL has had no effect on the traffic police at all. I wonder if Mr Barve would trot out these excuses before the High Court when the PIL comes up for hearing. On reading the DNA report I was also disappointed that Sudhir Badami and Nitin Dossa were not given adequate time to make their points. I am sure they would have had something more positive and constructive to say about the traffic nightmare than the reported ‘reasons’ given by Mr Barve.
Yours sincerely,
Deepak Tralshawala
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thank you, Rajdeep Sardesai
21st Feb 2010.
Dear Mr Shiv Sainik,
I trust you have read Rajdeep Sardesai’s open letter to Mr Uddhav Thakeray doing the rounds on the internet. Frankly, for two reasons I won’t be surprised if you haven’t. One, it is in English. And two, it is extremely well-written and very thought–provoking. If you haven’t read it I suggest you ask your children to translate it for you. Like the offspring of most Shiv Sainiks I presume yours too are studying in the most elitist of convent schools.
But first, let me introduce myself.
I am just a Stupid Common Man. Have you seen the film ‘A Wednesday’? You must, even though it is in Hindi. Nasiruddin Shah’s soliloquy at the end of the film where he spits out his pent-up anger against the system and all politicians will make your hair stand on end. He calls himself just a Stupid Common Man. That’s what I am too, as are the faceless thousands and thousands of us in this city. And like the Stupid Common Man, we are a very angry lot today; angry at your silly and immature antics, and angry at the city being held to ransom by your aging leader and his coterie of Yes Men.
I have tried to understand what your core values are, but I am stumped! Let me spell out why.
Your agitation against Shah Rukh Khan, Rahul Gandhi, Mukesh Ambani and Sachin Tendulkar turned out to be as riveting as a deflating balloon. Nobody paid heed to your leader’s call, least of all we Bombay manoos who you have turned into a kind of experimental guinea pigs in the political laboratory. What kind of wishy-washy, spineless, sloppy fellows are you! Sorry, Mr Shiv Sainik, the nation did not want an apology from SRK – far from it. They just want good, edge-of-the-seat cricket. And the nation showed what they think of your fading leader by making SRK’s film the biggest grosser in Bollywood. What Rahul G gave you gentlemen was a resounding slap-in-the-face by doing what your leader has never done – Rahul mingled freely with the ordinary manoos in Bombay. Sachin endeared himself to the whole country by proclaiming that he was an Indian first. As for Mukesh Ambani, please await the next chapter.
Now let me tell you why we are an angry lot. Your creaky gramophone record about Marathi pride being hurt has ceased to convince us any more. During your current tenure at the BMC, 35 Marathi municipal schools were shut down. Is this your idea of pride? Rahul Bose (I don’t think you gentlemen have even heard of him) in a recent TV interview gave statistics to show that Bombay has already lost out to Delhi in virtually every department of administration. Forget Delhi, it is losing out to Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. Is this your idea of pride?
And your flip-flop about allowing the Australians to play in Bombay has many of us in splits. If you are against immigrants, surely you should be supporting racism in Australia! And if you are protesting racism in Oz, does it mean that you have had a change of heart about the North Indians? Is this pride, or total Alzeimeric confusion? Yes, we are angry at your threats to paralyse Bombay at the drop of a sparrow’s droppings. And, more important, we are angry at your wanton destruction of public property. Your loss at successive elections is enough proof of the adage “You can fool some of the people all the time, or all the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all of the time.”
Now let me tell you why some countries are great and the others are not. This will perhaps appeal to you, if you have progressed beyond high school. You have probably heard of a country called USA – it is the most powerful nation in the world today. It is so because of the way it allows the human potential to flower and flourish. Leaders – in politics and in business - in the US come from all parts of the world. If you ever were an avid newspaper reader (real newspapers, not the Saamna variety) you will recall that there was a man called Henry Kissinger. He was a German refugee from the Holocaust, and he became Secretary of State. That Mrs Indira Gandhi gave him a bloody nose during the ’71 war is another story. But let me give you an example that you would probably relate to better. You surely have seen Arnold Schwarzenegger’s films. He flexes his biceps and can put Salman K to shame – iconic and breath-taking stuff for your stone-throwing, public property-destroying foot-soldiers. He migrated from Austria about 40 years ago determined to make it big in the US. Arnold is presently Governor of California. And there are several Indians in Obama’s (he happens to be the President of the US) administration, including a few Marathi manoos (No, Please, Al Gore is NOT a Marathi manoos). And their contribution to American society and economy is just enormous.
The point I am making is simply this: you can throw out the ‘outsiders’ only at your economic peril. All along you have been talking only about job reservations. Have you ever given a thought to job creation? Have you ever wondered why very, very few Marathi manoos make it to the IFS, IAS, IRS and the higher echelons of the armed forces? It’s now high time you gave a thought to that, AND DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!
Now try to picture this. Bombay accounts for about 35% of the income tax collections of the country. This you probably know. What you probably do not know is that companies pay income tax in the city where their registered offices are situated. Now just imagine - and please try to do so seriously because we are not talking kaanda bhajiya but real big mega stuff – what would happen if the big 3 suddenly decided to shift their registered offices to Baroda, or Bangalore, or Delhi? Do you recall the downfall of Calcutta when Charu Mazumdar and his naxalite thugs ran amok there? And the ruins of Uganda when Big Boy Idi Amin threw out the Indians? In economic terms it’s called flight of capital. The Tatas called Mamta didi’s bluff and shifted the Nano project lock, stock and barrel to Gujarat. That left Bengal gasping for breath. Mukesh Ambani is already talking of shifting his registered office to Jamnagar . . . I leave the rest to your imagination.
And have you ever thought what would happen to Bombay if the film industry, what Bombay is really synonymous with, decided to move to Noida?
Sorry for being harsh on you, dear Mr SS, but I am just a Stupid Common Man letting off steam against your apathy, utter lack of vision and foresight, and utter lack of concern for us.
Now let’s see what you gentlemen CAN do. You are controlling the BMC for the moment. And I say for the moment because I see the Rahul G tsunami in the distant horizon fast approaching Matoshree. SO IT’S TIME YOU DID SOMETHING FOR BOMBAY! You have until 2012. Merely changing names of cities and roads and monuments, and creating an identity crisis for everybody, will not help. I’ve never heard you gentlemen talk of
• Urban planning
• eliminating corruption, especially in the BMC that you presently control,
• giving us good roads and footpaths,
• parks and gardens,
• upgraded municipal hospitals and schools,
• uninterrupted water and electricity.
All that I’ve heard is the tinkling of shattered glass panes of the IBN Lokmat office, cinema theatres and of bhaiyya-owned taxis.
And you gentlemen have woken up to the existence of Vidarbha only when they started demanding a separate state. It just boils down to plain neglect; so much for your oft-touted Marathi pride. This polemics has ensured your survival, but it has not taken you very far. In fact, when the obituary of the Shiv Sena is written what will be remembered will not be the flyovers you built, but:
• Bashing up south Indians
• Bashing up north Indians
• Digging up cricket pitches
• Damaging the only world cup trophy brought in by Kapil’s Devils
• Enron-Dabhol scandal
• Michael Jackson fund-raiser and the funds that disappeared
• Miandad-Supremo camaraderie
• Flight of capital and business (Hope you read ET. There must be a Marathi version)
But there is hope for you yet. Start talking economics and you may just survive the Rahul Gandhi tsunami. But above all, please read Rajdeep’s mail. If you survive you will have Rajdeep Sardesai to thank.
Yours angrily,
Stupid Common Man
Dear Mr Shiv Sainik,
I trust you have read Rajdeep Sardesai’s open letter to Mr Uddhav Thakeray doing the rounds on the internet. Frankly, for two reasons I won’t be surprised if you haven’t. One, it is in English. And two, it is extremely well-written and very thought–provoking. If you haven’t read it I suggest you ask your children to translate it for you. Like the offspring of most Shiv Sainiks I presume yours too are studying in the most elitist of convent schools.
But first, let me introduce myself.
I am just a Stupid Common Man. Have you seen the film ‘A Wednesday’? You must, even though it is in Hindi. Nasiruddin Shah’s soliloquy at the end of the film where he spits out his pent-up anger against the system and all politicians will make your hair stand on end. He calls himself just a Stupid Common Man. That’s what I am too, as are the faceless thousands and thousands of us in this city. And like the Stupid Common Man, we are a very angry lot today; angry at your silly and immature antics, and angry at the city being held to ransom by your aging leader and his coterie of Yes Men.
I have tried to understand what your core values are, but I am stumped! Let me spell out why.
Your agitation against Shah Rukh Khan, Rahul Gandhi, Mukesh Ambani and Sachin Tendulkar turned out to be as riveting as a deflating balloon. Nobody paid heed to your leader’s call, least of all we Bombay manoos who you have turned into a kind of experimental guinea pigs in the political laboratory. What kind of wishy-washy, spineless, sloppy fellows are you! Sorry, Mr Shiv Sainik, the nation did not want an apology from SRK – far from it. They just want good, edge-of-the-seat cricket. And the nation showed what they think of your fading leader by making SRK’s film the biggest grosser in Bollywood. What Rahul G gave you gentlemen was a resounding slap-in-the-face by doing what your leader has never done – Rahul mingled freely with the ordinary manoos in Bombay. Sachin endeared himself to the whole country by proclaiming that he was an Indian first. As for Mukesh Ambani, please await the next chapter.
Now let me tell you why we are an angry lot. Your creaky gramophone record about Marathi pride being hurt has ceased to convince us any more. During your current tenure at the BMC, 35 Marathi municipal schools were shut down. Is this your idea of pride? Rahul Bose (I don’t think you gentlemen have even heard of him) in a recent TV interview gave statistics to show that Bombay has already lost out to Delhi in virtually every department of administration. Forget Delhi, it is losing out to Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. Is this your idea of pride?
And your flip-flop about allowing the Australians to play in Bombay has many of us in splits. If you are against immigrants, surely you should be supporting racism in Australia! And if you are protesting racism in Oz, does it mean that you have had a change of heart about the North Indians? Is this pride, or total Alzeimeric confusion? Yes, we are angry at your threats to paralyse Bombay at the drop of a sparrow’s droppings. And, more important, we are angry at your wanton destruction of public property. Your loss at successive elections is enough proof of the adage “You can fool some of the people all the time, or all the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all of the time.”
Now let me tell you why some countries are great and the others are not. This will perhaps appeal to you, if you have progressed beyond high school. You have probably heard of a country called USA – it is the most powerful nation in the world today. It is so because of the way it allows the human potential to flower and flourish. Leaders – in politics and in business - in the US come from all parts of the world. If you ever were an avid newspaper reader (real newspapers, not the Saamna variety) you will recall that there was a man called Henry Kissinger. He was a German refugee from the Holocaust, and he became Secretary of State. That Mrs Indira Gandhi gave him a bloody nose during the ’71 war is another story. But let me give you an example that you would probably relate to better. You surely have seen Arnold Schwarzenegger’s films. He flexes his biceps and can put Salman K to shame – iconic and breath-taking stuff for your stone-throwing, public property-destroying foot-soldiers. He migrated from Austria about 40 years ago determined to make it big in the US. Arnold is presently Governor of California. And there are several Indians in Obama’s (he happens to be the President of the US) administration, including a few Marathi manoos (No, Please, Al Gore is NOT a Marathi manoos). And their contribution to American society and economy is just enormous.
The point I am making is simply this: you can throw out the ‘outsiders’ only at your economic peril. All along you have been talking only about job reservations. Have you ever given a thought to job creation? Have you ever wondered why very, very few Marathi manoos make it to the IFS, IAS, IRS and the higher echelons of the armed forces? It’s now high time you gave a thought to that, AND DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!!
Now try to picture this. Bombay accounts for about 35% of the income tax collections of the country. This you probably know. What you probably do not know is that companies pay income tax in the city where their registered offices are situated. Now just imagine - and please try to do so seriously because we are not talking kaanda bhajiya but real big mega stuff – what would happen if the big 3 suddenly decided to shift their registered offices to Baroda, or Bangalore, or Delhi? Do you recall the downfall of Calcutta when Charu Mazumdar and his naxalite thugs ran amok there? And the ruins of Uganda when Big Boy Idi Amin threw out the Indians? In economic terms it’s called flight of capital. The Tatas called Mamta didi’s bluff and shifted the Nano project lock, stock and barrel to Gujarat. That left Bengal gasping for breath. Mukesh Ambani is already talking of shifting his registered office to Jamnagar . . . I leave the rest to your imagination.
And have you ever thought what would happen to Bombay if the film industry, what Bombay is really synonymous with, decided to move to Noida?
Sorry for being harsh on you, dear Mr SS, but I am just a Stupid Common Man letting off steam against your apathy, utter lack of vision and foresight, and utter lack of concern for us.
Now let’s see what you gentlemen CAN do. You are controlling the BMC for the moment. And I say for the moment because I see the Rahul G tsunami in the distant horizon fast approaching Matoshree. SO IT’S TIME YOU DID SOMETHING FOR BOMBAY! You have until 2012. Merely changing names of cities and roads and monuments, and creating an identity crisis for everybody, will not help. I’ve never heard you gentlemen talk of
• Urban planning
• eliminating corruption, especially in the BMC that you presently control,
• giving us good roads and footpaths,
• parks and gardens,
• upgraded municipal hospitals and schools,
• uninterrupted water and electricity.
All that I’ve heard is the tinkling of shattered glass panes of the IBN Lokmat office, cinema theatres and of bhaiyya-owned taxis.
And you gentlemen have woken up to the existence of Vidarbha only when they started demanding a separate state. It just boils down to plain neglect; so much for your oft-touted Marathi pride. This polemics has ensured your survival, but it has not taken you very far. In fact, when the obituary of the Shiv Sena is written what will be remembered will not be the flyovers you built, but:
• Bashing up south Indians
• Bashing up north Indians
• Digging up cricket pitches
• Damaging the only world cup trophy brought in by Kapil’s Devils
• Enron-Dabhol scandal
• Michael Jackson fund-raiser and the funds that disappeared
• Miandad-Supremo camaraderie
• Flight of capital and business (Hope you read ET. There must be a Marathi version)
But there is hope for you yet. Start talking economics and you may just survive the Rahul Gandhi tsunami. But above all, please read Rajdeep’s mail. If you survive you will have Rajdeep Sardesai to thank.
Yours angrily,
Stupid Common Man
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)