We are glowing with pride. Indeed, we are overwhelmed. We have just been informed that by next year the population of Bombay City would be a staggering five million. Any ownership – flat – racketeer would be elated at this information. But even ordinary sardines can be, for after all the only consolation a sardine can have is that there are other sardines in the same mess.
The fact that Bombay will now be among the world’s half-a-dozen largest cities is something that ought to fill even the slum dwellers of Dharavi with pride. In some respects, Bombay will be the greatest city in the world. For which other city manages a population of five million with only three main roads? Which other city has roads permanently dug up for the sake of people’s conveniences? Which other city has a Corporation that mourns the death of Pasternak while their roads send citizens into the gutter?
We are also informed that out of the increase only five lakhs would be accounted for by natural causes while 1.7 million would be due to migration. We are sure that out of this 1.7 million, 1.6 million have migrated to Bombay as casual labourers to work on the city’s roads. And why not, when the job is permanent and accommodation is free on the footpaths? We maintain that all the increase in population is due to natural causes.
After all, the full weight of this increase is felt by the tax-paying city dweller only because the city has not grown with the population. And the fact that the city has not grown is the most natural thing that can happen in Bombay. Ask Imre Nagy.
(EDIT, June 22, 1960.)
