I’m aware the elite cats were not caught in waist-deep water and didn't have to brace for any collapse brought on by the rains. Through glass homes and offices, one can actually enjoy the rains, sipping piping hot chai made by the bai. For stronger sustenance, a shot of single malt. But that's where the pleasure ends.
Those roads ridden with potholes, trees that once lined the skyline not lining the skies any more. Water still floods and brings our city to a grinding halt. Airports shut and then suddenly, reality hits hard. This too is a suffering of sorts, while on the ground, the rest of the janta struggles for survival.
The so-called Mumbai spirit, which seriously should be flushed down our drains, but wait, those are clogged with all the trash we shove down them. Humongous screens in drawing rooms hopefully give a magnified version of the trash spat back at our shores, but nothing changes. History is thereby compelled to repeat its lessons.
While our agencies and officials are like the grasshoppers in the 'The Ant and the Grasshopper' fable. Practically eight months of warm weather, in which we waste time, fail to carry out maintenance and repairs on a war-footing and then the rains catch us off-guard. All claims of 'preparedness' are like those video games just blasted with a button.
One big, prolonged bout of rainfall and all is washed away. When this happens year after year somewhere some remorse should not be felt by these politicians, but by those who keep away on day of voting. Else the pinnacle view is all one will be left with, provided no roofs have gone with the wind.
Zaira Wasim |
Weather is Ram bharose and so is the weather bureau. As if they were not enough, they have company. A firm that seriously believes it has met the sky. Predictions were tickle-worthy - they said rains would recede and see what happened. Their claims were submerged in the second highest rainfall in 40 years. Mathematics too gone with the water...glad I left it in school.
And this BMC needs to send its social media team tiptoeing a few blocks behind to the police commissioner's office and learn a lesson or two on 'how to silently get work done without tomtomming’. Especially, since their Twitter handles were defunct till now. But tough going after they kept patting their backs, which led to a few foot-in-the-mouth tweets. Well, we must give it to them, we got some chuckles in the midst of a distressing situation.
So much fight over which movie is No.1, or not, which is violent and regressive, that ‘Article15’ got buried. No promotion, released quietly but making its presence felt. Based on a couple of real-life incidents. It's about the Constitutional right which is about treating all citizens equally. Connected deeply to the issue above, as we behave like grasshoppers. We expect others to clean our litter while we continue to trash away. But it's our duty to treat them as equal citizens.
And leave that Zaira Wasim alone. This outrage is ridiculous. When minors become Jain monks, forget outrage, not even a brrr is heard. And here, she is a major. We need to be asking if she is safe. Her life should not be endangered. Rest are personal choices.
