Bayside Banter

Bayside Banter

FPJ BureauUpdated: Friday, May 31, 2019, 10:54 PM IST
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Mumbai: Bollywood actor Ranbir Kapoor playing football at Khar, in Mumbai on Sunday. PTI Photo(PTI8_30_2015_000184B) |

A kaleidoscope of men, matters & moments that make the madness & magic of Mumbai

Breaking the news!

As the police are waddling through an intriguing web of gloomy details, the sensational Sheena Bora murder case has become the mother of all crime mysteries that the nation has witnessed till date. With one detail more shocking than the previous one, and then the next even more uncanny; there won’t any surprise if the TRPs of news channels during the prime time surpass that of popular TV channels that air the staple saas bahu sagas.

This is because no script writer has ever been able to introduce more uncanny twists and turns into the story that can keep the audience glued like the details emerging from the investigation of Sheena’s murder case. It’s simply beyond imagination.

However, to get the so-called ‘breaking’ news first, the television media seems to have lost the plot completely. Every insignificant detail about Sheena Bora – the way she looked, how sweet a person she was – is breaking news. Indrani Mukherjea, Sheena’s mother and the prime accused in the case, is even bigger a ‘breaking news’. The clothes that she was wearing when she was brought to police station, the number of men in her life ever since the time she attained puberty, her sex life, etc has become a topic of discussion on the national television.

And when, there’s no breaking news, there are some channels that actually break and smash a piece of information received from the reporter on the field and broadcast as breaking news just for the sake of some TRPs. This news which one can’t digest no matter how good is his appetite for nonsensical reporting is “Indrani ne police station mein sandwich khaya”. Though the TRPs may have gone beyond the roof, the quality of journalism in the age of breaking news has really stooped to the lowest. And Sheena murder case is the prime example of this.

Road of hawkers or pedestrians?

This reporter was travelling from Dadar railway station to CST one morning. She took the main foot over bridge connecting Dadar west and east sides. It had stopped raining just a few minutes ago and water had accumulated all over the bridge.

This bridge is also illegally occupied by many hawkers. As they were making space for themselves amid the accumulated water, a woman was instructing a younger boy to clear the water from the area she wanted to set up her shop in. This happened to be right next to the entrance onto a platform.

The boy took a broom and swept the water away from the area occupied by the shop but into a hollow right at the entrance, where cement had ebbed away due to the heavy footfall daily. This would have caused tremendous inconvenience to commuters. However, the adjoining area turned dry for the shop.

This reporter was reminded of the perpetual debate going on in the BMC much publicised in the media: whether to uphold rights of livelihood of ‘illegal’ hawkers or right to clean roads for pedestrians.

Heart to heart

The best part about being a reporter is that you get to meet and connect with people coming from all nooks and corners. When a reporter steps out for a story hunt, it is not just about finding a good story but the ability to understand the problem and issues faced by people.

This reporter had gone to the best cancer hospital in the city wherein she had gone into the oncology department to meet the cancer patients and their relatives.  During her visit, she came across one such patient who was suffering from oral cancer.

Following this, the reporter started conversing with the patient asking him about how he landed up with cancer, what difficulties he had to face and how has been his journey in the hospital so far.

In not less than a few minutes, the reporter was exposed to his world which was filled with pain, misery, regret and new lessons. At the end of the conversation, the cancer patient said to the reporter, “Madam, I want you to give out a message on my behalf to all those who smoke and chew tobacco that there is nothing that you can get out of smoking but only unhappiness throughout your life.”

The awkward moment

Earlier last week, this reporter had gone for entrepreneurship programme in a famous business management school in Navi Mumbai. Newly appointed Police Commissioner of Navi Mumbai was special guest at the programme.

The programme was a panel discussion on the issue of “Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Opportunities” so huge crowd of youths had gathered. Auditorium was fully packed and several students were seen standing behind.

As a tradition, the programme was supposed to start with lightening a lamp. All high profile dignitaries including police commissioner and successful entrepreneurs were standing in a line to light the lamp.

A girl-volunteer was trying hard to light the stick on the match box. Another stand by volunteer, a business management student, stepped forward and tried his hand on the match sticks; however, his attempts were in vain.

All the dignitaries were standing and looking at each other. Director of the school was looking at the professor who was looking at students. All were restless. One student ran to the canteen for match box but came empty handed since canteen had gas-lighter only.

Every moment was passing as if long hour. Guests were looking at each other and poor volunteer was stroking hard the stick on fire box and the stick used to break into pieces.

Few lords of last benches, stood up with lighter in their hands. They were afraid how to get the lighter in front of police commissioner. Passing a lighter is like self certification of smoker. So they sat down.

Finally, a photographer who was waiting to take the photograph of Police Commissioner lighting the lamp, stepped forward. Match box had moisture. He rubbed it on his pant and lighted it in one stroke.

Tail Piece Guys… if any one of you have been an ex-husband of Indrani kindly inform the group now !!!

No shocks later please…

Contributed by Qasim Mehdi, Eeshanpriya M S, Manasi Tahalani and Vishnudas Sheshrao Compiled by Pandurang Mhaske

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Little Mercies

Mumbai is all about expecting the unexpected. Its erratic rains, sudden acts of kindness from random strangers and friends you make at the most unexpected places are poof of Mumbai’s eccentricity. This correspondent recently experienced all three of these situations in one go.

It was one of those days when it started raining out of nowhere on a bright sunny day. This diarist was on her way to an important press conference and was dressed for the occasion. While waiting for a taxi, the rain Gods decided to come down in all fury. This correspondent’s immediate reflex was to reach into her bag for an umbrella only to realise it was not in there anymore.

While all this was happening a little girl who sat in a shop nearby was noticing this correspondent. She realised the helpless position this diarist was in. A minute later she ran up and handed this diarist her umbrella and said, “Le lo didi aaj aapne accha kapda pehna hai, kharab ho jayenge” (Keep my umbrella, you are wearing nice clothes today, they will get spoiled due of the rain).

This correspondent had never spoken to that little girl in the past but had passingly noticed her in her little makeshift tea stall. Turns out the little girl used to notice this correspondent too. She became so familiar with this diarist that she didn’t think twice before giving away her umbrella to a person who technically was a complete stranger.

From that day on this diarist always makes it a point to have a cup of tea at this little girl’s shop before setting out for work.

Adele Macdonald.

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