I was part of a small conference held at the Goethe institute, Chennai, where the discussion was on human rights and different perspectives on the same from the attending group. I had written an article on the Mumbai fracas in an earlier post, and this is now featured in the institutes blog.
What’s happening in Mumbai is all over the news, a city known for being the cosmopolitan capital of the country, the melting pot of cultures is on the brink of getting that reputation smeared.
For those unaware, it started with the firebrand Raj Thackeray (nephew of Bal Thackeray) making statements against the influx of North Indians (particularly UP and Bihar) into the state and the gradual degradation of the city as a result. Interestingly, he also pulled down Amitabh Bachchan for his apparent loyalty to UP and the love lost on Mumbai. What followed later was an attack on North Indians by his partymen, leaving a trail of mindless mayhem.
What is saddening is the indifference of the authorities, and the usual blame game played by the rival politicians. The city is being held ransom by elements, who have been left alone far too many times, their actions never questioned, not even a reprimand.
First it was the underworld terrorising the citizens, and what was the consequence? respect, admiration and Bollywood movies patronizing their dare devilry. It is consider “cool” if you walk and talk like a “bhai“.
Then it was the turn for religious extremists to cast their net on a city and spread its propaganda. They didn’t even need to scream loud across public speakers, the city was silent after all.
So now its Raj’s turn, been there, done that and the city remains silent as the tigers roar over the stripes one must own to be a part of the city.
But this time the city is eerily conspicuous by its silence.
Tags: Mumbai, Raj Thackeray, Regionalism
Kerala, my native state, is a beautiful place, and certainly a top tourist destination in India (if not Asia). The phrase God’s own country, fits well with Kerala, but this post isn’t about that. This is about the “countries”, an Indian slang for uncouth elements in the society.
And what prompted me to write about these countries? A personal experience. A couple of those experiences actually. As is usually the case in India, such scum is usually associated with politics. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: Kerala
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