How does one identify what exactly is Spirit of Mumbai?
You ask that question and ten heads will turn around and say the fact that Mumbaikars turn to work the very next day of a natural calamity/ terrorist attacks shows the real spirit of Mumbai. A true Mumbaikar according to them is truly buoyant.
News Channels and print media too make most of it by talking about how these things doesn’t hamper the spirit of Mumbaikars and how life returns to normalcy even after something like a 26/11 attacks.
One thing that I fail to understand is “do we really have a choice to stay back at home after such calamities”. I am sure that 9 out 10 would say “NO”. Like us, many of them are more worried of the fact that they will get penalized for not showing up at work – especially if other colleagues turn up. It’s natural for people to move on with their life because if they don’t do so, they would not be able to survive in the city.
Ya I know this is more valid to corporate stooges and that still there are ways in which you can take a day off…But what about people who work on daily wages? Do they really have a choice? If you look at the facts I am sure we will find people who are comfortably tucked into a safety blankets are people who will talk about SPIRIT of MUMBAI.
People say calamities like this shows how people go out of their way to help others. I agree to their views, but deep down inside I am also aware of the sheer helplessness of ordinary Mumbaikars in the face of terror attacks. And that is why we help others hoping that in case we ever becomes a victim of such tragedy there will be someone to help us.
And why aren’t we penalizing the media? they are people who provide free PR for the terrorist…Check the front page of DNA new papers the very next day of the recent attacks and I am sure you would have also been as perplexed as I was- they had an image of a person who was lying down in a pool of blood..during the recent bomb blasts.
Their justification was they wanted us to face the reality…By humble request to them “please do not make us face such hard realities of Life … we are happy without own small world…” … Day in day out Mumbaikars see enough things which shows us the real Mumbai.
Please next time when you talk about spirit of Mumbai think of the people who have lost their life….
Like everybody says
“Terrorist attacks” -> “Media hype” -> “The blame game”-> “The candle light march”-> “And life moves on”
5 comments:
You are right.. I just feel that "Spirit of Mumbai" is just a overstatement and that people have "no choice"...
Nice blog..
true....there is just a hype of spirit of mumbaikars...they r actually helpless when it comes to these calamaties
Well written. Plus I think when incidents like these happen, instead of interviewing normal street side pedestrian for masala news, the media should interview a person who has lost their family member. Then they (media) & politicians & all others watching news will know what it really takes to say "spirit of mumbai" Honestly no one else, but just these families are effected the most. Rest are just here to sympathize.
Well written but feels very irritated, knowing so much and after huge damages, we are still helpless infront of spineless terrorists. Read abt the families of Dead people today in TOI. A mother spoke, she had lost her 23 yr old Son. She said, We can do Mighty Little about this. I am wondering since then, are we so helpless, Ki saala ek aadmi button dabake hamari zindagi ka the end karke chala jata hai. As said by Naseerudin Shan in "A Wednesday", We are resilient by force and not by choice.
Good Mumbai!
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