Aamchi Mumbai...
Sachin Tendulkar, Mukesh Ambani, Shahrukh Khan and for that matter many people in Mumbai - Everyone has something in common. Everyone faced the heat and some still facing the heat because they believed in something. What did they believe? It does not matter or may be it matters but everyone in India has a right to give their opinion on what they believe. But the rules are different in Bombay... Ooops Mumbai.
I am neither a celebrity nor a politician. I don't even have much idea about the history of Maharashtra or Mumbai. I am just another common man from India. But, what I know and what I believe is that India is a sovereign country and everyone in this country has every right to live, to earn their bread and butter, to travel and to settle in any part of the country provided they accept, follow and respect the laws, rules and regulations of the Constitution of India. So, What's the story behind this Mumbai and it's self proclaimed guards called 'The Sena'? What do Sena or Thackeray need? The problem lies not only in "What" they need but also "Why" they need it. And the 'Why' is always more important in the process than the 'what'. But unfortunately everyone focuses on 'what' than the 'why'. Most of them don't like what they need and they start talking about how ignorant are these orthodox fanatics in this globalized world which in turn make things complicated and at the end of the day no one remembers the 'why' behind this foolishness.
The first and foremost rule in politics is that there are no free lunches. Everything happens for a reason and every reason has a strong motive supporting it. It does not matter whether the motive is good or bad. In fact there is nothing like good or bad because in the end it's just a battle for survival. So Shiv Sena, Congress, BJP or for that matter every political party needs something to hang on to for their survival. It does not matter whether that 'something' is good for society or not as long as it hits a chord with the sentiment of the people. And that sentiment can be anything - Caste, Religion, Region, Language and in some cases the absolute need for improvement. It can be anything - anything that helps a political party in creating a unique identity and eventually which helps them in getting to power. It does not mean that the political parties never do any good to the society. They have to do some good at least to some sections of the society. Otherwise they cannot survive. Remember, there are no free lunches.
In case of Shiv Sena the 'something' is Marathi or Maharashtra. The issue gets highlighted when that 'something' involves the nation's financial hub. The Sena argues that Mumbai belongs to Maharashtra. Fair enough. The city is located in the state of Maharashtra and as said earlier everyone has a right to give their opinion. No one can deny the right of Maharashtra over Mumbai. But the problem arises when they say that Mumbai belongs ONLY to Maharashtra. And the problem becomes an issue when they threaten to bring down anyone who try to oppose them in public as is the case with Sachin, Ambanis, SRK etc. While Sena has a right to say it's opinion, it does not have any right to enforce its opinion on everyone.
Mumbai is screwed because of many reasons and one of them is the lack of infrastructure to support the exponential growth of the city. The residents of Mumbai may be suffering because of the insurge of huge population into the city. In stead of fighting against the 'problem', political parties like 'The Sena' are trying to take advantage of the 'Sentiment' or 'Suffering' of the poeple. Every problem has a solution and blaming others just for the sake of political power is definitely not a part of it. Instead of focusing on the issues at hand, it is utter foolishness to blame it on the people who come to Mumbai in search of bread and butter. And the genuine problem is being side tracked with some foolish acts like raising slogans proclaiming that Mumbai does not belong to India and opposing anyone who does not agree.
I am neither a celebrity nor a politician. I don't even have much idea about the history of Maharashtra or Mumbai. I am just another common man from India. But, what I know and what I believe is that India is a sovereign country and everyone in this country has every right to live, to earn their bread and butter, to travel and to settle in any part of the country provided they accept, follow and respect the laws, rules and regulations of the Constitution of India. So, What's the story behind this Mumbai and it's self proclaimed guards called 'The Sena'? What do Sena or Thackeray need? The problem lies not only in "What" they need but also "Why" they need it. And the 'Why' is always more important in the process than the 'what'. But unfortunately everyone focuses on 'what' than the 'why'. Most of them don't like what they need and they start talking about how ignorant are these orthodox fanatics in this globalized world which in turn make things complicated and at the end of the day no one remembers the 'why' behind this foolishness.
The first and foremost rule in politics is that there are no free lunches. Everything happens for a reason and every reason has a strong motive supporting it. It does not matter whether the motive is good or bad. In fact there is nothing like good or bad because in the end it's just a battle for survival. So Shiv Sena, Congress, BJP or for that matter every political party needs something to hang on to for their survival. It does not matter whether that 'something' is good for society or not as long as it hits a chord with the sentiment of the people. And that sentiment can be anything - Caste, Religion, Region, Language and in some cases the absolute need for improvement. It can be anything - anything that helps a political party in creating a unique identity and eventually which helps them in getting to power. It does not mean that the political parties never do any good to the society. They have to do some good at least to some sections of the society. Otherwise they cannot survive. Remember, there are no free lunches.
In case of Shiv Sena the 'something' is Marathi or Maharashtra. The issue gets highlighted when that 'something' involves the nation's financial hub. The Sena argues that Mumbai belongs to Maharashtra. Fair enough. The city is located in the state of Maharashtra and as said earlier everyone has a right to give their opinion. No one can deny the right of Maharashtra over Mumbai. But the problem arises when they say that Mumbai belongs ONLY to Maharashtra. And the problem becomes an issue when they threaten to bring down anyone who try to oppose them in public as is the case with Sachin, Ambanis, SRK etc. While Sena has a right to say it's opinion, it does not have any right to enforce its opinion on everyone.
Mumbai is screwed because of many reasons and one of them is the lack of infrastructure to support the exponential growth of the city. The residents of Mumbai may be suffering because of the insurge of huge population into the city. In stead of fighting against the 'problem', political parties like 'The Sena' are trying to take advantage of the 'Sentiment' or 'Suffering' of the poeple. Every problem has a solution and blaming others just for the sake of political power is definitely not a part of it. Instead of focusing on the issues at hand, it is utter foolishness to blame it on the people who come to Mumbai in search of bread and butter. And the genuine problem is being side tracked with some foolish acts like raising slogans proclaiming that Mumbai does not belong to India and opposing anyone who does not agree.
If you think that the jobs are being taken away from the local people, try to realize that the jobs in the first place were created by many who came in search of livelihood to Mumbai. If you think the history or culture of Marathi or Maharashtra is being diluted by the outsiders, try to understand that it's because of so many people that the history of Maharashtra is known to many across the world. If you think that the infrastructure of the city cannot support exponential growth of the population, try to realize that given the income Mumbai generates the infrastructure CAN be developed to meet the needs of the people if government works on it honestly.
We are all united into one country because we all opted to come together to fight for a cause. We share a history together. We share the spirit of Unity in diversity and what's a better example than Mumbai to show that spirit to the world. Let's not ruin it. It's Aamchi Mumbai and it is for all the people living in our country. And I sincerly thank and admire everyone who holds up this true spirit.
Below is an excellent article in Indian Express which I want to share with you all. Thanks Samta for sharing this.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/fauji-vs-sena/575191/0
-Venks
posted by Venky @ 3:42 PM
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