Over the past few days we have seen everyone (including myself in my blog "letter to terrorist"below)
appluading the "reselience" of mumbai. I found this peculiar blog entry which raises a contarary point without any sarcasm or hatred. His point makes me confused and raises many questions. Does the writer has a point... or does he??!!.....
Your Comments invited to sort this..............
"I heard it on television, yesterday, while I was at work. It had happened again. Someone had once again seen fit to disrupt life as we know it, using force.
Running to the TV set, I simultaneously began dialling family and friends. The networks were jammed. I stayed at work until around 1.00 am before having someone come and pick me up as the taxis were all occupied. As I made my way home, I saw more ambulances than I had seen in my life. There were people in pain, angry, desperate, and searching for signs of hope from unlikely sources.
Running to the TV set, I simultaneously began dialling family and friends. The networks were jammed. I stayed at work until around 1.00 am before having someone come and pick me up as the taxis were all occupied. As I made my way home, I saw more ambulances than I had seen in my life. There were people in pain, angry, desperate, and searching for signs of hope from unlikely sources.
I saw the police struggle to curtail angry mobs stoning taxi drivers who refused to take them where they wanted to go. I admit, I silently applauded the attackers, as I believe public servants should serve the public, not hold them to ransom. I stayed clear of the station roads, where the blasts occurred. The media had descended in full force, hungry for sound bites, pictures and video footage.
The next day, it was the same journalists who applauded the fact that Mumbai was back at work. They called it our resilience and celebrated our 'spirit of courage'. But, as I made my way to work, I saw the remains of yesterday in the form of the expressions on faces, the worry, the police and overflowing hospitals with weeping relatives outside.
The next day, it was the same journalists who applauded the fact that Mumbai was back at work. They called it our resilience and celebrated our 'spirit of courage'. But, as I made my way to work, I saw the remains of yesterday in the form of the expressions on faces, the worry, the police and overflowing hospitals with weeping relatives outside.
I had to wonder.
Are we glorifying 'resilience' or 'stony heartedness'?
Have we, the white-collared, become robots that do not deviate from our routines to take time to feel other people's pain, offer help where necessary?
Does the loss of life in this country mean so little?
Why is the government silent?
Will they make their standard offer of a sweaty wad of blood money to bereaved families?
When will we learn that violence breeds violence?
And then, it hit me. The answer to all my questions was undeniably, simply, that we do not care to 'know' the depth and breath of this calamity. We worry less about the collective and more and more about ourselves and our possessions. The biggest tragedy is we are glorified for not feeling.
And they call us resilient..."
And then, it hit me. The answer to all my questions was undeniably, simply, that we do not care to 'know' the depth and breath of this calamity. We worry less about the collective and more and more about ourselves and our possessions. The biggest tragedy is we are glorified for not feeling.
And they call us resilient..."
Does the author have the correct answer? Would we "mubaikars" have bounced back so soon had someone close to us perished in the incident? Woudl we still have resumed work had the blast knocked off a Dharavi -the worlds largest slum or taken down your own building? Is this resilience actually "indifference"?
Thought provoking indeed and I dont know the right answer.....
3 comments:
I completely agree with the writer- we are just plain indifferent- thats true of all Mumbaikars.
As long as it does not affect us personally we continue with our own agenda - whether it is going to work - or out to restaurant - partying etc
We are a bit of both, I'd say..
We are not selfless - not one bit - we will most definitely save ourselves and our loved ones first (loved ones = close family only ; let's not kid ourselves by saying 'family & friends'). Until we know that 'we' are save, the city and everyone else in it can pretty much burn for all we care.
Having said that, it is also true that once we know that our folks and our assets are safe, we would do most things to help around as well. You cannot look away from the amazing pictures that flash all over the place, with all sorts of people coming out to help the others - some stories that came out of 26th July were extremely heartening. Let's give credit where it's due. We are better than most other places in the world when it comes to rallying around each other and bouncing back from natural & unnatural disasters.
Bottomline is,
Once our interest is safeguarded, we'd go out and help others. But quite clearly.. very very clearly, our self interest comes first
I'd say Bombay is still the best, but not by very much. The resilience is very much there, but its extremely exaggerated thanks to the media.
To classify the entire city as "resilient" or "stone-hearted" or "plain indifferent" is not , quite frankly possible for me..coz i know instances of ppl (both - by 1st hand knowledge as well as thru the media (discounting the excessive hype) who have gone all out to help the victims.. on the other hand, i also know ppl who talked the next day as if nothin happened!!and went abt their usual lives..and some horrid souls who actually made hay stealing money, cellphones from hapless victims (source: media). Where does all this motley leave us? the ans. is that there is no one answer.. we all know the state of affairs around us - political, bureaucratic, police and terrorism - which brings me to a qeustion i've been often asking myself..yet to get an answer from within..what is it that can be done after the loud news coverage fades away..? wait til another bang? hope someday i get the ans. to this one..
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