Bombay- Another Gujarat in the Making

As is common knowledge, Bombay’s Shivaji Park was recently sullied by Narendra Modi’s presence. Unfortunately, Bombay didn’t think so. The turnout of people, hanging onto every word of his speech was phenomenal. The Park was packed, with people standing on tiptoe for a glimpse of the despotic mastermind behind the Gujarat genocide. As depressing as the outcome of the Gujarat elections was, the Shivaji park incident was worse in a way. It was an ugly reminder of how the cosmopolitan city of Bombay is no better than a village in the Panchmahals. A not-so-subtle hint to the Muslims of the city, state and country.
Cut to my ongoing house hunt. A couple of days ago, I had seen a rather nice place in the same building that I’m staying in right now, which I was interested in renting. I spoke to the landlady who was reasonably pleasant, showed me the apartment, offered me some furniture and even offered to have a carpenter come in and fix some stuff before I moved in. And then, today, when I was about to go and pay them a deposit, her son retracted the offer. My confusion was natural and I immediately asked my friend to get in touch with the broker to see what had suddenly gone wrong. No prizes for guessing the reason. It was the realization that I belong to the hated community, of course.And this from cultured, educated people who share their building with Muslims. From people who will put on their Versace and Jimmy Choos for parties, sip Dom Perignon delicately while discussing politics and the “Plight of a Minority Community in India.” A quick detour into the past followed, when I remembered my grandfather telling me how, many years ago, when he and my grandmother wanted to rent a house in Ahmedabad, they were subjected to exactly the same treatment, except then the discrimination was more blatant, and not as subtle.My brains were scrambled, and there were hundreds of thoughts and feelings darting about. One of them was particularly depressing, made more so by the truth of it. Whatever we, as individuals do, to uphold fairness and justice, we cannot enforce it. No matter how many rules we make, or how many provisions we provide, its not enough. And no matter what impact we try to create in our “own little ways,” the larger picture remains unchanged. We can straighten lines in the picture, perhaps add a drop of colour to a bleak portion, but when looked at in totality, the picture remains the same. No matter how many books are written, films made, constitutions changed….the ugliness is inherent and here to stay.

…….And Idealism gives way to Cynicism…..

I suppose the best we can do is to rescue ourselves; and not allow ourselves to sink into the mire- because God knows; this country is neck deep in it!