Mumbai 13/7

The recent bombings in Mumbai seem to be a replay of the last one. No wonder the news channels are going to town with the repeat telecast of the same questions and talk shows. If you are not interested, just switch channels and you will be faced with far more important stories of break ups and make outs in the glamour world. And when the fashion parade ends, the stars parade a well rehearsed concern on their painted faces and condemn the bombings with practiced ease. They are followed by the vacuous politicians who come, abuse the opposition parties and announce some compensation, which will never reach who it is meant for.
In a few days the hackneyed topic of Mumbai’s resilience rears its head again. Make no mistake, I too salute their spirit. But it also seems to be a cover up for all the failures the city endures. From crumbling infrastructure to rampant corruption. From glaring security failures to the abject apathy of the rich and famous toward the city they make their billions from. The common people have no choice, but to keep going, running rather, to not let their livelihoods elude them. So what if people die; so what if fast depleting number of taxis keeps them stranded and away from home for some more time. They have no choice. They must grin and bear it. To my sensibility, loss of lives is a cause enough to stop and clamour for accountability, but not Mumbai. The show must go on. The arch lights must be on. After all, till the make-up is on, the mullah will keep flooding in.