Column

Isn’t it wonderful how many “Mumbai/Bombay” and Taj experts have sprung up since the attacks of November 26? The cyber world is full of hyperventilation masquerading as opinion, mainly about what happened and how the television could have carried it better or different or according the writer’s personal point of view.

Every person who saw the Taj in a picture once or visited for one night or went there for dinner with a friend once — even as long ago as 1962 - now feels bad for the Taj and also for all the people who died at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus — whom the TV people NEVER EVER EVER EVER TALKED ABOUT. They did not feel so bad about the people who died in the Taj — not all of whom were rich fat cats — or at the Oberoi. They felt very bad for the people who died at Nariman House.

I’m going to stick my neck out and say that this is a very “outsider who saw it on TV” response. Few of the Bombay/Mumbai people I spoke to reacted in the same way. Locals largely saw it as an assault on their home and on the country and still do. The outrage remains, over two weeks later. And so it should, as long as it becomes constructive and is reflected in our voting inclinations.

Meanwhile, has aamchi Mumbai come back to life? I’m not getting into that “resilience” thing and we all know why we have to get back into the rhythm of life as fast as we can. But I reckon we are still a subdued city. The exuberance has been toned down a bit, and we all say to each other as we pass a glitzy or not-so-glitzy marriage, “oh, they probably couldn’t afford to cancel the booking they had made”. We don’t say, “ooh how evil” or “wow, what Mumbai spirit”.
What price a Mumbai spirit, eh?

Pick of the week
I know they’ve faced a lot of flak and I hate breathless TV anchors as much as the rest of you, but let’s also salute — as we have done other instances of bravery — all those young reporters, TV and print, who worked round the clock for those awful 60 hours, without fear for their lives, without food or drink or water or rest. I don’t know about you but I wanted to know what was happening for all of those 60 hours and they told me. They don’t want glory; they were just doing their job.