What a day it was yesterday…
For the first time since 1987, my house was welcoming Goddess Gauri with the help of mobile torches. Nearby stores where I managed to reach for basic necessities in waist height water were sold out on candles…Mumbai was lashed with rains rumours, and how!
I particularly live in one of the plush areas of the city, but to experience electricity failure for such a long (6 hours to be precise), was my first experience too..My kids who are born in the YOYO generation didn’t believe in hand-fans or newspaper fanning.They demanded to be shifted to a nearby 5 star hotel or were even ready to sleep in the car with the air-condition on…I think I need to make my kids more grounded & “indian” from now on…Will make sure to prepare at least my kids to face the harsh realities of life every now & then looking the direction we are headed to..
Admits all the chaos & mood swings of family members,one look on the face of Maa Gauri we all forgot the hardships & the pain we faced to welcome them….My mother and wife did the unimaginable from fulfilling the smallest requirement to getting up today at 4am today to make the food (It’s a tradition) .
I was frivolous to know my fellow journalists condition in the trains, especially the women. The self claiming people’s party Shivsena or even the BJP, Congress or for the matter of fact any politician or party-men, no one except a few enthusiasts were to be seen on the roads for helping people. The ones who were of help were not Hindus, Marathas, Muslims or Christians…They were true Mumbaikars, like you & me…
One of my friend who was fetching her two toddlers along with her driver from a nearby school couldn’t even cross a stretch of 5 kms. The traffic constables (hats off to them) had closed the roads due to clogging & she decided to go to a nearby hotel to stay the night…The arrogant receptionist refused to budge to give the room as my friend did not carry her ID…Thought of running to the hotel and just slapping him left right & centre. But good sense prevailed & my friend managed to find a tiny ID in her purse and was checked-in. Have promised her to take the matter to the management…
The Western & Eastern Express highways were as usual, a nightmare…To cross a distance of 2 kms my friends were stuck for an unimaginable 5 hours in their cars. But those who were at home were making merry by spending time with their beloved, but yet expressing their anger on Social Media..
For me the worst was people arriving at the airports. For the ones whose flights were cancelled, they had already checked-in at all the nearby hotels…But the ones who arrived late in the night were stranded at the airports..There were no taxis or rickshaws and the private operators refused to switch on their numbers…I last reported CM about passengers sitting on conveyor belts as even the lounges & sofas of the plush airport were occupied for which he replied “trying something”…
But 3 cheers to every Mumbaikar/Temple/Organisation who opened his heart & doors to everyone..Even to put up a message on social media about his/her location and asking nearby people to contact them, meant a lot..Some of them even welcomed the pets…Meanwhile if no one knows, CM Fadnavis personally took control of the situation till early morning today from the DG when rest of his MLA’s & corporator’s slept…
Now from today every channel & paper will be absuing & bashing the administration & politicians & the ones who are responsible for a day like this yesterday …with that we should not forget that nature also played its evil role yesterday …In a house of 1000 sq. only 3 to 5 people can use the facilities & amenities, if I insert 50 people in that space, there will be only MADNESS…Such is our Mumbai…The town planners & the administration …wake up!!
One true Mumbaikar,
Vikrant Joshi
