Slum shame and rains: In Mumbai, sab chalta hai
I’m a middle class, politically nonaligned Indian citizen who believes in freedom of expression. I am also a proud Mumbaikar. But over the years, the reasons for which I took pride in being a Mumbaikar have (sadly) changed. For example, the simplest of everyday events — Mumbai’s get-it-done culture, taxis not refusing passengers, a socially inclusive society: these used to add lustre to the pride of Mumbai being called India’s commercial capital.
Today, the fact is that while the commerce still happens — it happens not because of the city, but despite it. It’s a challenge to attract new talent — believe me, I work in the corporate sector, in a recruiter capacity. Civic and physical infrastructure is between nonexistent and pre-modern. What’s left is crumbling. I’ve seen talent and business opportunities simply walk away.
There was a time when the spirit of Mumbai was about the Ganapati festival or Gokulashtami or Christmas or Id. It was about celebrating the essential oneness of an inclusive society. Today, we have come to a stage (almost literally) where these are events of pomp and, if I may put it, pomp-ass. There is even a return-gift culture that has seeped into what should be a happy community celebration.
And the noise is surely not mandated by simply bhakti. In the name of heaven, we have created a hell on earth. The noise pollution and incessant din is a severe risk to senior citizens, young children, patients and those who just want the quiet as they turn in for the night. There was a time when the police enforced such regulations. Now it dare not.
This city has a “chalta hai” attitude, which in contemporary times translates to: “I don’t know my neighbour, but hey, let’s chat with him or her on WhatsApp.” Sadly, this attitude also reflects in the city’s treatment of infrastructure and the living environment. Mumbai has one of the highest levels of ambient noise in the country and among major cities in the world. Policymakers have not even factored this into their city planning, such as it is. I have mentioned noise pollution to city leaders and politicians several times. They have either laughed, or looked at me as if I were some sort of freak.
No wonder not many people understand noise pollution is a silent killer and a major cause of stress. Is this what we are leaving behind for generations to come It is not just in Mumbai that those in power have turned “deaf ears” to noise pollution. This is an all-India urban problem.
As a country, we have the technology, resources and enthusiasm to send rockets — and soon people — into space and to explore the moon and Mars. And yet a pothole-free, smooth-surface road in Mumbai seems an impossible ask. It’s almost a routine to see “breaking news” every year in May about our municipal authorities giving “notice” to contractors to “speed up” projects before the monsoon. Is this comical or cynical The media is duly “alerted” that someone is doing his (paid) job of inspecting civic preparedness before an expected season of rainfall. If this were the response in the corporate sector, heads would have rolled!
“Desilted and clean nullahs”: this is a magic phrase. And almost a utopian and strangely alien concept to Mumbaikars. Every monsoon we learn of new infections that have now become possible thanks to the filth we live in. Of course, open gutters and stolen drain lids add to the non-safety quotient of our wondrous city, but that’s another story. Thanks to construction debris all across this city and thanks to illegally parked cars — people have millions to buy their “dream” apartment, but will gladly park outside their building and block traffic, with the authorities playing along — the walking space will soon disappear. Not be further curtailed; it will actually disappear. Empirical surveys in Mumbai say so.
Of course, I dare not even dream of having in every neighbourhood green open spaces, walking tracks, a children’s play area. Spare and community land has been happily parcelled out in the name of “development” and handed over to the construction industry.
Now come to policing, the lifeblood of order in a city. In terms of policing, we expect our police force to be highly motivated in spite of low payscales, and an inadequate (sometimes inhuman) work-life balance. Enough forests have been destroyed in printing statistics about how inadequately staffed our policing forces are. How do we expect a constable to stand up to a local goon who masquerades as a “social worker” and has tacit support of the local municipal boss or MLA, or both Not surprisingly, we have lots of laws but such low law enforcement!
Elsewhere projects are finished. In Mumbai, every finish is a start, part of some cosmic circle. The civic authorities and contractors leave their signature card at every project site — mounds of sand and filth after digging open a just-constructed road; the sharp edges of an electric junction box; a broken fire hydrant; dustbins cleared but the filth half dropped as a trail. Of course, I am yet to comprehend why the paver-block roads are repaired every year and new paver blocks laid. There’s probably an upgrade incentive for the supervising civic official, with a stress on the word “incentive”.
I am waiting to see a day (hopefully in my lifetime) when our ministers and bureaucrats don’t bicker about Malabar Hill bungalows or Cuffe Parade apartments and actually live all around Mumbai — including its heart line, the suburbs. And I wish they travel to work, to Mantralaya, like we mere mortals travel daily to our work. After all their day job depends on their understanding the expectations that we the stakeholders — have. At least, it should depend on that.
The irony is every single corporate head honcho who creates jobs in this city has not raised his or her voice to sort the mess that Mumbai has degenerated into. Probably because they have wonderful holiday/second/weekend homes in global cities like New York, London, Singapore or Dubai...
Anywhere but Slumbai. Or as I say, with no pride at all, Shamebai.
The author is a senior corporate executive and lifelong Mumbaikar