Well, I guess by now everybody must’ve read and heard tons about the trouble brewing in Mumbai, thanks to Raj Thackeray. Mumbai, the city that has always been touted as being truly cosmopolitan, what with hordes of people from various parts of the country migrating to this city, now seems to be on the verge of losing this glory.
The city has for ages been the one-stop destination for all those seeking their fortunes away from home and was touted to be India’s very own Manhattan. People of all religions, ethinicity, creed etc have for years now made the city their home and carved a niche for themselves. No matter how much one hates the city for its pollution, its fast paced lifestyle, its claustrophobic atmosphere, yet the city has almost always managed to charm people and they eventually fall in love with the city that is often their surrogate home. All festivals are celebrated with great gusto by everybody regardless of their origin.
Considering all this, it seems quite foolish that Raj Thackeray should try and nullify this by making such statements. His demand that only Maharashtrian festivals be celebrated in the city is very mildly put ridiculous. Might we remind Mr Thackeray that India happens to be a secular nation and every individual is free to practice any religion and is free to choose his way of leading life.
Having lived in the city for 3 years, I can vouch for the fact that one can NEVER feel like an alien there despite not belonging to Mumbai. The city has a unique way of welcoming you with open arms. Given a choice I would gladly choose to return to the city. However, such incidents are very disappointing. Every city in the country is a melting pot of customs and traditions in itself, yet none is as unique as Mumbai. And to think that this very uniqueness is now being put at stake for the sake of a few votes by our politicians just goes to show how petty power-hungry people can get.
Maybe it would do Mr Thackeray some good to take lessons in good governance. He obviously needs reminding of the fact that attempts at inciting people are not going to take him very far and he is only tarnishing his party and state’s image. It is surprising that in this day and age a person has to still stoop to such low-blow methods to garner votes. It might also do him some good to examine once again the state’s economy to which a sizeable contribution is made by non-Maharashtrians. If the so-called common man has no problem peacefully co-existing with his counter-parts from across the nation, Why does Raj Thackeray have to play spoilt sport???
Hopefully the situation will stabilize soon enough and normalcy will be restored in the city. And of course hopefully our politicians shall put aside their petty differences and concentrate instead on the betterment of our cities and the country as a whole.
May better sense prevail…
