US and THEM

We froth at the mouth every time an Indian `celebrity’ is put through rigorous security measures abroad, esp the US of A! Latest being of course, the brouhaha over Shah Rukh Khan’s `detention’ …

They do it to us, we don’t do it to them, we whine …

Point is, we should do it to them! Why is it that we bend backwards to accommodate phoren `celebrities’ esp goras …??? Yes, we do, whether we like to acknowledge it or not …

Like, the time when Hilary Clinton visited Bombay … our chaps went gaga, including the Press … if S. M. Krishna were to go abroad, and esp the US, would he be accorded the same kind of treatment, the same fawning and flattering? Would he cause to the American citizens the same kind and level and amount of nuisance and harrassment that was caused to Indians? In Bombay, at least, residents couldn’t enter their own homes coz HC was in the vicinity … to be fair to her, maybe she herself didn’t know of this! But is any security justified in this kind of clamping down? That too without notice? And why do we always allow American security to take over, to dictate to us, even to our own security? Would the Americans permit Indian security to do that, in America?

When Bill Clinton had visited, the cops officiously cleared parking lots, towing away cars without any notice whatsoever, leaving hapless car owners wondering where their cars had disappeared, and damaging cars in the process …

Problem is, we fawn too much even over our own so-called `celebs’ … or `VIP’s’ … and in India, everyone thinks he / she is one! “Don’t you know who I am?” “Don’t you know who I know?”

Our film stars do behave with an arrogance that they are above other mortals … even if the `other mortals’ are professionals, whose actual achievements may be way higher than those of the so-called `media celebs’. Also, it is apprehended that these so-called `shows’ abroad may have other ramifications, other agendas … and other implications, esp monetary …

WE in India tend to almost venerate so-called `media-celebrities’ far more than may be the case in other countries … `Equality’ before the law is apparently not so equal, in India …

Our traffic cops give directions contrary to signals and try to clear vehicular traffic, if any `lal-batti’ car is on its way … Why? Is every lal-batti car entitled to precedence? If so, again, why? There cannot be an emergency for every and anyone having a lal batti, just as even those without the lal batti could have emergency … I can understand precedence being given to ambulances, fire brigades, and police rushing on since life-and-death emergency. Ironically, the NSG, who were being `rushed’ to control the terrorists when they struck Bombay, which was an emergent, life-and-death situation, were ferried in a bus! (Oh, the ironies of this glorious city!)

We need to take a call on this …

And also, to paraphrase Immanuel Kant, if we make worms of ourselves, we should not complain when trod upon! So can we have a tad more dignity, when welcoming foreign dignitaries, and also in the treatment we accord to our own `celebs’?

Spit-Spat-Spoooooot ...

It's ironical, truly ...

Bombay is full of people covering their noses / faces with masks / handkerchiefs / saree pallus / chunnis ... what-have-you ... but they can't keep their mouths shut!

They have to open it, you see!

To spit!

Spitting is still rampant, arrogant, merry, unconcerned spitting ... people spit on road, and don't even bother to bend or go on the side, to do so ... (like, if it's some uncontrolalble urge!) ... they spit while walking, not bothering to see who is around ... they spit while standing in the middle of the road ... they spit from out of windows of cars or buses or any old vehicle ... not bothering to see if spittle is likely to land on some unsuspecting sod ... if the car is an AC one, the driver ... (or even the seth / sethani, sometimes) will open the car door and let out a stream of spittle, white, yellow or red ... WHAT a roadside decoration ...

It's time we all opened our mouths ... to protest, complain, do something to ensure this stops ...

It is now stated medically, that the quickest method of the spreading of flu germs ... swine or otherwise ... is through droplets of spittle ... hence, we need to cover our mouths / noses when we sneeze or cough ... how much more infection are these `spitters' spreading?

When I protest, friends protest too ... "you are spoiling your health, Armin ... How many people will you tell?"

Point is, if all of us protest, if all of us tell off people who spit, it will make an impact ... it HAS to ...

While I do sometiems get abused for protesting, very often, people do apologize ... realization does sink in ...

So how about multiplying that effect? How about all of us actively protesting, on the spot, pronto?

Before we all get covered in spittle and swine flu ...???

Our Merry MLA's ...???

Bombay is going to the dogs ...
Yes, we hear that lament ad infinitum, ad nauseum ...
what an insult to the dogs ... I have yet to come across a dog - or any animal for that matter - as totally uncivic, (in doggy sense), as wantonly destructive, as utterly selfish and grasping and greedy as a lot of our fellow citizens ...
and especially, most especially, our elected representatives ...
(for crying out loud, who elects these jokers? Really!)

Just this morning ... on the main road at Colaba Causeway, right outside the Sahakari Bhandar / the Majestic Hotel, (which houses our dear elected MLA's ...) a chap, (presumably the elected one's driver !?) most vigorously and unconcernedly washing a dusty, filthy, Toyota Innova parked on the road, from a huge bucket full of water, splashing water all around, totally unconcerned about the nuisance to passers - by, apart from leaving the road mucky, filthy, yucky ...

I protested ... he confirmed the car belonged to an MLA ... (No: MH.45.A.4155) ... he stopped on my ticking him off ... washing cars on the road is now unlawful ...

but no guarantees he didn't start again, as soon as I walked away ...

Yes, even MLA's have to wash their cars somewhere ... but need they make such a mess doing it? Who will then wash the muck left on the road???

Traffic madness

am i the only one who gets ballistic when I see vehicles disregarding traffic signals consistently, and with impunity?

It's become a bloody raging epidemic ...

the other day, at the signal between marine drive adn churchgate ...
A biker zoomed past the pedestrian crossing, breaking a red light ... almsot knockign me down in the process ... what happens when I protest? not only he tries to abuse and manhandle me, but the woman sitting on the pillion hurls the worst kind of gutter abuse, asking me to stop `hassling her husband' ...!!!

Wath the hell are we coming to?

Can we start soem kind of movement? ... not only to redress vehicular grievences, but anythign tht makes life so intolerable in this city ... people spitting / littering / homking hard enough to brust ear drums / encraoching / unauthorized cosntruction / blatant corruption, etc etc etc ...

Yes, it IS in our hands ... and we can all make a difference, if we protest, pronto ... we may get abused, but what the hell, it's better than getting killed or maimed ... and it's a fact, more people are killed in road accidents than by terrorists ...

Reactions please ... adn then, action ... (hopefully!)

Here's to a real cool Bombay!

Cool Bombay

Hi!

feel very strongly about Bombay?

think it's getting messier and messier to live in?

think it's getting mroe and more uncivilized?

missing the cool place it used to be?

Well, ventilate your grievance / grouse / crib ...

suggest ways ...

protest, complain, challenge ...

the traffic, the civic sense (or lack thereof), the garbage, etc., whatever ...

whatever else you do, do not take crap lying down ...

that's what this blog is for ...

See you around ...