Mumbai Musings

Yet Another Statistic 

A 16-year-old was called by one of her friends to celebrate Diwali near Goregaon, a western suburb in Mumbai. Her drink was allegedly spiked and she was gang raped by four others at another location on Friday night. She mustered the courage to tell her family the following day and a case was registered. Now three of the six accused have been arrested. However, the incident is just another statistic in the fast depleting safety situation in Mumbai. And just another reminder to underline that most assaulters are known to the victims.

Chiwda and Chakli with CM

It is supposed to be an annual informal session with Chief Minister, with some Diwali delicacies to go with tea for journalists. However, it becomes an all-out press conference in no time. The good part this time was that the CM was in a relaxed mood and so were the journalists who asked him about everything under the Mumbai-Maharashtra sun – from Narendra Dabholkar’s murder investigation to outbreak of  Dengue in Mumbai, to the image of Narendra Modi, and so on and on. The CM answered most questions quite openly except when journalists persisted with NCP leaders attending the “third front” show of strength last week. And from what we heard, the delicacies were not really delicious either. 

Memories of a Memorial

Late Bal Thackeray’s first death anniversary is just around the corner. While the man received unprecedented following during his funeral, since then it has been a uphill task to keep up the momentum for his memorial. After the Shivaji Park funeral came under public scrutiny, the government has been cautious about permissions on the Grade-1 heritage ground. As of now the CRZ (Coastal Regulatory Zone) permissions are pending and it is still not clear if any “construction” can be allowed on the ground, no matter how small. While it all looks bleak for Sainiks who want to see a grand memorial for their leader, one never knows how and when the administration may swing into swift action and have an announcement to mark the moment on the 17th. 

A Wrong Note?

While Lata Mangeshkar’s affinity for the Thackeray family is well-known, her recent words of praise and open support to Narendra Modi did create some stir in the city’s political circles. "Narendrabhai is like my brother. All of us want to see him become the Prime Minister. On the auspicious occasion of Diwali, I hope our wishes would come true," a daily newspaper reported Lata Mangeshkar as saying. Ruffled by her praise, some Congress leaders said the national icon was entitled to her views. But others, such as Sachin Sawant, spokesperson, Mumbai Congress Unit, had stronger views to share, which were variations on the theme of: “Latadidi sang Aye Mere Watan Ke Logo and the song is a symbol for national unity… She will definitely not support the RSS, RSS sponsored Modi’s thought-process, which poses danger to this unity… she has been misled…” However, the Mangeshkar family has remained silent after that Pune function. 

Guard those Guards

We have been hearing lots of stories of the stench of corruption and manipulation in the political world. However, earlier this week the Mumbai Mirror reported a story of real stench. The report said Pali Hill residents, who in their own right are the city’s elite class, got into a fight with the cops to protest against 60-plus security personnel belonging to home minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s Z plus security. Why? Because the guards, who literally live out of those police vans, pee on the road and throw garbage all around. Although the same was reportedly brought to his notice, Mr Shinde expressed inability to sort this out because of life threats after Ajmal Kasab and Afzal Guru hanging. 

Atheism Upheld

In a landmark ruling, the Bombay High Court has allowed an atheist teacher to not fold his hands during school assembly prayers. Sanjay Salve, a teacher from Nasik had approached the judiciary because his increments were held back because of acts of “indiscipline” i.e. not folding hands during prayers. His teaching record was found to be more than satisfactory and the court upheld his right to not fold his hands as a fundamental right. The court also said that discipline was of prime importance but this act did not amount to indiscipline. In a country where we dig for days on end for a babaji’s gold dream, this is surely a welcome change.

Education Capital

True to its name and fame as the education and cultural capital of the state, the Pune University was listed as the second largest university in the country after Hyderabad’s Osmania University. The university has 811 colleges affiliated to it and is said to be doing well on several streams. A close third was Nagpur university with 800 colleges. And yes, Mumbai ranked fifth with 700 plus colleges. "The growth has come about in the last 10 years. This growth is not by accident; it is balanced. Of all the foreign students travelling to India for education, about 45% come to Pune. Mumbai and Pune universities are not comparable,” Planning Commission member Narendra Jadhav told the Times of India, that first published the data.

Theatre Fest

Even as we Mumbaikars gloat over a rather quiet and less noisy Diwali (truly miraculous), another festival is here already. Not a regular religious one, but the Prithvi Theatre Festival, a real treat for theatre lovers. And as usual there are some very unusual and unique performances and events lined up. In its 35th year the festival has 28 performances, many of them premiering at the fest. Among many brilliant plays, watch out for Atmakatha, which marks the return of veteran actor Kulbhushan Kharbanda to the stage after some 30 odd years. The play, written by Mahesh Elkunchwar, has already received rave reviews in Kolkata. The 200-seater intimate theatre and its evergreen coffee house will truly be festive with StageTalk@Prithvi (with directors), a new initiative that starts this year. I am also secretly hoping that Sanjana Kapoor makes a quick trip to Mumbai, because since she moved to the capital and left Prithvi’s work entirely to her brother Kunal Kapoor, theatre world here has been missing her bubbly gurgling enthusiasm.