Resilience & Indifference

Everybody’s talking about how quickly Mumbai has managed to get back on its feet. Like Citibank’s punch line, ‘this city as well never sleeps’. Kudos to all those Mumbaikars who showed the kind of resilience & fearlessness, as if nothing has happened.

But I think deeply and I wonder, is it really resilience or is it indifference. Like rest of the country, Mumbaikars as well have given up on administration. They don’t expect much from them. They no more believe in a long term solution to the problem. They have become numb. And hence they have chosen the next best route – Indifference.

Now that’s dangerous. Why don’t we see any civil uprising? As civilians we have some basic rights and our administration is answerable to us.

We are talking about corporatization in many areas. Let administration as well follow the suit. Let the administration come out with a time-bound program to restore the right to safety & security and publish a weekly progress report.

To put pressure on the administration to come out with a time bound program, we may have to call for a bandh that is “by the people – for the people” or may want to take a peaceful march. And no, we don’t want participation of any political outfits here.

For sure, water is about to go over the top, engulfing all of us in that resilience-cum- indifference. If our politicians are inactive, let’s get active ourselves to put state machinery into action.