Aamchi Mumbai

Is Mumbai a place which would be for people who come from a particular sect / caste / creed etc. I have always felt it to be a land of oppurtunity; accomodating everyone & anyone from all across the country. The incident on Sunday (and still debated) is really an unfortunate event for Mumbaikars. Thankfully, this is voiced by a faction which is very less in number & does it more for creating visiblity / publicity (negative).  

While I do appreciate the concerns which get propped up every now & then ( based on "Sons of the Soil" idealogy) it is also to be remembered that in a free society, people from all walks of life have the right & choice of moving anywhere in this country. To restrict anyone entering in a particular place / location would probabaly move us back to prehistoric era where each animal would mark its area and attack on anyone trespassing it.

It was more difficult to me personally, as one of my colleagues was in that area (Dadar) when the incident occured. We had met near Vadala road and I had taken a train to Andheri and he took a cab to his house at Matunga. Nearing Dadar, he encountered a group of Hooligans who attacked the vehicle, smashing all the glass windows and then threw huge stones on the back seat. Luckily, my colleague had just come out of the vehicle and escaped any injury. They would not have been bothered even if he had been hit by the stones.

I feel irrespective of the background (location, caste, creed etc.), anyone who is willing to work honestly / sincerely to earn his livelihood, should be allowed an opportunity to do so at any location he prefers to do it.

Hopefully , this madness will end soon.............

Velan