A Change Of Heart

I resent the high handed attitude that mumbai in general represents. I have had many an argument with friends from mumbai on this topic. Actually I feel the same about all metros. I feel that for the amount of special funds that metros get, they dont give back enough to the country. Along the same lines, I resent the way the TV media forces a certain opinion on any situation or problem with biased, inaccurate or insufficient reporting.

The last couple of days I have had a change of heart on both of the above! The TV media has been continuously harping on the "Mumbai Spirit" and how it was going to bounce back no matter what. To be frank, the interviews that I saw on TV on the day of the blasts, now made famous as 7/11, were far from spirited. But there was this piece which was quite different:

Reporter: Aap ko kaisa lag raha hai blasts ke baad?
Person: Bahut bura laga. Mein khud 12 bodies ko nikala hoon. Mumbai mein aise jeena mushkil hai. (almost in tears)
Reporter: (To the camera), The common man has come to the rescue of mumbai again even before the administration. Mumbai again shows its resolve amidst adversity.
Reporter: (Back to the person) Kal se aap phir se trains mein jayenge? Kaam pe jayenge?
Person: (Hears the earlier praise of mumbai spirit) Haan! Zaroor jayenge. Dukh hotha hai yeh sab dekhke, lekin Mumbai kisi ke liye rukega nahin!

For the first time I saw the hopeful reporting of NDTV actually lift the spirits of a person! If it did that to one person, how many mumbaikars would have a spruced up spirit after constant reminders to their undying spirit! Mumbai needs to stand up... for itself, and more so for the country. India has always been seen as a weak state when it comes to being threatened, as proved in Kandahar. But times have changed and so has India!!

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