An open letter to Mr. Nandy

An open letter to Mr. Nandy

This is in response to your blog ‘’Why I love Mumbai’’ posted on the TOI dated 11^th June 2012

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/extraordinaryissue/entry/why-i-love-mumbai

Sir,

    Your blog on the city of Mumbai was delightfully humorous and entertaining. However, an entertaining/humorous article may or may not be factually correct.  As a 25 year old, born and brought up in Mumbai, your blog forced me to introspect on the various points raised by you.

 1.  I assume your blog has been written in the wake of pub raids conducted by ACP Dhoble. I also understand there has been lot of criticism of Mr Dhoble from all quarters of Bollywood and so-called ‘party’ animals.  Sir, all the outcry over him in media, leads to a conclusion that Mr Dhoble has done something illegal and the patrons of the pubs are made victims. The truth cannot be much far from it. He was just following the rules laid down by the law. The rule says only 166 people per 1000 sq.feet is allowed, and he was just making sure that the rule is being implemented.  I agree that this archaic 1960 rule has to be changed, but for that you have target the lawmakers and not people like Dhoble. Forget about pubs in Mumbai, we Indians are governed by outdated British laws be it criminal code or personal code. Never did I found any outcry over these laws as I witness now over pubs.

2.  Sir, much of the points you have raised are correct and are worthy of discussion. However, certain points though fundamentally right cannot be blamed on the city of Mumbai. For e.g you talked about taxes, what fault did Mumbai do if the central or state governments are levying high taxes?

3. Mr. Nandy you talked about banning Satanic Verses and art of the ‘city’s greatest son’ MF Hussain. Again, what is Mumbai’s fault if the government bans both all over the country? Sir, I have a big objection of Hussain being called the city’s greatest son. Who decided that a citizen of Qatar who has offended the religious sentiments of majority of population of Mumbai is the city’s ‘’greatest son’’?? If you think I am one of those right-wing fanatics, do me a favour sir, and just take a poll across the city as ask how many of them feel Hussain is Mumbai’s greatest son.             

The recent municipal elections of Mumbai show that so-called ‘high class’ people of Mumbai don’t go and vote in large numbers. Sir, my point is simple, let them first go and vote and change the lawmakers. There is no point in targeting the messenger which in this case is ACP Dhoble.       

Sir, in your blog, I could not find even one single positive trait in Mumbai. This cannot be true. The city that has given you and millions others so much has to have something in her. For every negative trait you pointed out, I could two positive traits of Mumbai.

Wishing you all the success in your future endeavors.

                                                                                                                    Yours faithfully,

                                                                                                                     A proud Mumbaikar

It happens only (by) India

Well done India, very well done; India’s leaders have managed to do what no self-respecting nation would do. We have compromised our position in front of the state that sponsors terrorism; our PM has accepted the Paksitan counterpart’s concern of India’s involvement in fomenting terrorism activities in Pakistan. Thus, the biggest victim of terrorism in the world is now being accused of sponsoring terror. Nowhere in the hisory has it been witnessed that the vicitim is being accused of attacking the attacker, and the victim accepts the allegations with no grudges.

Mr. PM, where is tough stand you promised to take after the 26/11?? Is the acceptance a part of your your ‘tough stand’?? Mr. Singh, the citizens of the country, who have voted you and your party back to office, have the right to know the reason for this ambiguous stance. With this stand, India’s diplomatic machinery has managed to give Pakistan the stick with which it could later beat us.

Agreed, the intention of the government would be to extend an olive branch to the neighboring country. However, I can’t digest the fact that our country has bended backwards just to make friendship with a country that has been directly sponsoring the killing of hundreds of thousands of patriotic Indians. However, one must give credit goes to Pakistan’s diplomatic machinery who has managed to drag India’s name in the ‘sponsoring terrorism’ club which till now only had a handful of Islamist nations.

Maybe for New Delhi, the continuity of friendship with Pakistan assumes more importance than the cries of its people who have lost their loved ones in bomb blasts. I think we should all thank the leaders for giving us this present after we brought them back to power.