All the contents of this blog are perfectly natural, and any reference(good or bad) to anything living or non-living is not a coincidence but purely intentional.
Monday, December 22, 2008
ANTIDOTE FOR A BRUISED NATION
Even Bollywood's best script writers couldn't have conjured a better one. In a packed stadium of more than 40000, India's best son Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, entered into the 90s which had caused him some grief of late. The bedlam and pandemonium was deafening and it was pointless to talk to anybody more than one metre away from you. As the whole mass reverberated with cries of "Sachin, Sachin...", a ruckus created by thousands of plastic bottles banging in unison against the seats- you could sense the enormity of the occasion. Something had to be preordained here, and you could just sense it in the air.
The weather was pleasant and the evening was beginning to stretch its shadows at Chepauk, and here was at the centre, a man whose beloved Mumbai had been badly bruised and his dear country shaken by the events of 26/11. The crescendo mounted with every passing second, and then the climax... a gentle tap beyond the reach of deep fine leg, a script executed to such precision that it was too much for anybody at the stadium to contain themselves: A century for Sachin and an improbable Indian victory at the same time. The junta erupted in one thunderous roar which sustained itself for several minutes... Any clause with any adjective to describe this feeling would eventually be an understatement, for one thing: You never know how much this meant for so many people, Sachin included.
Sachin ran with his hands up in the air; a delighted jump and a punch in the air followed suit; a million-watt grin which can light up the entire nation- extremely rare scenes with Sachin, who never displays such emotions. Sachin was still at it while Yuvraj embraced him with a bear hug and a lift up in the air. Perhaps the best scenes were witnessed when ground staff- simple souls with khaki work clothes sans footwear came out to congratulate Sachin. Even before KP and co. could finish offering their congratulations, these labourers came on and had their moment with the little master. A lady with a blood red sari was literally over the moon after she shook hands with Sachin. What a dozen groundstaff did would be the envy of a whole nation- they were the fortunate people, the first ones to thank Sachin for his service to the country in the aftermath of 26/11. The humble man that Sachin was, he obliged to each one of them with a broad smile.
Those scenes were the perfect antidote for a bruised nation. A reason to smile and cheer once again; it was pure joy personified at Chepauk. Cutting across boundaries of caste, colour, religion or nationality, everybody felt genuine joy- Sachin Tendulkar had brought about a relief change. "This one is for Mumbai, I play for India now more than ever", asserted Tendulkar while acknowledging the heroics of all the policemen, Navy, Hotel staff, NSG, firemen, army and everybody for their role in dealing with the terrorists.
It had to be preordained for events to unfold in such dramatic circumstances. In the end, it was Mumbai's very own Tendulkar, who gave the best boost to a scarred city. In Sachin's own words,
"Cricket is a lesser thing compared to what has happened... all this would give a certain amount of happiness to people... I feel whatever we can contribute, we've been able to do that; we are right with those people who lost their dear ones."
True, Sachin. Your contribution has greatly assuaged our anguish and brought back smiles to a billion. It has been a privilege.
It was also A WEDNESDAY. Exactly a week ago, Pakistani gunmen started off a siege that would go down in history as the longest terror attack in modern India. For over 60 hours, the whole Indian establishment was brought down to its knees, not knowing what to do for the most part. It was terror, live on your screen. 9/11 was also live, but the live terror action got over in 3-4 hours. This was unprecedented; the world was hooked on to live Indian TV channels for 60 hours watching in horror as the drama unfolded from place to place, not knowing where to focus. For a city known to bounce back, this is an acid test. What perhaps would remain etched forever in people's memory is the scene of the terrorists shooting down bystanders in Colaba, hijacking a police vehicle.
With videos like this constantly running in various channels, "dramatic" takes a new meaning. Over 60 hours, we were numbed by the tension and the live horror unfolding as we saw Indian TV channels go without any commercial breaks for over 2 days, non-stop. ATS chief Hemant Karkare was seen responding to the crisis, and we get the news of his death along with other two top cops Ashok Kamte and Vijay Salaskar, barely minutes after we see Mr. Karkare. Mumbai loses its elite authorities within minutes. Words fail to express the grief and horror, the whole episode made all the more alarming by the media onslaught upon our senses. Mumbai has taken a heavy toll, testing its resilience to the hilt.
The spirit was put to test again, when terror struck commuter trains on July 11, 2006. Mumbai suburban trains are like the veins of this city, carrying 6.6 million people every day- which is more than half of the whole daily capacity of the total Indian Railways itself. Mumbai recoiled immediately, inspite of the rains hampering relief effort. Spirit of Mumbai prevailed again, with almost everybody who is anybody chipping in a bit of help: in offering first aid or blood, in ferrying people to hospitals, in clearing up the tracks so the city is up and running again. Spirit prevailed that even after such an attach which crippled Mumbai's trains and killed over 200, the stock market rose by 1% the very next day and to 3% by the end of the month.
Aa Mumbai chhe!
So, again when heavily armed gunmen target iconic locations in south Mumbai, will the spirit prevail? The answer is YES. Its not only in times of crisis that we note the spirit of Mumbai; Mumbaikers are a jolly lot with a air of pride about them. From the corporate bigwig to the common man, Mumbai's spirit is in the very place itself. The Dhobi ghats and its washer-men and women, the world famous dabbawalas, Shivaji and Shiv Sena, Bollywood, Stock Market, Maratha pride, Underworld, Cricket, God... this city has a recipe for everything. Perennially busy yet with a touch of compassion, this city will forever remain as vibrant and humane, this aamchi Mumbai!
Even Bollywood's best script writers couldn't have conjured a better one. In a packed stadium of more than 40000, India's best son Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, entered into the 90s which had caused him some grief of late. The bedlam and pandemonium was deafening and it was pointless to talk to anybody more than one metre away from you. As the whole mass reverberated with cries of "Sachin, Sachin...", a ruckus created by thousands of plastic bottles banging in unison against the seats- you could sense the enormity of the occasion. Something had to be preordained here, and you could just sense it in the air.
