#Bombayphile : Mumbai Has Become A Gas Chamber! Who Is City's Hitler?

 

Last week brought dreadful news for Mumbaikars. The pollution level of the city has surpassed Delhi. Mumbai’s Air Quality Index (AQI) has reached alarming levels. The city has become a gas chamber with many Mumbaikars dying untimely deaths by breathing the poisonous air. So, who is the Hitler who transformed the city into a gas chamber? There are many Hilter in Mumbai, not one.

Every year, we see news on TV about how polluted the air of Delhi becomes in winter. The TV channels devote a good amount of airtime, showing the plight of Delhi citizens who suffer from breathing issues. The farmers of neighbouring Haryana are blamed for contributing to the pollution by burning parali. Several squads have been formed to check such activity. In the past, the courts have come down heavily upon the central and the state governments over their inefficiency in controlling the pollution. Some measures like even number-odd number plying of vehicles on alternate days was adopted. Mumbaikars felt blessed by seeing all this, and were happy that they were breathing relatively cleaner air.

Mumbai is witnessing a large scale construction activity these years. It seems that every new skyscraper is trying to dwarf the previous ones. As per a conservative estimate, there are around 600 under-construction buildings in Mumbai which emit dust that contributes to the polluted air. Apart from the private constructions, large-scale infrastructure projects undertaken by the governmental agencies are another source of pollutants. Presently, around six metro lines and a few flyovers are being built in and around Mumbai. Supporters of the infrastructure development contend that availability of public transport would reduce pollution in the long run. Several industries like Rashtriya Chemical Fertilizers (RCF) and petrochemical refineries in the north-eastern part of Mumbai have been perennial contributors to the city’s pollution. When these industrial units were set up several decades ago, they were away from the residential parts of Mumbai. With the rapid growth of the city, these units are now surrounded by residential buildings and their dwellers have no choice but to inhale the dark smoke 24/7.

On the one hand, Mumbai’s air is being polluted by multiple sources and on the other hand, the green cover of Mumbai is dwindling. There was a huge uproar over cutting of trees in the Aarey forest for a metro train depot, and destruction of mangroves for construction of the Navi Mumbai airport and the trans-harbour link. Three years back, I did an investigative story that revealed how slum mafia in the Aarey forest was clandestinely burning the green patches to raise huts there. Mumbai is blessed to be located on the coast of Arabian Sea. The breeze coming from the sea has helped in maintaining the city’s air breathable to a large extent, as it blows away the pollutants. However, due to the climate change, this advantage of Mumbai is deteriorating and the winds are getting weaker due to meteorological reasons. Environmentalists metaphorically point out that the lungs of Mumbai have become sick.  

As a knee-jerk reaction, the BMC has come up with certain guidelines to mitigate the pollution arising out of the construction activities and diesel vehicles. However, it is going to take much more than legislations and administrative efforts to contain pollution. Every Mumbaikar has to think of ways to reduce his carbon footprints and using public transport, avoiding usage of air-conditioners are a few examples. Diwali is around the corner and we can celebrate it by using crackers that emit less smoke and sound. If our lungs are healthy, we can celebrate many more Diwalis.

(Bombayphile is published every week where Jitendra Dixit writes about the past and present of Mumbai.)

 

#Bombayphile Why Mumbai Reacts Aggressively To Global Events?

 

Last week, the Mumbai Police arrested four people for sticking flags of Israel on the roads of Bhendi Bazaar, so that people could put their feet on it. It was their way of protesting against the Israeli response to the terrorist attack engineered by Hamas. This is another example of how a section of the Muslim community has been reacting aggressively to the events happening in other parts of the globe. Although there have been reactions across the world since the Hamas attack on Israel two weeks back, and people support one side or the other, this piece specifically delves into the reactions of Mumbai Muslims to global events. In the last 30 years, I have seen around half a dozen protests where the trigger was not in Mumbai.

Author Salman Rushdie wrote his controversial book ‘The Satanic Verses’ in Britain, it was banned by the Supreme Leader of Iran and Fatwa was issued against Rushdie, but the riots happened in Mumbai, which is thousands of kilometres away from both countries. In February 1989, several Muslim organisations of Mumbai came together to protest outside the British mission’s office. The police restrained them at the Mohammed Ali Road, triggering a riot. Twelve people were killed in the police firing that afternoon.

On 6 December 1992, the Babri mosque was demolished in Ayodhya, which led to communal flare-ups in many parts of India. However, the worst riots happened in Mumbai, 1500 kilometres away from Ayodhya. The riots that took place in the two phases and subsequent serial bombings in the city led to the killings of over one thousand people.

In 2006, a few Muslim organisations came together to organize a protest meeting at Azad Maidan against the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, to protest against the publication of the Prophet’s cartoon. The crowd soon went out of control of its leaders. Some vehicles were damaged and a few journalists were manhandled. However, the frenzy was soon contained by the police.

The cops were not that fortunate in 2012 when a meeting was called to protest against the atrocities against Rohingyas in Myanmar on the same ground. As soon as the meeting ended, the crowd turned violent and attacked the cops and media personnel. Several police vehicles and OB vans of the news channels were torched. The rioters desecrated a memorial of martyrs. The police had to fire at the violent mob.

When I went to delve into the reasons for the reaction of Mumbai Muslims to events outside the city or the country, I found that it has been a historical trait of the community. The Khilafat movement of 1919 is one such example when two well-educated Muslim brothers, Maulana Mohammed Ali, and Maulana Shaukat Ali, formed a Khilafat Committee in Bombay to protest against the abolition of the Ottoman Caliphate after the Turkish Empire was dissolved post-First World War. Mahatma Gandhi supported the movement and saw it as an opportunity for Hindu-Muslim unity.

After speaking to some intellectuals from the community, I got a few answers to my quest. A primary reason for the protest against something that has happened in another country is the sense of global-Muslim-brotherhood. Secondly, Mumbai being a cosmopolitan and modern city, the Muslims here keep themselves abreast of the happenings across the world. There are a few religious organisations that keep track of such events and mobilise the Muslim youths whenever anything against the perceived interest of Muslims happens.

(Bombayphile is published every week where Jitendra Dixit writes about the past and the present of Mumbai.)

#Bombayphile - Mumbai's Over 300 Years Old Connection with Israel.

 

My school was in the Samuel Street of Masjid Bunder in Mumbai. As a student, I never bothered to find out who Samuel was and why the street was named on him. I assumed that he might be some bigshot from the colonial era. It was around twenty-five years later, after passing out from the school, that I delved into the history of Samuel Street while researching for my first novel “Bombay 3”. I came across a very interesting story which tells Mumbai’s relation with the Israeli’s.

The local train travellers on the Central Railway know that the first station after the train originates from CSMT is Masjid. The word Masjid in Urdu translates into mosque, but in reality, the station is not named after any mosque, but after a synagogue, a Jewish place of worship. Hardly after a two minutes’ walk from the station, one reaches a yellow-coloured structure named “Gate of Mercy.” There is a history of why the synagogue has been so named.

Two Bene-Israelis named Samuel Ezekeil and Isaac Ezekeil were soldiers of the British East India Company. In the Mysore war, they were captured by Tipu Sultan’s army and were sentenced to death. Before executing them, Tipu asked to which caste they belonged. When the duo told that they were Bene-Israelis, Tipu’s mother intervened and asked Tipu to forgive them as she had read about the community in the Holy Quran. Tipu then entered into a prisoner swap deal with the Britishers and returned them.

Bene-Israelis came from the middle-east several centuries ago and landed at Alibag on the Konkan coastline. They follow Judaism. Although they follow the religious texts and practices, Bene-Israelis have also adopted Maharashtrian customs, traditions and attires. Many use the place of their dwelling as their surname, like Ramrajkar, Bamnolkar, Divekar and so on.

After returning to Bombay, they established a synagogue in 1796 to express their gratitude to God. It is the oldest synagogue in India.Initially the location was somewhere near today’s CSMT railway station, but in 1860, it was shifted to the present one. The locals mistook it be a mosque and started calling it “Juni Masjid”. The area is called Masjid Bunder due to its proximity to the port. In Marathi ‘Bunder’ means port.

The street was named as Samuel Street in his remembrance. It is hardly 200 metres away from my school’s building. Adjacent to the Samuel Street is Israel Mohalla where several Jew families lived once. Later on, members of the Pathan gang started living there. Few years back, an aspiring drug mafia was apprehended from the area by the Narcotics Control Bureau. The Gate of Mercy Synagogue is still active, although the turnout of faithful remains low. Most of the Bene-Israelis have shifted to adjacent cities, like Thane and Navi Mumbai.

(Bombayphile is published every week where Jitendra Dixit writes about the past and the present of Mumbai.)

PS: The Masjid Bunder are mentioned in this blog is a very interesting place with a unique character within the city of Mumbai. Those who are eager to know more must read my books “Bombay 3” and “Bombay After Ayodhya”.

 

#Bombayphile How Prepared Is Mumbai To Prevent Hamas Like Terror Attack?

Some people may find it absurd to compare Mumbai with Tel Aviv in the context of terrorism. The biggest terrorist attack on Israel was from all fronts: air, sea and land. Over 5,000 rockets were launched to target buildings in Israel and the terrorists used paragliders to land at public places and massacre people. Hundreds of Israelis were abducted on gunpoint. Although Mumbai has endured some of the biggest terrorist attacks in India, none of them have been of this magnitude. However, Mumbai continues to be on the radar of terrorists and one question that comes to my mind is, how safe is Mumbai from Hamas like attack?

From 11 March 1993 to 11 July 2011, Mumbai has witnessed over 10 terrorist incidents in which around 700 people have been killed and over two thousand have been injured. The attack on 26 November 2008 was the last big terror attack on Mumbai, not in terms of the number of people killed, but, due to the multiplicity of the locations and the number of hours it stretched. There are some parallels between the attack on Israel and Mumbai. After the terrorist attack at Kalbadevi on 14 September 1946, it was the first attack where the gunmen landed at public places and indiscriminately shot people. In the 26/11 attacks, the terrorists had captured two seven star hotels, attacked Mumbai’s prime railway station and a hospital. The Jewish cultural centre at Colaba was also one of the targeted locations. They planted bombs in two taxis which exploded at Wadi Bunder and Juhu. There were hostage situations at the Taj Mahal Hotel, Trident Hotel, and Nariman House. At Trident and Nariman House, most of the hostages were killed. It took 59 hours for the National Security Guard (NSG) to clear all the locations by eliminating the infiltrators, but not before the Chief of Anti-Terrorist Squad, two commandos and many policemen were slain.

Just like Mossad is being held responsible for intelligence failure, the Indian security establishment too failed in preempting the attacks, although they had got a whiff that Pakistan-based terrorists are planning to infiltrate via the sea route. There were few intelligence reports sent to the Mumbai Police alerting about the imminent attacks. The attacks also posed a question about the efficiency to the coastal security agencies. Undoubtedly, it was a warlike situation and neither the intelligence agencies nor the Mumbai Police anticipated the level of attacks. But the concern now is whether the security apparatus is prepared to deal with another 26/11 type attack or the one orchestrated by Hamas in Isreal, which is much bigger in magnitude. I have covered those attacks on ground and have followed the aftermath. During the last fifteen years, I have reported several times on the Mumbai's vulnerability to terrorist attacks. I still find the city vulnerable and its counter-terror preparedness is down at an alarming level.

A few years back, Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had published a damning report on Mumbai’s coastal security. After the attacks, as a knee-jerk reaction, the state government spent millions of rupees in procuring speed boats, jet ski and amphibian vehicles for the coastal security. However, within a few years, most of them were defunct due to lack of maintenance and unavailability of replacement for the malfunctioning parts. The adequate supply of diesel was another issue. Once a policeman deployed on a patrolling boat fell into the sea and was drowned. It was revealed that most of the cops on duty in the coastal security units weren’t skilled in swimming. However, evening boat parties at the Gateway of India have been restricted due to the “terror threat”. Today, at most of the railway stations, one can see door-frame-metal-detectors and X-Ray machines to check luggage, but there aren’t enough personnel to man them. Most of the measures taken up in the name of security after 26/11 have sadly been eye wash.  

After the 26/11 attacks, the Ram Pradhan Committee was set up to investigate the attack and to suggest measures to tighten up the security. However, nothing concrete has been done on their recommendations. The only positive development that I could see is that Mumbai now has three kinds of commando forces deployed in the city. First is the QRT (Quick Response Team) of Mumbai Police, the second is the Force One of the state police and the third is NSG, which has opened a regional headquarter in Mumbai. In case of a terror attack, the QRT would be the first responder. However, these commando forces would be required only when an attack happens, but what has been done to preempt another attack? Obviously, everything couldn’t be revealed for public consumption. I trust that the intelligence and security agencies have learnt their lessons and Mumbai is safe from evil eyes.

(Bombayphile is published every week where Jitendra Dixit writes about the past and the present of Mumbai.)

#Bombayphile : The Cosmopolitanism of Mumbai And Its Aberrations

 

 

The residential tower where I live is a microcosm of Mumbai. My neighbours are Maharashtrian, Bengalis, Gujaratis, Tamilians, Keralities, Biharis and a few from other states of India. They practice different faiths like Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism. The managing committee of the housing society comprises people of varied linguistic, religious, and regional origins. There is no rule barring a particular community from buying or renting property in the building. As long as you are paying your maintenance bills on time, you are treated with respect. There are hundreds of housing societies like mine where people belonging to different communities live harmoniously. However, recently an incident that happened in the suburb Mulund of Mumbai led to a tremendous uproar and questioned the city’s cosmopolitan image. It especially enraged a section of the Maharashtrian community.

A Maharashtrian woman and her husband went to scout for an office space in Mulund’s Shiv Sadan society. However, a Gujarati father-son, one of whom was the officer bearer of the society, told them that as per the society rules, office space couldn’t be given to Maharashtrians. When the lady tried to record their statement, her mobile phone was snatched, and the couple was roughed up. She narrated her ordeal with tears in her eyes on the social media, which went viral. It led to a huge outrage not only from the Marathi speaking population but also people from other ethnicities. Many Gujaratis expressed regret saying that the father-son duo didn’t represent the views of the whole Gujarati community in Mumbai.

The political parties were swift to pick up the issue, alleging that despite the CM of Maharashtra being a Marathi and heading a party known for championing the cause of sons of the soil, “Marathi Manoos” was getting extinct from the city. Taking cognisance of the controversy, workers of Raj Thackeray’s party MNS raided the society and compelled the father-son duo to apologise. A criminal case was registered against them for inciting bad blood among communities and were arrested.

There is a history of conflict between the Marathi and Gujarati speaking population of Mumbai dating back to 1950s when the Samyukta Maharashtra movement was launched to make Mumbai a part of Maharashtra. However, the current controversy couldn’t be viewed just in the context of Marathi Vs Gujarati. The incident has conveyed that still there are people in Mumbai who are averse to its cosmopolitanism. It has not happened for the first time when such an incident has happened in a city which takes pride in its inclusivity.

There are several housing societies in Mumbai, dominted by one particular community, that  disallows members of other communities to buy and rent out flats. These societies primarily make such rules due to their intolerance towards non-vegetarians. They couldn’t stand the smell of fish, egg or meat emanating out of somebody’s kitchen. Some societies audaciously had even put notices saying–“Only Jains Allowed.” They occupied spaces of the building walls till the eyes of some political workers caught them. I remember that around two decades back, the Shiv Sena had launched a “fish throwing agitation” on the premises of such buildings. Some societies inhabited by strict vegetarians disallowed sale and renting out flats to non-vegetarians. One morning, a group of Koli women belonging to the Shiv Sena barged into one of the residential towers in Malabar Hill and threw kilos of rotten, smelly fish all around.

In the last few years, there have been several reports where Muslim individuals and families have complained that it was tough to find a decent home in Mumbai due to discrimination based on their religion. Refusal of flats to Muslims has not been only because of their eating habits, but also rooted in the over one-and-half century long animosity between the two communities in Mumbai. From 1893 to 1993, Mumbai has seen seven major Hindu-Muslim riots in which thousands of people have been killed. The polarising politics of the recent years is further deepening the divide.   

But such incidents don’t reflect the true character of Mumbai. They are aberrations. By and large, Mumbai has successfully preserved its cosmopolitan spirit, where people from across the world arrive and thrive. It is a different fact that aberrations of such image get over-amplified in this age of social media and the politics of hate.

( Bombayphile is published every week where Jitendra Dixit writes about the past and the present of Mumbai.)