So the monsoons have arrived in Mumbai. On the outset, I do not think that the civic infrastructure has improved to tackle the monsoons, atleast not yet.
Roads are still dug up, trains were slow even for the pre-monsoon showers.
Mithi river, the arterial dumping ground, sewerage, mangrove nourisher et al is still not cleared…and so on and so forth.
Mumbai presents a rather apocalyptic picture of what unplanned development can do.
Development has been a poll promise since independence. From 1947 to today, civic infrastructure has not kept pace with the aspirations of the citizens.
From the municipal elections, corporate elections, legislative and parliament elections to the presidential elections, there is just this mirage that we try and paint. And my theory is this is a political conspiracy.
If we are given what we want…how will they come back to power again?
The promise of a better tomorrow is the only thing that drives the poor to the poll booths. And time after time, they have obliged. And will keep obliging as long as they revel in dreams and not live in reality.
The upper crust of the employed or the well-to-do, who have access to high school and professional education, own telephone, mobile, electricity, transport, a home and earn more than they spend accounts for only 3% to 5% of the population. The optimist might even take it upto 10%, but is still abysmal.
So where are we?
We complain when the western world interpretation of an “Indian life” is still tainted by poverty and the snake charmers, but we still are an enigma to most of them.
Not because of our cultural diversity and questionably rich tradition. It is because they are yet to unravel the mystery of how 90 mn people still continue to see hope despite the reality. Live in abysmally poor conditions. Fight caste wars. Judge people by who they are born to and still believe that all these will change when the next government comes to power. Long live the Indian politician. For constantly keeping away development from us.
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