On a day when India is celebrating the successful completion of Stage 1 of conquering the moon, people are being beaten up and public property worth thousands of rupees is being burnt in Mumbai and its suburbs. What a contrast! But that is my India for you.
On one side, people taking law into their own hands proclaiming that they are saving the marathi manoos and hurting people from other parts of country to gain political mileage and on the other hand, 3000 people from all over India are working together to conquer one goal - the moon.
I am sure, of the 3000 people, there is atleast one marathi manoos. Does he care that he belongs the different state than the others working with him? It must not even cross his mind that he is working with an Bihari or Tamilian. He can only see that all of them have a common goal - to put an Indian flag on the moon. He lives, works and shares his life with others without worrying about their origin. He cannot even think of hurting them. He might even love some of them.
And there is the other who says he is the saviour for the Maharashtra. Save Maharashtra from whom, your own fellow countrymen? To add to that, he is not even the elected representative of the people of Maharashtra. This time he crossed the line by killing a student who had come to Mumbai to fulfill his dream, to give an exam which might have probably put food in his family's plate. He says the guy is taking marathi manoos's opportunity. You do not create opportunity for your people by killing others. You do it by creating more opportunities for both of them. Create circumtances and mechanisms so the marathi manoos becomes better and beats the "outsider" by being better than him.
Mumbai is India on a smaller scale and that is what that gives Mumbai its charm. That is what makes Mumbai - Mumbai. Mumbai has given me everything I have today and my ancestors are not even from this state. But I am a marathi manoos and a proud one. The only thing Mumbai asked from me in return is tolerance; Tolerance for other Mumbaikars. It gave me my best friends - a Maharashtrian, a Gujarathi and a Roman Catholic. We do not care that we are all this. All we care about is that we are Mumbaikars and we all love Vada Pav and Paani Poori!
To the people who are say that they are fighting for the marathi manoos, I say please fight for us. But not by hurting my brothers and sisters, but by fighting other evil and practices. Show us the way so that one day every marathi manoos can reach the moon on his own accord and merit.
Comments