26, and broken homes
Two thoughts as the chaos of the last week winds down (well, we can hope).
One, how is it that no enterprising numerologist has raised his hand and pronounced sorrowfully that 26 is India's unlucky number? I mean, look at this: Kutch earthquake, 26 Jan. Tsunami, 26 Dec. Unprecendented deluge in Bombay, 26 July. (And, for effect, you could add such things as: Emergency declared, 25 June. Godhra, 27 February).
See a pattern? Me neither. But I'm betting some astrologer/palmist/something-like-that has. Probably many.
Two, which is more important: it's got to be asked like it was asked after the tsunami (e.g by me) why the utterly different reactions to the deluge and to the demolitions of slums in December and January?
After all, many of the people seriously affected by the rain lived in illegal slum homes. Example, Saki Naka landslide. If we applauded the demolition of their homes by the Municipality six months ago, why not applaud the demolition of their homes by pouring rain last week?
We've seen the news about the plight of people in Mandala in Mankhurd. But the people concerned in Mandala were driven from their homes, and watched them torn down, in January. With nowhere to go in the rains, they are going back to that land and building homes there again. (Just got back from spending the day there, watching this activity, will have more about that later).
The point: this deluge reminds us that there are serious civic issues here, urban issues, issues about our country. They won't go away by simply demolishing huts in the thousands, because if we try to do that, the rains only bring them to the surface again.
One, how is it that no enterprising numerologist has raised his hand and pronounced sorrowfully that 26 is India's unlucky number? I mean, look at this: Kutch earthquake, 26 Jan. Tsunami, 26 Dec. Unprecendented deluge in Bombay, 26 July. (And, for effect, you could add such things as: Emergency declared, 25 June. Godhra, 27 February).
See a pattern? Me neither. But I'm betting some astrologer/palmist/something-like-that has. Probably many.
Two, which is more important: it's got to be asked like it was asked after the tsunami (e.g by me) why the utterly different reactions to the deluge and to the demolitions of slums in December and January?
After all, many of the people seriously affected by the rain lived in illegal slum homes. Example, Saki Naka landslide. If we applauded the demolition of their homes by the Municipality six months ago, why not applaud the demolition of their homes by pouring rain last week?
We've seen the news about the plight of people in Mandala in Mankhurd. But the people concerned in Mandala were driven from their homes, and watched them torn down, in January. With nowhere to go in the rains, they are going back to that land and building homes there again. (Just got back from spending the day there, watching this activity, will have more about that later).
The point: this deluge reminds us that there are serious civic issues here, urban issues, issues about our country. They won't go away by simply demolishing huts in the thousands, because if we try to do that, the rains only bring them to the surface again.
posted by Dilip D'Souza at 5:43 am
2 Comments:
Neela old pal,
True enough, and thanks for the interesting pointer.
But may I submit: there is a degree of uncontrollability in the mushrooming of slum homes as well. In the sense that the people who live in them cannot afford -- or likely even find -- rental housing in this city that wants them to fill its jobs anyway. So there's a case for saying they are forced by circumstances beyond their control to live where they do.
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