Thursday, December 29, 2011

Guilty Pleasures

On Tuesday, a few of us went to the MMRDA ground in Bandra to “lend support to the anti-corruption campaign by Team Anna” or as Mumbaiites call it, “winter vacation”.

There were a whole bunch of kids tagging along with their parents, making it quite apparent that this was more about a free outing for them (school is closed for a week, and they have already been to the Borivali National Park, Hanging Gardens and Gateway of India) than about a serious agitation against corruption. Otherwise, the turnout was quite disappointing which made Annaji call off the fast. Let’s face it, this is not Delhi; the common man here is indifferent to politics and for most people out here, life revolves around the 5:14 local from C’gate to Mira Road: the other passengers WON'T let us get off at Bandra to listen to the rants of an old inflexible man.

So why was I there? I would like to blame my “keen interest in democracy and heartfelt support to the cause of a clean India”, but the truth is unfortunately not so noble. See, irrespective of my cosmopolitan upbringing, I am essentially a Bong, and at times the temptation to shirk work on the pretext of ‘doing something for the country’ which doesn’t really require any ACTION on my behalf, except echoing some inane platitudes, gets the better off me. So those three hours made us feel extremely proud of ourselves, as we sat through the speeches, participated in patriotic slogans and flag-waving, interspersed with singing along to popular nationalistic songs. At the end of it, it was more like watching a sequel to Border/Lagaan/Roja or a combination of all three.

We came back purified and less guilty about working for a Swiss Bank.

Apart from that, there was a small matter of my birthday, but now that I am officially OLD, I would not like to dwell on the event too much. While my plan was to sit at home, watch India crush Australia and romp to a convincing victory and sulk about growing old, there are some people who hated me a lot in college and therefore they just can’t let go of the opportunity to make a big deal about me growing old AND make me pay for the alcohol. To make things worse, they gifted me something which can only be described as a bumper sticker to someone who has no car.

But the ghosts from the past still refused to let go for good…they are still lurking around in the dark corners of dimly lit roads at midnight…

11 comments:

Smita said...

hahaha..Belated Birthday wishes, when was it? 27th Dec???

Jab bhi ho same pinch for being a fellow capri :)

U know somehow I had a feeling from start that the agitation here won't be as successful and my feeling came from same reason, ppl here are too busy to think beyond themselves!!!

Amit said...

belated one Happy bday!

Carpe Diem! said...

Ooh!! Belated Happy Birthday!!! :)

Re: MMRDA farce, I think Lokpal Bill is a whole truck-load of bullshit and as susceptible to corruption as the present system is infested. Ergo, totally pointless.

Nefertiti said...

@smita

it was on the 28th. and yes, capris rock! while I agree that the such an event will never rouse the same kind of passion as it does in delhi for example, i do think the movement as a whole has also lost steam. so may be it's not just the mumbai people, but anywhere else in india, it would have probably garnered a similar lukewarm response.

@amit
thank you!

@carpe diem
thank you. and where you also there?

survivingbrain said...

Belated Happy Birthday !!

Now i need that birthday treat (Martini, to be precise) when i come down there next time . :P

Anna IS Annoying. In fact, he annoyed me so much that i wrote a blog exclusively to bash him.
(And I did not understand anything of the dark corner and dimly lit road)

Nefertiti said...

@sb
thank you! and when is yours? we can plan the treat accordingly :)

No more Anna bashing. And everything on my blog is not supposed to make sense.

Carpe Diem! said...

Not at all. I don't agree with him, I don't waste my time dealing with mad Mumbai becoming even madder for him.

It's just that everyone is blindly following him and I can bet not even half of his "followers" have actually read the Lokpal bill. So, it annoys me that the people in our country are so easily swayed in by such blackmail and silly antics. His research about corruption was superb but unfortunately, his solutions aren't that great.

Carpe Diem! said...

But, on a happier and less bitter note, I'm a capri too! :D 18th Jan! :D

Nefertiti said...

@carpe diem

on a happier and less bitter note, capris ROCK!!! all smart women are capris :)

Imperfectionist said...

I told you.. You weren't drunk enough :P

Nefertiti said...

@imperfectionist
alcohol IS the root of all evils. So good thing I wasn't drunk enough.
P.S. thanks for the prebirthday party :)