Whatever is happening in Mumbai is sad as well as shocking. If you can be attacked and bullied like this in your own country where are you safe then? The recent violence against north Indians in Mumbai is nothing unique; it mostly happens against communities and now it is happening against people belonging to a different region. This whole mess was started by Bala Saheb Thakarey a few decades ago and this political minion called Raj Thackery is trying to re-ignite the old hatred against non-Mahrastrians. This happens when unjust, misguided political issues are not suppressed with brute legal force.
Many years ago immediately after the independence Sardar Vallabhai Patel consolidated various wayward states and helped build a unified India. Ever since then every Indian is free to go anywhere for the purpose of living and occupation and it is one of the fundamental rights given by our constitution. If a few Maharashtrians don’t like people from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh or for that matter Punjab coming to Mumbai and settling down there, well too bad; nothing can stop them as long as Mumbai doesn’t become a part of some other country. Certainly Mumbai doesn't part of any other external country and anyone's kingdom's capital. Really it's a bullshit what it happens?
Take my case i stay in Bangalore and work for an IT major. i dont feel any difference with mingling people. Because just we can here to get money. Even along with me lot of Mahrastrians work along with us. Till now i dont have any issue with anyone, even they had with me. I too agree that some regional issues or language barriers might be there. But i never feel like betrayed. Do you think only maharastrians had developed your stayed or mumbai. If so go to the basics and listen the story of mix of various cultures, civilizations, languages of various place from india stayed together and built this wonderful land.
Can ask a simple question to Raj and other crook minded people? For example if someone does the samething against maharastrians in against in any of the southern states, then what can you do? or do you think by your attitude your region people won't be affected. Stop this shit game!!
I read on the Internet that the entire Mumbai film industry was wallowing in financial doldrums and it was only Amitabh Bachchan who gave hits after hits and secured the jobs of so many technicians and other workers belonging to Maharastra. What has Raj Thackeray done for Maharastra except for instigating people to commit violence and destruction? His political career in Shiv Sena took a nosedive when he allegedly got involved in a political murder. So what has he done for the betterment of Maharashtra in general and Mumbai in particular? Whatever Mumbai is today it owes everything to people from all the states.
Migration: Is it happens only in Mumbai?
Actually, migration happens everywhere. People move from city to city, state to state, and even country to country to seek better prospects. He says that the states from where the migrants are coming should develop enough so that the migration is reduced. Whereas it is true that Uttar Pradesh and Bihar must develop, migration to other cities and states is a natural phenomena. There are certain commercial activities that only happen in Mumbai. For instance, if a person wants to work in movies, he or she will have to go to Mumbai because the film industry is there. All major companies have set up their offices in Mumbai and when they hire people from other states those people have to come to Mumbai. So it has got nothing to do with just development; there are many other factors involved. It’s like, there are many Maharashtrians who go to the USA and other countries.
How should Raj Thackeray be treated, we were discussing this at home and Alka rightly said that he shouldn’t be arrested because then he will needlessly become a “martyr” and this will give him political advantage. Rather he should be allowed to become obscure. Violence, of course should be controlled but it should be tackled as a law and order problem and not a political problem. Calling it a political problem will needlessly make the issue important.
Personally I would suggest that the people being targeted should get together and put up a joint front. Running and cowering will get them nowhere and it will only embolden the goons. Instead they should fight back. This will not result in more violence; the threat of retaliation often maintains peace. Communities are only targeted when they seem vulnerable. You won’t find Raj Thackeray coming to Delhi or Lucknow and giving inflammatory speeches against north Indians because he knows that there people will beat the shit out of him.
Apparently the people in Uttar Pradesh are retaliating in a very novel way; they check all the trains coming from Maharastra and when they find Maharashtrian passengers in the trains they garland them, hug them and offer them sweets.
An Reality Story:
Whatever the Maharashtra government may say on the incidents of violence by Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), they have struck terror in the mind of the non-Marathis in Maharashtra.
Many of them are now making a journey back to their homes in north India. The jam-packed Kushinagar Express, which was once a lifeline for the poor labourers, migrating from Uttar Pradesh to their city of dreams, Mumbai.
The migrant workers came to Mumbai with dreams but they now swear not to return to Mumbai. A day after a 25-year-old migrant Dharamdev Rai from UP was beaten to death on a local train, his cousin Brijesh Rai took Dharamdev's ashes back home to Gorakhpur through Kushinagar Express. He calls his brother a victim of Raj Thackeray's divisive politics.
The pain was too much for Brijesh to bear, as he left Maharashtra forever. "With folded hands, I plead to Raj Thackeray. Please end your brand of politics. I am taking my brother's ashes home. No other brother should have to go through this," said Brijesh.
Other migrants from the North, like Vishwanath Panda, who used to work as a fruit seller in Mumbai. He has left everything behind in his chawl in Borivali and is heading home to Siwan in Bihar.
"They abuse and beat us up. I can go and find work in Calcutta, Punjab, Delhi not Mumbai. I can get work anywhere else," said Vishwanath Panda, fruitseller. There were many passengers on the train, who said they are heading home to celebrate Chhat Puja. Some others explain that there is a wedding in the family. But a sizeable number of people confess that they are fleeing from Maharashtra, scared and tired of the hate campaign unleashed against them.
As Brijesh travels back to Gorakhpur, he is unaware that six men have been arrested for killing his brother. Even if he did, it doesn't matter now.
A genuine request or you can take it's a warning to your regional heigimony or barbarism to Raj:
Please do something for the upliftment of Maharashtrian rather than Marathi, Marathi as a language is great in itself and not because of these so called politicians. why dont you come out and do something good for your people instead of harming popular people and trying to gain mileage for your party, there are so many people from the underworld scattered all around Maharashtra who have done henious acts like bombing.
Why dont these so called Maharashtra loyalist bring them to task.they are well aware of this but they will not have guts to mess around with them instead they harm people who are peace loving and done good things for our country. Take the places like Vidharba, i wonder have you anytime went and done the similar scale of action of the poor / farmer upliftment, never...this is reality, it's not only from you also from your family heredity...
Reality bytes:
Really you know, this Tahckreys why screeming that they are maraties, please read the autobiography of balthackreys father, they are original from Madhya Pradesh they also are migrated, you Thakreys dont scream like this if all original Marathies come to know this then they will kick you out from Maharashtra !! Jai Maharashtra we need peace , we need Bacchans, Khannas and the so called INDIAN's forever.
For me I consider whoever supports or propogates the barbaric regionalism, should be dealt in severe. Don't forget how Pakistan and Bangaladesh got serparated? See this is the same issue in Srilanka. So if this steps doesn't be stopped now, then we can make sure our children will read from history book like this..."....long long ago, there was a united country called India existed....".
Please stop discussing about regionalism, language issues, get united and see whether you have work, earn and live with your family in this beautiful country called India. Because you don't get or feel pain, unless and until it happens to your personal belongings, loved ones or in your family.... so it's time to decide which way you want to proceed ?
Excellent write up.We need more and more sane headed people like you on this planet. I wish people like you to be in politics or take writing as a full time career. We can't progress as a nation if we keep on having strong sub national feelings. It is ironical that when people from UP and Bihar go and study in engineering and medical colleges in West and SOUTH India paying exorbitant sum of money, no one objects. But when they go in search of jobs...
ReplyDeleteThanks Alka, for your views... :)
ReplyDelete