Opinion ‘Spirit’ is not freely chosen

And who is to blame? The convenient “aatankvadi”. It’s easy,isn’t it? Any law and order lapse is aatankvad. Any lack of civil order is aatankvad. Aatankvad is the easy way out,it conveniently deflects blame away from the lack of law and order. Of any possible nexus between the terror creators and the corrupt in the system.

How can such an important nerve centre of the country be so callously dealt with? Mumbai is such a tempting and easy target,and sometimes the solution to this mayhem would lie in simple solutions. These may not be the best but it would be a start,and a whole lot more than what’s being done today. Here are five reasons why Mumbai will always be a sitting duck for such attacks :

Easy 1: Crowded streets are easy targets. No point attacking empty roads. Can we do something about this? Yes — control pedestrian movement. Ensure that it is not haphazard and people running around and crossing streets,as and how they please. The footpaths are almost never used. People believe it’s their birthright to walk on the roads. Controlling crowd movement will minimise damage to life.

Easy 2: There is garbage thrown everywhere. Bags and leftover food strewn around,people chucking rubbish out on the streets. When a whole city is treated like a trash can,it’s hard to be suspicious about any package,unlike in the West where any odd package stands out like a sore thumb. There must be strict penalties for littering. Garbage cans must be placed away from traffic areas such as train stations and bus stops. But this one is perhaps the toughest. But it’s time that the toughest steps are taken. In some of the best terror fighting countries of the world,80 per cent of terror attacks are thwarted due to civilian vigilance.

Easy 3: This is one city in all my travels where I see a total disregard for traffic rules. The rule-breaker and rule-maker are equally responsible,as both turn a blind eye. Many of the attacks involve vehicles randomly parked and typically also breaking signals,speeding,etc. And there are too many doing this to be able to single out the suspicious ones. We need strict enforcement of traffic rules.

Easy 4: Have a super-efficient response system that can instantly move into the situation. The entire ecosystem of terrorism response management has been developed to the finest sophistication and accuracy by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). Over the past 50 years,the Israeli government has introduced several measures to prevent terrorist attacks or mitigate their effects. Those that inflict terror seem to always find new ways to subject others to pain and destruction. Indian security seems to be continuously battling it with outdated means and total lack of anticipation. It reads like a joke that after the attacks are inflicted,a high alert is issued in all major cities.

We seem to be happy designing post-attack counter measures while they find a totally novel way to cause unexpected destruction,again… and again… and again. The element of surprise is what keeps them ahead in this battle. And the lack of foresight takes us several steps back each time. If we are incapable of developing such a system,maybe we should seek help from those who have mastered it. We cannot remain defenceless anymore.

And finally,the not-so-Easy 5: Our own internal battles of corruption and hidden agendas. J. Dey’s death is termed an attack due to professional reasons while the blasts were terrorism. How different are the two? The signal sent out is the same. Public life is in constant jeopardy. Mumbai,once the safest city in India,is today one of the most unsafe. How is it that crime has resurfaced to such open and blatant levels in full view of the protectors? Crime is lurking right behind each of us and we can do nothing about it because our system is weak,inefficient,incapable and unwilling.

From Bombay being the flagship city of India at one time to Mumbai today struggling to cope with the basics of existence,it is being pulled down rapidly. Why,by whom,to what end… I cannot tell. From a slogan change of “city of opportunities” to “city that never sleeps” and more recently,“the spirit of Mumbai”,assigned by the self-proclaimed guardians of the city.

I have lived through three big civilian terror attacks here and several other communal clashes, no less damaging. And I can only imagine what Mumbaikars went through during the shattering floods. On each occasion,there were those Mumbaikars who stayed home watching the soap opera unfurl on TV. And then there were the Mumbaikars who headed straight off to work the next day. Salute the spirit of Mumbai! But little does the rest of India realise that this spirit is not because it is high but because it is at its low. Low because it worries for its tomorrow. Worries for its today.

Mumbai rocks. Yes. But mostly,between the acts of violence inflicted by political knives and the attacks on humanity,in the name of humanity. The spirit is struggling to survive,while the rest of India hails it. And the guardians of Mumbai conveniently adopt it to divert attention from the real crises that face the city. It’s sometimes uncertain who is causing such acts in Mumbai. But it’s always uncertain who runs Mumbai — the mother,the father,the son or the holy spirit of Mumbai. Amen.

The writer is CEO,‘Product of the Year’,India,and has worked in advertising for more than 20 years