Recently, there has been growing unrest amongst a certain sect of people of Maharashtra. Their dissent being, the non-Maharashtrian’s taking away the jobs of the local people of Mumbai and Pune. Perhaps these claims are not entirely wrong, or perhaps they are a result of an emotional outburst, having lost their patience. Or maybe they are in-fact, wrong! It’s not a matter of being judgemental and providing justification to blame the locals or the non-locals.
It is very much true, that if one visits Mumbai, she or he would find people from all parts of the country, working in the cohesive crowd of Mumbai. After all that is what metropolitan cities are meant to be like. Yes, traditionally Mumbai being in Maharashtra had Marathi majority. But, countries grow; places evolve, cities metamorphose. That’s life.
In a diverse country like India, it is but natural that people from all over the country would like to come to the land of prosperity, or endless opportunities. Mumbai in India is perhaps the combination of Los Angeles and New York in the Unites States. People in Mumbai have their own way. Any person from any discipline would find a way to make money in this city. From the poorest of poor to the Ritchie rich, everyone is well accommodated to the best of their capacity. Anyone in the country who dreams of making it big lands up in this city. Shah Rukh Khan, the hottest actor in Indian cinema, is a glorifying example. Then there are countless Shetty hoteliers running small food stalls to big restaurants, thousands of bhaiya’s running small business, the pioneers of the business community, the traders from Gujarat. The scores of small retail/grocery stores run by the Marwadi’s. Every community has a sizable amount of presence in Mumbai.
All these people from various communities and different places have given Mumbai its own charm. The Mumbaiya language commonly known as Hindi is in-fact a hybrid mix of Marathi and Hindi, plus tastemakers of Gujarati, Bihari, and numerous others. If it were to be decided to send back all the non-Marathi people from Mumbai back to their native places, the whole Mumbai charm would be all but gone.
To end this dispute what is required is to find out the root cause. And once identified, finding solutions to tackle that cause. So, let us try to dwell into the matter.
Having lived amongst the Marathi people, I feel they are for sure not an aggressive and closed community. Contrary to that belief, they are forward thinking, non-violent, contained and a welcoming race. This would probably be the reason why the British choose Mumbai to make their base in India. Some of you might suggest am being a biased author, but believe my word, having seen different people, I can say for sure that Marathi’s are the least aggressive of the lot. Aggression is born out of passion, lust, selfish yearnings, insecurity and greed. The Mumbai in the 1800’s was primarily comprised of Marathi Brahmin’s migrated from the Konkan ghats and others from the interiors, which were the intellectuals or the learned people and native fishermen.
If the city of Mumbai has grown, changed and evolved as the financial capital of the country, the residents of Maharashtra should taking this as a compliment to their virtue. Its true, Mumbai enjoyed the blessing of being a port city, and thus became the point of contact for the seafarers of the past. But definitely there has to be something besides just being the port city, for tens of cities along the entire western coast of India, Gujarat to Kenyakumari would have been a potential candidate. That’s beside the point. That’s before independence.
Post-independence, the central government, or the Indian government, has miserably failed in creating a Mumbai in every state of the country. They have let the lone Mumbai grow uncontrolled. While it is true that every Indian should have the free way to work and settle in any part of the country, it is also a fact that the city of Mumbai cannot contain the entire Indian population, with or without the good will of the Mumbaites.
In world’s second largest populated country, if only a few cities are attracting people from the entire nation, then these cities are naturally going to get out of control. It should be the government’s topmost priority to create a city as prosperous and congenial as Mumbai or Pune in every other State. It’s a harsh reality that many people from Bihar are coming to Mumbai and Pune, seeking better opportunities. And that is absolutely ok, for if a deserving Maharashtrian can enjoy the benefits so should the others. But then why is it that there aren’t even 1/10th of that many Maharashtrian’s going to Patna or Bihar for better job prospects? Answer: Patna is not that lucrative, safe and congenial! It would be applicable to UP, MP, Assam, Kerala, et al.
Imagine every State of India having a couple of cities like Mumbai and Pune. Imagine a country with well-distributed inter-state migrations. That would be a superlative example of ‘unity in diversity’ in its true spirit.
It would be much more constructive and wise, if people start asking the State governments to work towards such initiatives than creating unions and organizations to counter these patience tried people’s outcries.
For the political leaders of Mumbai or Pune, giving tall speeches with a ‘kick them out’ flavour would only give rise to hatred and create a further divide. Not to mention, it would also tarnish the good deeds that have done so far. It would be helpful if they guide the leaders of the other States, giving them tips and advice, of what would it take to create a Mumbai in their own state. Or indulge in a positive criticism at most. This would be very constructive and result in a win-win situation for all. It will also help them in their own political growth where people would recognize them for their entrepreneurial skills. And at the same time create a better India!
1 comment:
Great post, makes a great point. Its the same case here in the US, where the debate about illegal immigration from Mexico rages on. People are arguing that instead of just building walls so Mexicans can't cross over to the US, the US should pro-actively try to improve living conditions in Mexico so people wouldn't need to immigrate.
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