GOOD MORNING! HOW’S EVERYONE DOING? MY APOLOGIES, BUT I HAVE TO SHOUT OVER THE SOUND OF THE DRILLING OUTSIDE MY HOUSE. I FEEL LIKE IT’S EATING INTO MY BRAIN. No seriously, it’s out of control. The BMC (that’s Bombay Mining Corporation) are hard at work excavating Pali Hill. My sources tell me they hope to uncover a rich vein of aluminium (don’t scoff, it’s the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust*). Let me say for the record that I love aluminium. My laptop is made from it, as are many useful things around the house. BUT. Must we suffer the boys from the BMC (again, Bombay Mining Corporation. Who were you thinking of?) digging up all the streets in town, holding the populace hostage? Surely there’s a better way to fulfill people’s aluminium needs. Or at least they could plan it better, find a way to conduct their mining with minimal disruption of normalcy.

The reason I’m bringing this up is this: progress is inevitable. We need to move forward. We need to build roads, lay broadband Internet cables, extract precious aluminium for pressure cookers and what not.

But I can’t shake the feeling that we’re held hostage. That’s the second time I’ve said ‘held hostage’, because that’s honestly how I feel. And anyone who travels around the city can relate. Something simple like going out to buy groceries needs to be carefully planned, taking into account the insane traffic on the way, the inevitable digging in the vicinity of the shops, and the complete absence of any kind of parking. But we all fall into the classic ‘Spirit of Mumbai’ trap, and take it all without complaint.

It takes something drastic to shake us out of our stupor, and that’s really sad. Nobody cared about politics and elections until the 26th of November last year. Then we all woke up and started demanding answers from our politicians. Security is crucial, of course, but what about our basic rights? Don’t we deserve roads that don’t look like a land mine just went off? I think we deserve to live without fear that our city will be submerged come monsoon. I know I’m looking forward to the Bandra-Worli sealink, an ambitious project which started construction during the reign of Ashoka and is still not ready.

Honestly, I’m scared. Scared of what it’ll take before we stand up and demand what is owed to us. How much more will we take in silence? I fear we’ll just keep tolerating and adjusting until the city can’t take it any more, and slips into the Arabian Sea. Come on people, you deserve better. You deserve much better.

Replies: Rowena, I do wish I had a Time Turner. I’d stop sacrificing sleep. Kapil Jasra, I hope you enjoy the shopping expedition. Simta, that was a long flight; you should have said hi. Amrita, your filmi dialogue left me speechless. Isha, I carry my laptop everywhere and read letters in installments, in between whatever else I’m doing. Camran, dude I’m glad you found my column refreshing. Darshan, your script better be mind-blowing if you want me to act free of cost! Sayesha, acting is a lot of hard work, and very time-consuming, but if you really love it, it’s very satisfying. Aman, thank you for your faith in me. Naina, I’m looking forward to giving you an interview in a few years. Anamika, I’m sorry I didn’t say hi to you. Forgive me?

Love to you all.

*source: wikipedia

Write to me at imran.khan@hindustantimes.com