Mumbai - Proud of it !

I was contemplating on what I should write about from the entire spectrum of incidents that occurred following what happened in Mumbai on 26^th July 2005.

I decided to write about something which almost everyone has seemed to miss – The people of Mumbai.

I was a part of the scenario, first-hand, on the roads, drenched not from the rains but from the water below rising upwards, and I swear I was proud of it. Not because I walked the entire 16 km home, but because I was a part of this Mumbai, this “Aamchi Mumbai”. The people, the spirit, the enthusiasm, the just-do-it attitude – the least one can do is salute it.

The stories, the experiences that have come up about the people have just reminded everyone that “Sir, we are still humans after all”.

Local residents came down on the flooded, choc-o-bloc with traffic, streets, distributing drinking water, tea, biscuits, bananas, cooked food to the people stranded in their vehicles. The thousands of people walking unimaginable distances were stopped, told to relax, have a bite, make calls home and then continue after a good refreshing break.

Everyone was a stranger but a “Mumbaikar”.

Least concerned about their own homes being under water, there were the “heroes” helping women, children, elders on the streets with any kind of help needed and if possible some shelter.

Food packets were thrown into stranded trains full of people.

Despite the hunger and the fatigue, no one fought over food. Everyone shared a bite, seeing to that maximum people get a share of the food trickling in.

A simple middle class lady had dozens sheltered in her house, feeding them with whatever she could, when her own family was missing.

People having jeeps or trucks just kept on ferrying people across the flooded streets till they could.

Youngsters carried kids stranded in schools and streets to safe land.

Radio jockeys of all FM stations were up all night taking messages from people, broadcasting help information, sending help to the distressed and the isolated.

Restaurants and hotels supplied food to the schools where hundreds of students and teachers were sheltered.

Human chains formed out of nowhere to guide pedestrians along the right track.

Where the authorities claimed they could not reach, the common man reached there to help.

The list goes on and on.

Who says Mumbai is a cold place where people have no time for each other?

Who says people here are selfish?

Who says heroes are only in legends or in movies?

The spirit was there, is there and will always be there.

Been there, done that.

Proud to say “Mumbai Rocks!!!”