February
2003. The carnival of cricket was about to begin. Like the preceding four occasions,
we were being told how the Indian side was the strongest batting lineup on
paper. Of course, the big ‘IF’-they deliver. By then, we had been used to the uncertainties
of cricket- the vagaries of weather, the ‘luck’ factor including the toss, the perceived
inequalities arising due to the Duckworth Lewis method and to an extent also
the influence of the match fixing mafia. But in spite of all these, the belief
in the national team and the hope that we would bring back the cup home,
remained intact. This was coupled by the fact that we really had a strong team
(again- on paper) that was capable of winning the world cup. The team started
on a good note and was getting better and better every match. They overcame
every obstacle with finesse, displaying a mix of team work and individual brilliance
to defeat their opponents. The hopes of
the nation had never been so high in the past 20 years since Kapil’s men performed
the miracle. All eyes were now set on
the final. Will an in-form Indian team with Tendulkar on its side defeat the
mighty Australians? Well, the final
turned out to be an anti-climax of sorts. Not only did the Indians lose, they
lost massively. The mighty Australians gave a clinical performance to bring the
Indians to their knees. A billion prayers, some stalwarts and ‘amateur’ professionalism
was clearly insufficient to defeat a professional war machine. The Indians were
still a better side on any other day. But to deliver when it matters- needs a
degree of resilience, professionalism and courage which the Indian team lacked
that day.
Two
cities on the either side of the globe faced the fury of nature at the same
time. Thanks to technology, both were forewarned. Mumbai and Houston-both have
been at the receiving end of nature’s wrath multiple times in the past. In Mumbai,
it’s an annual (or bi-annual) event causing devastation and loss every time.
Houston meets the same fate every few years. Both have limitations due to their
geographical positions. Also human misery is not often alleviated by the power
of money, implying that the populace of both cities suffered the same loss –
financially and otherwise. Unfortunately the comparison ends right here. As the
saying goes- Life is one percent of what happens to you and ninety nine percent
of how you respond to it. That’s where the difference begins. While the administration
was quick to respond in case of Houston with Disaster management teams,
emergency services and the armed forces swinging into action, Mumbai waited and
watched the nature’s fury unfold. The Houston authorities were effectively
responding to people, rescuing them from affected areas, arranging for
shelters, the communication mechanism working round the clock warning people
and preventing/minimizing losses wherever possible. To top it all, there were
self-help groups who are helping the needy, collaborating with the agencies. Hurricane
Harvey proved like the previous occasions, the robustness of the Emergency response
system in the United States.
Mumbai
was altogether a different tale. The administration was a sitting duck most of
the times waiting for things to get back, at the mercy of nature! Those who had
promised moon during elections were nowhere to be seen-as for the past many
years. Perhaps enjoying ‘pakodas’ in the confines of their cozy homes. Or
probably may even have taken off to safer places! Politicians who have sought
votes (and successfully) in the name of ‘Marathi manoos’ have betrayed the same
people who trusted them. And this has been happening for year after year after
year. The administration that was quick to act on ‘Mumbai ,tula mazyawar
bharosa nai ka” parody probably didn’t think that the floods were a reason
enough to act. The state administration was better than the city for they could
get more ‘photos’ of politicians working overnight out to the social media! The
agony is, common Mumbaikars –poor and rich have been going through this for
years. Every time, there’s a lot of noise in the print media, electronic media
and social media, occasional morchas. But then the monsoon ends and so does the
fire. The administration goes back to ‘normal’ only to be awakened the next
year. Don’t get me wrong- There are upright officers, some concerned
politicians, upright police men, professional railway workers and many in the
administration who have worked above and beyond their duty to help fellow
Mumbaikars. The city salutes these men and women who braved the odds of nature
and tried to do the best they can in the given circumstances. There is also the
indomitable spirit of Mumbai that has seen brave many such challenges in the
past and will continue to do so for years to come. But such isolated efforts
are clearly not sufficient to get the city out of rubbles. What is needed is a perestroika
– a complete overhaul of the disaster management process. Or at a bare minimum,
a complete implementation of the disaster management plan. This cannot be left
to the mercy of a few upright officers and some concerned citizens.
There
was an amusing tweet doing rounds at the time Mumbai and Houston both were suffering.
To a tweet on how people were looting homes in Houston during the hurricane, Mr
Anand Mahindra tweeted how the slum dwellers were helping the stranded with tea
and biscuits- the idea being to demonstrate the difference in human values and
culture of Mumbai and the US. Well, frankly, there are good and not so well
people all over. It has nothing to do with a city or culture. The key question
is – is that an answer? Can we rely on a few good people and a few good
officers and a few million prayers to rescue us out of situations? Until we act tough and get the act correct,
we will continue to praise the ‘spirit of Mumbai’ while a Houston gets better
and stronger at responding to the situations. At the end of the day, it’s the team
that is professional, has a strategy in place and delivers when it matters –Wins.
The others stay the same- A bunch of losers.
Note: India did win the world cup in 2011. That only gives
us a hope- Someday, Mumbai too can J.
