Mumbai ka King kaun ?

Tring tring....I am deep in sleep. Who is calling at this time ? 4o clock in morning ...damn. Whosoever is it, I am not getting up. Tried reaching for phone from my bed, and spilled the water glass over my new iPhone. I am already miffed with $150 first month bill from ATnT, and whosoever is calling, will have to pay for if the phone is gone...well no damage it seems. The number is from India. Picked up the phone, and its an old friend from Pune.

'Sup dude...do you know some consultant there for US Visa ?'

'Abe you dont have any other decent time to call for such an 'important' information? Google it... abhi letme sleep...why all of a sudden ?'

'Yaar things don't seem to be fine here...some other day there were pamphlets in our locality saying that change the name on your nameplates to Marathi..If we have to live like immigrants in our own country, why not live abroad ?

Call over, slept and then left for office in morning. Day passed on smoothly, and back home tuned in to CNN IBN for news. They are showing these clippings of Drona music launch repeatedly, and then Jaya Bachchan`s controversial remarks.



Suddenly after these flash of clippings , some loud background music is played to create tension, a reporter with a grim, stern face and a beard (as if someone has just died in his family) starts highlighting this 'national crisis', and then the images are superimposed with Raj Thackeray`s response to the speech, where he mentions he wont allow any movie from Bacchan family to release in Maharashtra. Amitabh`s apology is shown, and 'Jaya ko lagi Amitabh ki fatkar...' comes the headlines, and in the end comes the poll...'Kya Amitabh ne Jaya ko fatkar lage ke sahi kiya...? Hame SMS kijiye'.......Sad state of national media !

Coming back to the controversy, I don't see any reason why Jaya Bachchan or Big B should apologize. Hindi is our national language, and agree or not, more known and widely spoken. Second thing, speaking in Hindi in Maharashtra is not akin to disrespecting Marathi. Thirdly, Maharashtra is not owned by Raj Thackeray and family, and nowhere the constitution of India or law of the State mentions that people living in Maharashtra will have to speak in Marathi. Indians don't need a Visa to enter Maharashtra, and certainly Mr Raj Thackeray and family are not providing these Visas.

Thinking about Mr. Raj Thackeray, I wonder how his mind works? Is it just the political ambition of a failed politician, or does he really believe he is doing it for the benefit of Maharashtrians ? If latter is the case, it is really worrying. For people often if guided by fanatical obsessions for some group, be it their friends, family, state or religion, go to the extremes of hurting others by threats, violence, force and abuse, they end up bringing shame to the whole community itself, leave alone themselves. And since they believe they are doing it for the good of their community, they don't see any harm in their actions. I am concerned about the political implications in the context of the regional chauvinism that Thackeray is trying to whip up against the non-Marathi speaking population.

What happened to Saddam Hussein and his ambitions ? Whole Islam is bearing the negative connotations of what a handful of Islamic extremists propagated . Musharraf, Osama, all dictators who used threat, fear and violence to rule over others, are now living a shameful life hiding. If their objective was the benefit of Islam, it has backfired in the exact opposite way. Ironically I am writing this on 9/11, a day that reminds me of one of the worst manifestations of terrorism, which shook the whole of United States.

Mr. Thackeray please realize that you are nothing, and if you think you can dominate over others using your threats and force, forget it. If you need to feel important and noticed, grow a beard and go anchor one of these news shows on Indian television, and choose your background music.

PS: Read Big B`s Blog on the controversy, and the video below for his response