--- Philip Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Had it not been for the Punjabis, the Marwaris, the > Biharis and the > purbiyas, Mumbai would have remained the fishing > community that it was. The > migrant nature of the city is what gives it the > luster and sheen. It creates > a kind of positive energy that marks immigrant > nations like the US or > Canada. -----------------------------
Dear Philip, As much as I would love to blame Modi for all the ills that ail India, the author is being disingenuous here. We don't have to wonder, how this will play out in Goa, it is already playing out exactly as it is in Mumbai and will become more amplified as the years go on. The truth is, human beings cannot be expected to live in cramped quarters, struggling for resources spread thin and then watch benevolently as further cannibalisation of limited resources takes place by new entrants. It is barely tolerable in places like America and Canada, where populations are relatively limited and even here the same debate is a serious election issue. Mumbai has a population of over 18 million people, making it the fourth largest populated city in the world, with the largest slum in south-east Asia to its dishonour. The author fails to mention that half this population, which would mean approx. 9 million people live in desperate poverty. The idea that everyone in Mumbai makes money is optimistic at best. Almost all of India's problems can be attributed to its population problem. India's most pressing and urgent need of the hour, is to figure out how to shift resources from urban centers into rural areas, thereby restricting a shift of labour from dire rural poverty to equally undesirable urban poverty. The second most important thing is to contain the populations of Bihar and the Pradeshis of India. Let us not forget for one minute, that it is infact big industry that deliberately enjoys the fruits of the unorganised labour, as it effectively means they don't have to contract them, don't have to pay a minimum wage, don't have to ensure their health, sanitation or safety and can make them work in abysmal conditions. Simultaneously, municipalities who are hand-in-glove, will then turn a blind eye as slums sprout in conditions not fit for even animals to survive in, and every other activity and malaise from prostitution, gambling, crime and disease runs rampant. So while big industry enjoys subsidised labour, the city rots. There is no use in constantly asking people to do, that which they are simply incapable of doing. Being gracious in the face of despair and that unfortunately is what Mumbaikars are feeling. selma ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping