Atlas Shrugged

The BMC/Best strike was called off in a day. Reminded me of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. The city held to ransom by incompetent thugs, who resort to underhand tactics to get what they really don't deserve. And more importantly, what they do not earn. BMC workers earn, on an average, more than what a post-graduate does. And they work less, like most MW's can tell you. They went on strike (or mass casual leave, as they prefer to call it). The garbage didn't get picked up (so what's new?). And commuters took a rick to the station instead of packed buses (so what?). And rickshaw drivers charged a bit more on some routes (so what, they also need to eat) And we still walked in the filth, muddy potholed roads and life went on. The city was a bit more smelly than usual, but we are so used to it, that it didn't make a difference.

Thinking about the book, I wondered what would happen if the people who ran Mumbai - the industrialists, the service providers, the entrepreneurs, the NGO's - all decided that they have had enough and moved out. We've all heard stories of visitors coming to the airport and turning back mid-because they were so disgusted with their first impressions of the city. What if the bad roads, the lack of infrastructure, the endless traffic jams, the flyovers with craters, the jampacked trains, the sales tax et al led people to decide that they have had ENOUGH. And decided to move out to someother place which they could develop. What if like Atlas, the people who move this city, decide to just shrug and say 'Go to hell'?

What will this city be like - left to the likes of BMC, the MTNL employees and their like? Shudder. Shudder.

That day WILL come. God bless all of you who remain behind.