Paranoid city

The “maximum” city gets more and more paranoid with each day. Last week, it took me more than two hours to reach Bandra from Vashi – the check naka at Mankhurd just after Vashi creek had nakabandi in full force – there were three barriers side by side on the road and the police was letting one car pass at a time. The queue of waiting vehicles reached half-way to Pune. It was the evening before Republic Day.

Same situation last night. An hour to Chembur, over half an hour in line to get past the nakabandi.

Republic day eve. Republic Day. Election eve. Elections. Whatever.

Flashing signboards in red at all major junctions – slow traffic – nakabandi in progress for your safety. No doubt. Metal detectors at movie halls, shopping malls, open spaces. Bag checks. Suspicious glances too?

The last straw – sign on a BEST bus reading roughly – instead of looking out of the window, look around for suspicious people around you. I mean, what? Fuel paranoia that anyway exists. And breed paranoia if and where none does?

1 comment

  1. Agreed.
    The way marathi message is written in almost all buses,
    it’s one of the rudest one I have read anywhere in the city.
    प्रवासात खिडकितून बाहेर डोकावण्यापेक्षा आपल्या आजुबाजूला कोणि सन्शयास्पद हालचाल करत आहे का? ते पहा

    Though your translation is almost accurate, the insult to the passenger that is very clearly conveyed in Marathi is hardly reflected.

    >> the police was letting one car pass at a time.
    Most of the roads don’t allow more than one car to pass at a time any way 🙂

    To travel from point A to B in Mumbai is getting disastrous!

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