#RandomThoughts The "day after" syndrome that hits us all on the completion of a festival is perhaps at the maximum today . Thank God it's a holiday , for some reason , I am not sure why . Not that we had a very busy festival with guests , rituals etc. For the last couple of years , we have even stopped bursting crackers. I find that it is much better to observe others bursting crackers and burn their money in smoke . Anyway someone else will do it . Let them do . So I myself put the earphone on and enjoy the fun from my balcony .
The morning started a little later than ordinary with a mild feeling of guilt watching the sweepers working on the roads strewn with debris of last night's festivities . We take so many things for granted;, I again had that feeling of gratitude towards the sweepers.. Most probably they are temporary staff employed by the municipal corporation . Within one hour , the roads were clean , like any other day . That was a redeeming feature and a message to lucky lazybones like me that not everybody is enjoying a holiday .
Mumbai is definitely a city which shrugs off everything in its stride and brings back life to normal very quickly . As I picked my copy of The Indian Express after opening the front door of my flat , I couldn't help wondering . And again that feeling of guilt . So many people took the pains to write , print , deliver this newspaper to my doorstep. I wouldn't have complained . At least today .
The biggest change that has happened in the last three years or so is the polarisation of the society . It has now reached the ridiculous stage when the simple act of watching a movie is taken as affirmation of your political leanings. This may seem to be joke on the surface , but actually is just the tip of the iceberg. If one cares to look around , we will find how people are getting alienated from those considered close once . And getting aligned to new people . This is all happening actually , more on the virtual space . Anybody putting up a brave face and denying this fact is just living in self denial .
A major fallout of the hype and hoopla attached to everything that is being done by our rulers is the big question mark on the credibility of their actions. A news like killing of fugitive undertrial prisoners is being taken with a lot of cynicism by many . Within eight hours of the incident happening , doubts are being raised on the authenticity of the "encounters" . Again that divide is responsible. Winning of hearts is more important than speaking your heart out , so it seems . But then , when all doubts raised , all questions asked are taken as opposition to a viewpoint and the unaligned are pushed to either fall in line or risk branding as antinationals , this sort of polarisation is bound to happen .
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