30 October,2017 08:30 AM IST | Mumbai | Asif Rizvi and Suraj Ojha
mid-day test drive » Contrary to the belief that Mumbaikars are khadoos and dispassionate, mid-day found that many opened their purse strings and donated for cancer treatment, food and even for music lessons
mid-day test drive >> Contrary to the belief that Mumbaikars are khadoos and dispassionate, mid-day found that many opened their purse strings and donated for cancer treatment, food and even for music lessons
Life in Mumbai is ruthless, and its people are usually short on time and money. But the one thing Mumbaikars never seem to be short on is generosity. In a test of the famed 'Mumbai Spirit', mid-day sent its reporters across the city to ask for donations for various causes. And we came across the heartwarming realisation that no matter how tough things get, this city will always have your back.
Passers-by shower money and compassion on reading our undercover reporters' pleas for funds. Pics/Sayyed Sameer Abedi, Pradeep Dhivar
Our reporters were posted at four spots across the city - Marine Drive, Juhu chowpatty, Andheri Link Road and Bandra Bandstand. They waited on the roadside and held up banners with different pleas - some were serious subjects, like cancer treatment, while others were more humorous, like requests for cash to buy beer.
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Unsurprisingly, people responded the most the cancer treatment plea, donating as much as Rs 298 in just an hour. But we also found that it didn't have to be a life-and-death matter for people to want to help. Many passers-by were sympathetic on spotting our reporter's banner stating that he needed cash to learn music. One person even shelled out R50 after spotting a banner asking for beer money. However, the donor did insist that the cash be used to buy food, not alcohol.
' Collected donations will go to a charitable trust
Striking a chord
Banner: Want to learn music,
have no money. Please donate
Spot: Marine Drive Promenade
Time: 1 pm-2:20 pm
Reporter: Asif Rizvi
Donations received: Rs 75
Our scribe, Asif, did not have a life-or-death plea - all he wanted was some money for music lessons. Asif posed as a newcomer to Mumbai, hoping to make a career in electronic music but struggling to find a job and support himself.
His story seemed to strike a chord with passers-by, many of whom quietly kept some money next to him and walked away, not saying anything other than 'All the best', or 'Good luck'. Only one person stopped to ask what kind of music Asif wanted to make, before donating Rs 20.
Beer with me
Banner: Why lie, it's for beer. Want to keep it real, donate
Spot: Bandstand, Bandra West
Time: 4 pm -5 pm
Reporter: Asif Rizvi
Donations received: Rs 50
Asking for beer money was more a social experiment to gauge people's reactions than an attempt to test their kindness. Unsurprisingly, most people walked past our reporter Asif after reading his banner. But there was one middle-aged man talking on his phone who stopped and began questioning Asif. He first asked whether Asif is from Mumbai.
The reporter said that he was from Pune and was in the city to find a job. The man suggested that he look for a job before wasting money on drinking. The passer-by then asked Asif if he was hungry, and gave him Rs 50, on the condition that he spend it on food. Before walking away, he cautioned, "You've given a commitment to use the money for food, not alcohol. I expect you to stay true to this."
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Buy me lunch?
Banner: Hungry, let's do lunch - U buy
Spot: Juhu Beach
Time: 5:30 pm -7 pm
Reporter: Suraj Ojha
Donations received: a free meal at a restaurant
Suraj's humorous banner won him many smiles from people at Juhu beach, but most of them just walked away without offering to help. A little over an hour later, two men in their 20s walked up to him and asked if he really needed a meal.
They asked the reporter whether he would like to have Chinese, to which Suraj agreed. They told him to accompany them to a nearby restaurant. As they walked there, they asked the reporter where he was staying and why he did not have a job.
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Upon reaching the restaurant, they told a staffer to give the reporter some food and a bottle of water.
Showering money and compassion
Banner: Wife suffering from cancer, current job not enough for treatment. Please donate
Spot: Outside Citi Mall, Link Road, Andheri West
Time: 4:50 pm - 5:45 pm
Reporter: Suraj Ojha
Donations received: Rs 298
As part of mid-day's social experiment, our reporter Suraj posed as the sole breadwinner of a family of three, unable to earn enough to pay for his wife's cancer treatment. He sat on the footpath outside the popular Citi Mall, with a banner requesting donations for cancer treatment.
Despite the heavy traffic at the mall, several people took time out to speak to our reporter and showed immense empathy; while some donated money without asking questions, there were others who commiserated with the reporter and offered words of hope.
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Within 10 minutes of Suraj picking a spot, a man walked up to him and asked where his wife was being treated and which stage the cancer had reached. The Good Samaritan gave him Rs 100 and said 'She will be alright', before walking away. Having collected Rs 298 in less than an hour, Suraj left the spot, convinced more than ever of the big heart that Mumbaikars possess.
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