Tinderboxes everywhere

"Pheroze, all well with you? Have your Hindoostani roots not helped you bear the summer this time that you need a tanker on call, 24x7?" enquired Lady Flora. She was referring to the humongous water tanker that was parked near her friend, Sir PM's pedestal outside the BMC office.

Looking a bit tense, Sir PM replied, "Oh, you noticed, Lady... Well, you see I was taking precautions. You never know..." She was unable to make sense of this sudden action taken by her walking companion. "Come to the point, Pheroze, you are making me anxious," she said in a tone that sounded polite but firm.

After taking a deep breath, he replied, "I am worried. I didn't sleep that night after reading about the fire in Notre Dame Cathedral. It felt like a part of me had been burnt down. I have such splendid memories of a trip with the missus. We spent an entire day marvelling at its wonders. We attended service and then lost ourselves inside its stunning French Gothic interiors. It was all very romantic," he shared. "Lovely reminisces, Pheroze. But you haven't answered my question - why the water tanker?"

"Ah, I apologise for that, my lady. I was digressing. My point is - I'd rather be safe than sorry. What if my former workplace, right behind me, were to catch fire? First the CSMT bridge collapse, and now this Paris fire. I don't feel very secure, and so I used my good offices with a former BMC official - a favour returned, actually - and decided to take a few basic precautions. At least, this will ensure there is some immediate action as soon as a fire breaks out. Going by the lack of swift action that I witnessed during the tragic accident right around the corner, this, I feel is a good way to stay one step ahead," he explained. All this while, Lady Flora was soaking in his words with unbelievable attention; she was all ears, and could feel his tense state.

"Pheroze, I think you've hit the nail on its head. All our landmarks, especially the older ones built in the 19th and early 20th centuries, woefully lack any protection from fires and other calamities. I might be surrounded by water but even that doesn't guarantee a safe haven for me. Look at the larger structures around us," she exclaimed, as they negotiated their way through their old familiar route via Dr DN Road. Sir PM was reminded of how he had to hastily call off plans to host a bash on World Heritage Day. "The noise is unbearable at night, Viegas. It would have affected your hearing even more," he told his doctor friend while sending out regret notes to his group of acquaintances from the neighbourhood.

Both friends did a quick assessment of the sites, and felt that several of them were sitting tinderboxes that wouldn't stand a chance if a fire were to take place within its interiors, due to negligence or a short circuit, the latter being cited as the reason for the Notre Dame Cathedral tragedy. "Imagine, even the efficient French, with their state-of-the-art facilities couldn't save the spire. My heart was gutted as I watched it collapse; I manage to catch a few frames from a screen window at one of those new department stores that has just opened down the road," she recalled. Sir PM added, "But Lady, our slow systems and babus don't even see these imminent scenarios. Er…have I said too much?"

"You haven't, Pheroze. We don't score very high on response time, if you recall all the tragedies that our dear city has been subject to - natural and man-made. So what chance does a heritage building made from stone and wood have amidst all of this?" she sighed. "And look at how quickly they were able to douse the fire, with no casualties among fire fighters? We must applaud the French," she announced.

As they passed by the familiar junction where Flora Fountain stands, Sir PM went into history mode. "I recall witnessing this great fire that had taken over the Fort area back in 1944. Bombay had never seen anything like that. It was down at the docks, on a ship called Fort Stikine. That was the worst, I am told. May we never have to witness such destruction," he lowered his voice as the two spent a few silent moments near Lion Gate that opens up to the city's dockyard, before heading back to their respective pedestals.

mid-day's Features Editor Fiona Fernandez relishes the city's sights, sounds, smells and stones...wherever the ink and the inclination takes her. She tweets @bombayana
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