The fine art of disruption

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Why are you looking so pale, Pheroze? All okay... blood sugar levels are fine?" Lady Flora's face was outlined by worry as she approached her friend who was waiting at Apollo Bunder for their midnight stroll.

"Thank you for checking. I am yet to recover after a forgettable time on the roads yesterday evening, when ma Mehta and I headed to Dadar Parsi Colony for cousin Mahrukh's birthday. It was a first...," sighed an exhausted Sir PM. Lady Flora replied, "That is because you rarely leave your safe haven in SoBo. You must head beyond the Fort more often," she continued. Sir PM looked a tad peeved. "You were not there to experience it, and thank goodness. The missus and I got stuck as procession after another greeted us; people were ushering the elephant god to their homes. All that is fine and I have witnessed it a million times. But what took us by surprise were the inflated levels of noise and tamasha around it. I saw so many people around me who were inconvenienced. Heaven knows how they reached their respective destinations."

Lady Flora jumped in, "I can only imagine your plight; please continue..."

Sir PM began, "Both of us waited helplessly as traffic was disrupted for hours with no updates or warnings to use alternative roads. Even the taxi driver was fed up as we wormed our way through this mess. He, too, agreed that this was unusual and totally avoidable. I watched senior folk abandoning a cab and walking on the crowded road; another couple with an infant in their arms also left their taxi and did the same. The dividers were milling with jobless pests, perched on the little space, creating a nuisance like monkeys in a zoo. Bikers added to the chaos, driving like maniacs, putting lives at risk. There was little guidance or help around if you were in a soup. The missus was beginning to feel car sick; luckily, the homemade lemonade helped," he added, sounding most agitated.

Lady Flora felt awful for her friend. "I am sorry for judging you, and for your plight. I am surprised that this unspiritual song-and-dance is becoming rampant. Rules were clearly broken. Why disrupt such a beautiful, solemn affair with this jamboree? I wonder if our gods appreciate this..."

"In fact, my Lady, it is not one episode. All our festivals are moving further away from their core, and lack of concern for fellow citizens is the first sign of this departure. I wish that every year at least one pandal follows the example of the Keshavji Naik chawl celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi," sighed Sir PM, quickly adding, "It will fall on deaf ears. In fact, I wonder if these overzealous folk can even hear what Lord Ganesha wishes to tell them amidst this din."

Both headed to have a sneak peek of the preparations of their fave pandal in Fort, and promised to return later to seek blessings.

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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