Mumbai Diary: Monday musings

The city — sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce

Neglected at the Centre
We are not talking about the Central government, but the centre of the very nation itself. When some of our colleagues went on a trip and passed the Zero Mile marker in Nagpur, it was sad to see the milestone in a shabby state.

The British-made Zero Mile marker stands practically resplendent in contrast with the poor old milestone. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar

Of course, the original monument, made of sandstone, which was constructed by the British to mark the zero mile point, is in good shape and stands in a garden. The Zero Mile Stone consists of four horses and a pillar made up of sandstone.

But the more prosaic milestone, which matches the other milestones all over the country, is in shabby state, a stark contrast. The Zero Mile point, which is 798 kilometres from Mumbai, is an iconic place in the country and while the milestone may be ordinary, it should be maintained with a little more dignity than the others.

With flying colours
They do not call this the city of enterprise for nothing. It earns its label and reputation in all sorts of ways.

A vendor (unseen) flies a parachute toy to attract customers at Juhu Beach during a sunset in Mumbai, recently. Pic/AFP

From little stores that carry almost everything, to other retailers who will do home delivery for something as small as a pill, the commercial capital of the country is all about the big E, which is enterprise.

This is the one amongst other qualities that makes this city different from the rest. So, it was with some bewilderment but little surprise that one recently spotted a vendor on Juhu Beach flying a little toy parachute to attract people to buy his wares.

A new height, we think even going by the level of innovativeness Mumbai shows. By the way,it is time to change UFOs Unidentified Flying Objects to EFOs Enterprising Flying Objects, after seeing this particular sight. Retail therapy business class.

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