Kamla ka Hamla

The Kamla Mills tragedy 

& 

the White Line on the road

Action - A Boil on the skin

It was indeed a tragic tail end to 2017 in Mumbai, where a very happening social cluster bursting with champagne and pasta snuffed out 14 human lives in a fire related tragedy. 

The Kamla Mills Compound has now for sometime been the HQ for fun and frolic in and around the very corporate Lower Parel area. Thousands of young and upcoming corporate stars descend to have a time-out at the many plush establishments that offer an array of wine, cuisine and relaxation. 

A horrible fire broke out in one of these high end fun bars. Two lives were lost due to the fire and the rest due to fire RELATED suffocation. The cause of the fire is clouded in the smoke and ash of the devastation.

Whether the fire was caused by an accident or due to some other factor is a mater best left to proper scientific and forensic investigation, but what causes worry is the lack of planning and readiness for crisis management, considering 12 out of 14 died due to suffocation, a completely avoidable event.

Since it was quite late when the fire broke out [around mid night] it can be assumed that the patrons in the establishment would have near or over their tilting spiritual limits and that could also impair human efficiency, specially under panic and stress.

But what is central and most important is the loss of lives, an entirely AVOIDABLE tragedy, a LOSS only felt by the families who have LOST their OWN so abruptly and for such a Criminally frivolous reason.

Civic Apathy.... no.... Civic ANARCHY!!!! 

Reaction - A speciality ointment for skin Boils

The families too numb to fathom why and how on their invaluable losses.

A few shadow Samaritans did risk their own lives to react as humans. Insaaniyat still alive, thank you!

The print media poured gallons of ink, in thick Helvetica fonts, yelling out expert opinions and academic post mortem, while the electronic media couldn't contain their adrenaline levels and fingers on Social Media fluttered faster than wasp wings in peddling digital dope.

And finally the great heroes, local administration & government Babus [Doesn't matter BMC or who and also it even doesn't matter which political party is in power] arrived with the genetic Indian habit of rushing to a Dentist ONLY when your toothache becomes unbearable.

The authorities in a super fast sweep descended down on the Kamla Mills compound and demolished every inch of cement and iron which was existing without official permission for the past many years. With every hammer bringing down illegal structures, the media played the pastor's role with aplomb and splashed Holy water as if washing off the sins of ignorance and cash-backed omissions committed earlier by the authorities. 

   

And finally us, we, you and me. Well, with the poise of highly accomplished ascetics, WE, the aam janata, were able to not only put aside this horrible tragedy but WE were able to bounce back to the same bubbly spirits and pasta at the same location with a snap of the fingers. The Kamla Mills Compound and its establishments those which had been spared the glare and hammer of the authorities were brimming with people, smiles and wine... within a TWO days of the tragedy.

Symptoms - Look below the skin

Each time ANYWHERE in India, i.e. those few cities where traffic signals work and where those traffic signals are acknowledged, just try stopping for a red light. 

You will have the following events. 

A few vehicles will ignore the red light and just buzz off. 

A few will respect the red light but retain their Manly EGO by staying well ahead and beyond the white line of control. 

A timid few would stay back for the red signal before impatience gets the better of them and they inch forward as if threatening to leave if the signal doesn't turn green any faster. 

My eyes turn moist in memory of those rare diamonds who do not budge till the green light allows them to proceed, but not before suffering a high decibel attack from vehicles behind who are shocked at such a disciplined display.

Very few, specially very few policy experts or governance experts would identify this as a symptom to the civic apathy that we face today. 

I have read somewhere " If you want to know the character of a city just take a drive through its streets and the traffic will give you enough hints"

Coming back to Aamchi Mumbai and Mera Bharat Mahan..

Absolutely NO FEAR, NO RESPECT, NO SOCIAL CULTURE for SAFETY.......

Diagnosis - Impure blood

Very High level of IGNORANCE to reasons and logic of human and social well being, safety and efficiency behind civic rules and regulations coupled with a double attack of NO FEAR of being caught and NO FINE and no retribution have led to an EPIDEMIC of NON COMPLIANCE across the country.

From Ghaziabad to Gangtok, Kanpur to Kanyakumari, take a walk down any busy market place area and look around. You will find under a sky of dangerously criss-crossing electric wires an amazing spread of Indian JUGAAD delivered in fast food joints, restaurants, hotels with innovations on very vital things like gas cylinders, electric wires, plumbing, surface area extensions.........

If you did simple math, we would have an average of 17 disasters EVERYDAY... yes EVERYDAY.  But our Nation is truly running on Bhagwan Bharose... at the mercy of the heavens and hence,  though it sounds sadistic, even a few deathly disasters in a year is high levels of efficiency.

And this, is not just up scale restaurants, it is across every aspect of civic infrastructure. Illegal Shanties, dhabhas, incomplete road and PWD works, sewage systems [ Please recall the flooding in Mumbai and a PRECIOUS & ACCOMPLISHED Doctor who was lost to an OPEN MANHOLE], lifts just collapsing in buildings... and so many other areas of potential disaster, almost all due to NON COMPLIANCE to existing rules or LACK of rules. 

Disaster stares at us everywhere.

We sit on a tinder box EVERYDAY and that my friends, is the simple truthful Diagnosis, which is YET to be accepted, OFFICIALLY.

Prescription - Cleanse the blood

Citizen participation and more awareness amongst common citizens to the logic and reasons behind civic rules and the direct impact on the safety of their lives, their business and also a good run through the disasters which have occurred in the past due to NON Compliance.

Let us run Janata Adalats to explain the core theme behind civic rules is the safety and good of each citizen. On the flip side this exercise can also show out any current rule which is to the contrary and can go on the chopping block.

Even a SELFISH & FEAR driven albeit VOLUNTARY compliance from citizens is the best step towards evolved social infrastructure.

This BUY IN from citizens will be the MOST important BRICK in the wall of Civic well being and safety. Because NON Compliance, bribes and all deviations initiates from ONE INDIVIDUAL citizen's greed and ignorance.

Visible, swift and ruthless action for authorities found guilty of conniving with the defaulters. For example if the newspapers instead of splashing photographs of demolitions after the Kamla Mills tragedy had announced the immediate sacking of a dozen odd officials from service with their photographs and shaming them for their role in the mass deaths would have served as a great barrier for any future omission.

Zero Tolerance and Visible action against citizen defaulters. Period!

Loud noise, excited reactions, delinquent & delayed demolitions are like reacting to boils on the skin with an ointment which may even clear the boils, but it the blood which is impure, and until that is accepted and cleaned, you may expect such boils, off and on.  And again innocent human lives will be sacrificed to this disease.

Until even if we Indians get truly SELFISH, FRIGHTFUL and STOP at the White Line at a Traffic Signal we can ATLEAST hope for a safer and saner CIVIC infrastructure for the common man on the street.

Lets work on the cause and not just be a bunch of Pseudo RUDALIs on the effect.

Let us STOP before the WHITE LINE.......

Pray for the souls lost in this tragedy and pray for strength to their families to face this utterly ridiculous yet MOST PRECIOUS LOSS !!!!!

Om ! Om ! Om !