What i fail to understand

I have not blogged for a week due to the torrential rains in Mumbai. I had written on my blog about "Monsoon Menace: The revenge of the pit" on my blog before the monsoon. I never dreamt the revenge would be this brutal. A collection of thoughts I had over the last week.

1. Why does Mumbai get such a step-motherly treatment from the center? Considering its contribution to India's direct and indirect taxes, Mumbai's infrastructure is a national shame. Delhi-ites will continue to remain the country's fat cats with the metros, commonwealth games, wider roads, cheaper cars, etc. But if such a calamity had struck Delhi, there would have been more deaths due to suffocation in cars. Attitude is where Mumbai wins hands down. We might just have 0.03 acres of open space per thousand inhabitants, but we have great space in our hearts. Tales of how Mumbaites helped themselves and fellow citizens abound.

2. So much for Mumbai's resilience.? We will discuss and debate, crib about infrastructure, blame politicians, BMC, Govinda et al but by next week catching the 8:37 local would be the only focus. Mumbaites for all their diligence and professionalism are surprisingly self involved. The truth is apart from the snobbish South Mumbaite and the film stars of Juhu lane, Mumbai is nothing but a teeming ant colony of middle class workers chasing 2 square meals of different sizes and dreaming of buying a flat one station ahead. The others in the city like the mafiosi and Gujju businessmen have other revenue targets to chase.

3. Why did Lord Indra retain South Mumbai's snobbishness? North Mumbai bore the brunt of not only the rain, but the bane of higher FSI and rapid expansion. Why are the mill lands that present a golden oportunity for the city to set right some of its imbalance, being squandered to fill the coffers of real estate musketeers masquerading as messiahs. I thought sale of mill lands would bring real estate prices down but they keep going up.

4. Does the city just have too much money? And does the taste of money leave Mumbai's politicians as toothless tigers ?

5. Lastly. Is chasing 600 sq ft of dreams after sixty fights for every inch every day a happy occupation?