Could the Jessica Lal murder have happened in Mumbai? Ever since the fatal shooting took place in Delhi's controversial Tamarind Court restaurant, Mumbaikars have been keenly discussing this question. Okay, much of the discussion has tended to be generated by those, who because they lead an active nightlife, have a greater sense of identification with the incident. But this question is not just about a small minority. It is not about people who live in the fast lane getting their just desserts. It is about the ethos of a city. And as such it is an important issue to consider. Could it have happened here?Probably uptill about a decade ago I can see a lot of people jumping to Mumbai's defence. We are not violent or hung up on maschismo like the north. The law is respected here. Politicians are not treated like demi-gods as they are in Delhi. These I imagine would have been some of the common reasons put forward in support of Mumbai's superiority. And probably till ten years ago they would have applied. But today?When was the last time you opened a newspaper without reading about a shootout? Cops shooting gangsters, extortionists shooting their victims, bystanders being sprayed by stray bullets. And where else but here do we find thousands of hapless people risking serious injury from stone-throwers everyday as they take a train to work? No. Violence is no stranger to the city anymore. Nor is lawlessness. Check out the manner in which people flout municipal regulations, building illegal and often dangerous extensions to their homes and offices, and look at the way people, particularly the young, toy with traffic rules. As for worshipping politicians, probably no political clan bar the Gandhis perhaps get the kind of reverential treatment reserved for Mumbai's first family. The truth is, a slow and perceptible change has taken place in the city, eroding what once made us so unique.What was it that made us so special? To my mind, it was the energy. Mumbai drew people from far-flung corners of the country. Illiterate, desperate, glamour-struck, ambitious - whoever they were and wherever they came they were sucked into the hectic pace of the city. It was as if Mumbai represented some precious land of opportunity - to be there was in itself a privilege, and one had to justify one's presence. It was a mutual arrangement. Residents were willing to put in toil and live with hardship, and the city in return offered opportunity and space. Whoever you were, you were welcome. This what made it so very different from Delhi, for instance, where what you were, who you knew and what you could get done were such crucial factors.Over the years, however, something has happened. I don't know if it is because some part of the city has got too fat and complacent or if life in the city has become that much tougher. But somehow it feels like the energy that was the life force of Mumbai is being drained away. And an appreciation of the city's many liberties has been replaced by a constant and bitter awareness of its many difficulties. More significantly, the city's old non-intrusive policy of live and let live has been replaced by a preoccupation with one-upmanship. A city that once prided itself on its lack of pretension has built hierarchies based on power, wealth, fashionability. Consider the weight decreed to status symbols these days: clothes, big cars, mobile phones, and what's next - guns?Despite all these factors, we may still be better off than our counterparts in the capital. Professionalism still counts for something here, the law hasn't yet completely lost its bite and life is certainly safer for women. On the other hand, ask yourself the question: Could it happen in Mumbai? Could a man shoot someone dead for refusing to serve him a drink after hours in a public place in front of a crowd of people? And if the answer is yes, it is something to worry about.
