The Islands Within

Pages: 168

I once met a young craftsman from Khairani Road in Saki Naka,an expert in folding paper and book production. He now has a job as a security guard in a mall near Mulund. His pay has doubled; he has a uniform and worker rights,plus dignity of labour and a secure future. Does he regret not binding books? He says,yes. But he is learning to read them in a bookstore in the mall,instead of being incarcerated in terrible living conditions in a Mumbai shanty.

It is a question one has been grappling with in the past decade or sothe transition of Mumbai from an industrial-scale mill city,mostly informal,and over-worked and inhumane,into an urban financial centre.

Which is why,City Adrift by journalist Naresh Fernandes is a suitable gift to Mumbai. Fernandes fizzes with urban angst and seeks reforms for Bombay. He informs at the end of this short biography of the city that the re-islanding of Mumbai does not bode well for its future. A city can flourish only if it has common ground to make common cause.

His little detective work with Island City Centre,a residential enclave,helps us understand the nature of the real estate boom and the primacy of gated communities. Fernandes is worried that these islands of reclaimed land and city-complex centres will be detrimental to the mish-mash of cultures that make Mumbai. This is the central theme of his book an omnipotent city losing its clout. His 168-page plea,which has been beautifully printed by Replika Press,attempts to understand this city of greed that governs the lives of millions. He tries to revitalise a link between urban enquiry,mass struggles and the inhabitants of the city.

But it is not all doom and gloom. The trivia that laces the book is fun. Be it the cemeteries on Antop Hills or the pseudo-glorification of Dharavi or the Bhendi Bazaar gharana or the arrival of ice from the US.

Some arguments about how to improve or save the city have been put forth by others. Notably,Govind Narayan in his Mumbaichya Varnan,which was written 150 years ago. Fernandes doffs his hat to Narayan,perhaps the first chronicler of the city.

In City Adrift,the author traces Mumbais history and highlights the emergence of capitalism and the many upheavals in the city. Notably,Mahatma Gandhis myriad satyagrahas which were funded by Mumbaikars. Then,trade unionism or Ambedkarite alignments. Finally,the emergence of the Shiv Sena brand of militant politics which led to communal riots in the early Nineties.

In this easy-to-read book,Fernandes aims to break out of the theories that dominate discussions about the future of the city. He places peoples development at the centre of the debate.

As I finished reading this book,I

recalled a time when I saw a Koli woman complete a negotiation. The buyer,who represented a hotel chain,didnt have the cash to pay her. The Koli woman said,no credit. I thought this was a stalemate. But no,she pulled out a credit card machine,booted onto a battered cellphone,and completed a cashless deal. This is the spirit of Mumbai that Fernandes celebrates. The magic of its mercantilism,and money as the ultimate equaliser. And I believe it is thisalong with people powerwhich ensures our city isnt adrift.

Ramanathan is a Mumbai-based playwright