77 - POTHOLES AND MUMBAI

Today's news is rife with the death of a nine year old boy and a fifteen year old girl, who fell off their father's bike, which had the father, mother and these two siblings astride.  Everyone is cursing the potholes and the government and the maintenance of the Shahpur highway, where the accident occurred.  Every Television news channel is highlighting the numerous potholes on the numerous roads.  The truck driver that ran over the siblings when they fell off the bike, is absconding and is going to be arrested.

Not one journalist or any other person has voiced the opinion that why were four persons travelling on a two wheeler, and that too on a highway.  The parents are to blame as much as the police that failed to stop them from travelling overloaded on a two wheeler.  And then why does the RTO insist on two wheeler riders wearing a helmet?  One can just look at children and women riding pillion behind and in front of two wheeler riders.  

Mr.Tata invented the Nano car, so that nuclear families would not endanger themselves by overloading two wheelers.  Specially school children, who wear their school bags, water bottles and ride pillion in groups of three and four, on two wheelers.  Often the child who travels on a scooter, standing in front of the rider, crouches on half bent knees and rests his head on the handle, looking very uncomfortable.

All this does not take away the blame of the road maintenance department.  Better to have a kachcha rasta than to have a pucca rasta with potholes.

76 - FIRE . . .

Builders advertise a very rosy picture for flats to be sold.  The first page of newspapers flaunt exciting images and lucrative offers.

 Hiranandani builders, Thane,  offer 'an address that's lively, convenient and desirable'.   With tennis courts, tree lined avenues, landscaped gardens and an exclusive gymnasium in the building premises.

The Regency Group, Titwala,  promises 'your dream home with lakhs of savings'.  No GST, no stamp duty and no registration.  Besides these promises, they boast of having won various awards, the affordabloe segment by CNBC, environment friendly award,  Times realty award for affordable homes, etc.

RNA builders,Mira road, boast about children's play area, senior citizen garden, 24x7  cctv surveillance, etc.

Rustomjee Thane, advertises that it offers a balcony,a squash court, tennis court, mini theatre, swimming pool, mini golf, party hall, spa, tree surfing, yoga hall etc.

Ekta builders, Goregaon, has a full page ad that  says 'an address that will make your life  luxurious'.
They will give buyers an experience designed by Holyfield gymn, with international equipment, coupled with the finest luxuries and comforts to let you live healthy for your lifetime.  No hidden costs, no club charges, no infra charges, no outgoings.

The Ozone Group, Dadar, has advertised that they are selling lavish homes.  And that 'thank god, money can buy heaven.'  A concierge, a podium, zero bricks, crack free construction, fire safety ducts and a fire lift.

These are a few details of only the full page ads that appear in newspapers.  Besides there are countless offers of flats for sale and hire.  But yet, none are promising  that the premises has a foolproof fire fighting system, except one project that promises 'fire safety ducts'.  But nothing about the wiring, whether it is heavy duty copper or cheap aluminium.  No mention of the trip switches or the fuse box or the common electrical room precautions mentioned at all.

As a layperson, I do not comprehend a few of the items mentioned.  What is a 'dry fountain'??, no outgoing??,  infra charges??,  tree surfing??,  a dedicated fire lift??

There are so many things that can cause a fire, and a multi storey is a death trap, no matter how careful everyone is, because the residents overlook many risks that can lead to a fire.

1)  The wiring in flats is usually cheap aluminuim wiring, and it needs to be replaced with copper electrical wiring.
2)  Trip switches should match the gadgets installed in each house.
3)  The main fuse in the common metre room should also match the number of gadgets installed in each house.
4)  Servants should be trained as to how to handle electrical gadgets like irons,  geysers, ovens, chargers, ACs and also the gas of the cooking range.
5)  Children should be made aware of the dangers of misusing power for video games, mobile chargers etc.
6)  When new gadgets like a washing machine, or a fridge, or an oven are installed, the owner should make sure that the the plug point is matching.
7)  Rats are a major concern because they chew wires of electrical gadgets and that leads to short circuits and fire.

 Once when we had bought a new Godrej fridge, it was installed with a small size three pin plug.  Within two days of use, we noticed smoke and flames ensuing from the plug point and had to take steps to put off the fire,  and thank God we were just leaving the house to go out for a walk, when we noticed the flames.  The company was unapologetic and just replaced the plug with a bigger one of higher ampere.  The plug point that had burnt off had to be repaired at our own cost.

I recall that there was a dysfunctional geyser in the flat when I came to the house as a new bride and I decided to replace it and get it functional.  The shops are freely selling the gadgets one needs but there is no way that I can hire an electrician who is well trained.  I was directed to ask around for a plumber or an electrician among the squatters on the footpath at Nana Chowk or Tardeo.  How was I to ascertain the credentials or expertise of persons that squat on a footpath, waiting for odd jobs?  Some of them look so poor, with tattered clothes.  Anyway, one person came home and fixed the geyser.  The next day when I switched it on, there was smoke where the wire was joined to the main line.  The man returned and put in place a porcelain connector, which worked for a few days and then it also started smoking.  It was a horrifying experience, and I would just wait for the water to be heated by the afternoon sunlight, instead of using the geyser.  Many years later, the entire aluminium wiring of the house was replaced with copper wires and then the geyser too worked safely.  But most of the flats in the building still have aluminuim wiring.

Another time, I dropped the electrical iron and after a few days, there was a minor blast in it and smoke billowed from it, giving me  a fright.  But I switched off the mains and saved the situation.

At a certain workplace the AC went up in flames all of a sudden and it was later discovered that the rats had chewed the inner wiring causing a short circuit and so the flames.  And it happened twice, in different rooms at this workplace.

Recently, an article in a newspaper outlined the precautions that should be taken for the electrical wiring of highrises, by Mr.KKK Nair, an electrical expert.  But where is an expert when we want to install an AC or a washing machine, or even an oven?   The company offers 'free installation' and thats it.  The follow up for any problems have to be handled by others,  whose expertise we have no means of checking.

All schools teach about electricity at the senior levels, but there is no practical knowledge given.  It should be a compulsory subject in all schools, and every student should be trained in simple awareness about electricity gadgets, how to change a bulb, how wiring affects the electrical charges, how electricity is dangerous, how it can lead to shocks or a fire etc.

At bus stops, the advertisements have generators installed to supply power to the lighting at night.  I have warned children not to hug the pillars that support the electrical wiring, even when they are with their parents, who are quite oblivious of the dangers that  that can cause.  The worst aspect of electricity is that it cannot be seen, only felt.

Electrical giants like Kirloskar, Bajaj, Crompton Greaves, HBL, Emco, Havels, BHEL, Siemens, and service providers like Reliance, Tata, BEST, and retailers like Croma, Vijay sales, Kohinoor, Godrej, should all make it a point to educate students and hold camps at crowded slums, and housing societies, to educate people about wiring, amperes, short circuits, fuses, trip switches, etc.

I visit schools during any function like an interschool competition, sport's day  or a prize day or even any wedding and am appalled to see how fans and lights and speakers are installed with the naked wires poked into the plug points, without any earthing wire or plug.  The temporary connections are dealt with by contractors and so no one bothers to interfere,

It is the duty of the concerned principals and administrators, who hire them and pay them,  to be aware of these minor problems that could lead to a major accident.  But who will bell the cat??

24 - SAUNTERING ALONG COLABA CAUSEWAY

As a child, my family and I visited Mumbai during the May vacation.  A must during our visit was a trip in the iconic BEST double decker bus, route 123, upto the museum at Kaalaa Ghodaa.  Then we would walk upto Regal theatre and continue on a shopping spree along the footpath stalls upto our favourite Kailash Parbat sindhi snack restaurant.

Unfortunately, the double decker 123 has been discontinued now.  But the charm of sauntering along the causeway remains the same.  The pavement stalls begin from Cafe Mondegar, next door to the Regal theatre.  Sometimes, when I feel lost and lonesome, I walk along these crowded pavements and lose my self pity along the way.  It is true that shopping is therapy for the lonely. 

There is such a variety of  goods to choose from.  I cannot use the term 'window shopping' because most of the stalls have no windows at all.  The wares are openly displayed.  Earrings and bangles, broaches and payals, necklaces and bracelets and bindis,  all shimmering and colourful and attractive.  Then come the scarves and the Indian salvars, the western tops and the long skirts and pyjamas with Indian prints and mottos.  Foreign tourists and Indian women too are seen bargaining and buying.  Interspersed are the stalls selling glares and bags and chappals and shoes,  all supposedly at 'cheap' rates, compared to the pucca shops that are present along the pavement on the other side. 

My favourite window shopping stall is the one that displays crystal rocks.  I slow down here, so that I can feast my eyes on the beautiful shimmering rock crystals that adorn this stall.  The interesting stalls are also of the ship-ware surplus objects,  like brass clocks, horns, telescopes, bells and items that have been salvaged during the dismantling of ships.  Some stalls can carve your initials and make made-to-order key chains, with metal and wooden bases, in a few minutes.  Ethnic Indian filigiree articles like jewellery boxes, vases, hookahs and wall hangings are also available.  There are fruit stalls and fresh coconut water stalls,  and the one Indian dancing dolls hawker.  I recall, how as teenagers,  we would always stop and watch in wonder at the two little plastic dolls that danced away without any battery or winding mechanism.  I shall buy one set on my next visit to Colaba.  The seller sits on one side and manipulates the dolls with thin strings which are almost invisible, and it seems as if the plastic dolls are alive.

These pavement stalls are only on the left side of the road.  When we reach the end of the stalls, we always cross over to our favourite sev puri shop, Kailash Parbat. 

There are many more interesting shops along the path.  Top brand shoe shops, watch shops, clothing shops, luggage shops, and of course the restaurants like Cafe Leopold, which became famous during the 2008 Mumbai attacks by the Pakistani terrorists.  And further along is the colaba market,  and then come Sasoon Docks, where From 4 am every morning, the fresh catch of the day is auctioned off to hoteliers.   Near the Colaba bus depot, is the Scenic Port Trust Garden, built along the shore,  from which vantage point, we can view the iconic Tata bungalow. And of course, the 123 bus route continues into Navy Nagar, a stronghold for the Navy residencies,  and the Afghan Church landmark.  This is also the spot where Parsee weddings of the richest of the rich are celebrated at the Colaba Agiary.

So, whenever we visited Mumbai as children,  we would attend weddings and navjotes at the Colaba agiary too.

Sauntering along the causeway always stirs memories of my childhood and that is one of the reasons that makes the walk memorable everytime.