'Mee Mumbaikar' or 'Meech Mumbaikar'???

I have been out of home for almost two years now. Like most ex-patriots, if I may call myself that, I have been a part of a small group of people from my hometown. Not that we do not have friends outside these few, we certainly do, but yes, we do cling on to each other as we have a lot in common, in terms of our expectations and problems staying away from home.

Almost all of us have some time or the other experienced, to some degree or the other have been at the receiving end of step motherly treatment just because we are not natives.
Our experiences have been as diverse as can be. Some luckier people have just had to bear the frustration of rickshaw drivers and bus conductors.

The worst affected have been those who have their own vehicles. Without any exception, all of them have ended up in an argument with another driver, which is quite a routine when in traffic. What has been sad though is that if you end up having an argument with a native, the main reason for the conflict is left aside and it becomes a war of natives vs non-natives. They bluntly ask the question, “tum kaunse gaun kaa???”(which town do you belong to).
This is puzzling.

There is the sentiment amongst the locals that we actually come over and snatch a bite of their food from their own plate. Stories of maids asking for a raise with a justification that, “aapko bhi toh mil raha hai naa”(even you are earning, so…). If you have not heard these stories earlier, they may seem bizarre, but they are quite truly, a reality.

What these people do not realize is that when people come into the city they give rise to a lot of businesses. They live in rented houses, eateries do a lot of business, transporters, both organized and unorganized. Instead of being thankful to the direct beneficial fall out of the influx of people into the city, they feel an uncanny hatred towards the “non-natives”. Extremists carry out kidnappings, commit brutal murders, where money is not the motive but to spread fear in the minds of the non-locals.

The government also exploits this sentiment through gimmicks like blaming a person of the stature of NRN of not doing anything for the common man.
Such a shameless thing to do! Being in the government themselves and expecting a person from the private sector to work for the welfare for the people.

The irony being the fact that foreigners, namely people with a different nationality are not treated this way.

We used to find solace in the fact that, “Amchi Mumbai ashi nave!!!”(Our Mumbai is not like this). We would tell each other stories of how we grew up with very few Maharashtrian friends. We believed Mumbai is as much theirs as it is ours. Mumbai’s biggest strength has been its accommodating nature. Mumbai has always been proud of bring able to provide means of livelihood to one and all which is one important aspect of what we call the spirit of Mumbai!

After witnessing on television, the way the issue of non-natives in Mumbai was politicized by a local party raised a doubt in all our minds. We felt extremely sad and somewhere deep down in our hearts, we all cried, “Aapli Mumbai kadhich ashi navati!” (Our Mumbai was never like this before)