Mumbai belatedly shows that it has a big heart

Mumbai: After a two-monthlong stupor, Mumbai is finally beginning to respond to the tragic massacres in Gujarat.
Lawyers, teachers, artists, actors, businesspersons, psychotherapists, students, activists and ordinary citizens are getting into the act and donating cash, relief material and skills for the victims of the Gujarat riots.
Although the effort is small compared to the wholehearted manner in which the city responded to the Gujarat earthquake or even Kargil, the momentum is slowly building.
“The state sponsorship of violence in Gujarat has, to some extent, had a negative impact on relief work in Mumbai,’’ says Chayanika Shah of the Forum Against Oppression of Women, which is organising legal assistance for the riot-affected in Gujarat.
“Fortunately,we are seeing a turning point. Last week alone, there were many protests and initiatives by lawyers, the Indian Merchants’ Chamber, the Indian People’s Theatre Association and ordinary citizens.’’ Others are, however, more cautious in their optimism. “People are waking up, but very, very slowly,’’ says Farida Lambay of the Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work.
“A few groups have started working to mobilise money and public opinion over the last fortnight. But the response is nothing like what we saw after the Gujarat earthquake or the Bombay riots of 1992-’93. So far, the bulk of relief activity is being carried out by Muslim organisations in Gujarat. This sends a very unfortunate message.’’
The last fortnight has, however, seen some heartwarming gestures in Mumbai. An individual donor arrived at the ActionAid office with 500 pairs of rubber chappals.
Anonymous bank employees and housewives have been flooding the Bombay Sarvodaya Mandal office with modest cheques and offers of help.
“We have had calls from almost 20 people, offering to go and work in the camps,’’ says T.K. Somaiya of the Mandal. Adds Dolly Thakore, who has been coordinating the Sunday collection drive at various petrol pumps, “The response has been encouraging, but not overwhelming. People have landed up with 20-kilo bags of wheat, doctors have contributed medicine, and a group of friends collected Rs 12,000 worth of toiletries. BPCL and HPCL immediately offered their petrol pumps as collection centres, Anand Mahindra offered jeeps to transport the relief material. Mumbai’s response has been poor only because there have been so few fundraising efforts.’’
Some activists feel the tepid response is partly due to the media’s Gujarat coverage. Says psychotherapist Charmayne de Souza, who helped organise a two-day psychology session to deal with the Gujarat crisis, “The press has not accurately conveyed the enormity and horror of the tragedy.’’ Concurs teacher-activist Radhika Pandya, “The media was full of articles and talk shows focusing on Modi’s future and the parliamentary debate.
Now, the personal stories are emerging and the relief movement is snowballing.’’ Adds artist-activist Sharmila Samant of Open Circle Arts, who returned recently from the Gujarat camps, “Nobody told us, for example, about how Dahod was systematically destroyed so that, as one woman said, ‘Ek chamchi nahin chodi.’
These were the kinds of stories which pushed us into relief work.’’
Over two days, Open Circle has collected “quite a bit’’. “We were touched by the generosity of strangers. Since we were giving the material directly to the victims, nobody even asked us for receipts,’’ says Ms Samant.
Adds a Colaba hairdresser who has been running an informal collection drive from her tiny salon, “So many of my clients just opened their purses and put Rs 5,000 in my hand. Gujarat has revealed both the bad and good in people.’’ Cash and toiletries apart, Mumbaikars have also started pitching in with their time. A group of students from Nirmala Niketan is slated to spend a month in the relief camps. A team of Mumbai psychiatrists is planning to offer counselling services.
Says Flavia Agnes of Majlis, “As Hindu lawyers in Gujarat are refusing to deal with Muslim cases, we are sending batches of ten to 15 volunteers of social workers, lawyers and law students to help people access the legal machinery—record statements, visit police stations and morgues. Activists like Teesta Setalvad and Mihir Desai are also working towards a People’s Tribunal for Gujarat.’’
Meanwhile, groups like Mumbai Citizens for Harmony and Secular Activists’ Watch are planning meetings and rallies in June. All of which may not add up to very much, but it is nevertheless a start.
“Our efforts have been sporadic so far. We need to come together to show we can be a force to reckon with,’’ says Ms Shah. Adds N.M. Brahmbhatt of Mumbai Citizens for Harmony, “We Mumbaikars need to realise that if we neglect the victims in the camps today, they will become terrorists tomorrow. Unless we act fast, we will cross the line from which there is no return.’’
(This is the last in a twopart series on Mumbai’s response to the violence in Gujarat).