Team-BHP
(
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/)
Hi,
Any team-bhpians attending the peace march at gateway today?
For information of those who are:
- Roads in the area to shut by 4:30-5
- be prepared to walk from churchgate. Parking will be very difficult.
- Don't carry any bags, just a bottle of water.
- Avoid stampeding in case of untoward problems. 10,000 people expected to come.
- Please obey the cops, we are not protesting against them.
- Don't get abusive and incite people.
- Meeting points are: Radio club, jehangir art gallery, leopolds, regal cinema and cafe royal as of now.
I'll be at Radio Club side. Any team-bhpians can come there.
Be Safe.
To all guys attending, please post names and which area you guys are meeting.
Wear a black band on your arm if possible.
I would be attending the march along with a few friends from the Radio Club side as well. I dont have a black band but would try and manage something.
Having been born and brought up in BOMBAY (as i like to call it) I wish I could, but as I am in bangy right now have voted no
let us know how it goes
Do give us updates on how it was. I hope it is a peaceful time and that people unite together.
I'm in Trichy - will not be able to make it to Mumbai for the event.
My thoughts and prayers are with all.
For all those going today for the peace march. Guys dont get confused, the peace rally is at apollo bunder outside radio club, make sure you dont go to gateway coz the congress party is also organizing something there, the way from gateweay to radio club is blocked so you have to come via causeway.. see u there at sharp 6pm today...
Just got back from the rally. Major traffic jams. had to walk around 5kms to reach colaba. Once there, all you could see was a sea of people. Atleast 50,000 people on packed roads and very little armed security around. There was an absolute lack of coordination between the various groups that organized rallies. However, the spirit of mumbai was seen like never before. People from every strata of society, and all sexes and age groups were shouting slogans and wearing t-shirts of i love mumbai, enough is enough, etc.
A few good samaritans were serving free tea and water as well to all! Overall, a great success in terms of turnout.
Posting some pics now. I'm exhausted and will post a more detailed write up and more pics later.
Really good pics Tejas and i really wish i was there as well. Such a proud moment for the people and this shows how a common man is concerned. Bit disappointed to hear the security was laxed but then common person is after all not a damn VVIP!
Just back from the Gateway of India. Amazing crowd! Still, no misbehaving and a good sense of brotherhood among the people. Felt good.
Couldn't go due to Engg exams. My gf was present with her friends though.
Some more pics in addition to the ones already posted earlier.
Had a beer at leopold's and must say, it felt good! The cafe has bounced back superbly! Salute to all.
One of the most awesome moments of my life here, what I experienced despite 2 hours in a traffic jam, my best traffic jam and i want to place it somewhere where I can read it for eternity.
My house was affected in the terrorist attacks, I wont go into the details here.
This are my reflections of the peace march and the area surrounding it as well as the enthusiasm & the consideration people went there with. These are what I went through.
1) There was no bullying on the roads in traffic, no one edged his vehicle into a small space despite the Regal roundabout and no lane demarcations.
2) Each one knew what is going on around them, next to me was a naval officer in civilian clothing on a bike, we were neighbours at the jam for over 15 minutes, he was sweating under his helmet and being pushed around by civilians who were going to the peace march at The gateway of India, after a few minutes, you could see the contentment in his eyes. A sense of pride, the glimmer of hope. He was happy there in that situation.
3) Each one of the visitors of which ever cast, creed, income segment, age, men, women, girls and boys, working or non working was intent on being there at the demonstration of peace and unity. You could literally touch the sense of purpose at that location.
4) There was a great sense of elation even amoung the cops, I interacted with a traffic policeman he concurred that there has not been such a rally without any incident at all and of the largest magnitude he knew of till date.
5) There was dignity amongst us all there. Dignity of women within close quarters, no molesting, if there was some pushing shoving, people formed a human chain, stopped in their positions where ever they were. Senior citizen saying no pushing, this has been virtually unseen in my life in Bombay, be it an occasion at the Taj or the Oberoi, the dignity of being there and the reason to be there was virtually "reach out and you could touch it" (for want of better words, i.e. I am yet seeking the emotion I want to be in after going through the peace march and later in the night taking my parents there).
6) There were some peaceful protesters shouting slogans (at a reasonable pitch) on Marine Drive.
7) The slogans were very very imaginative, I saw a group of the Bohri community of all ages walking down colaba causeway with very imaginative banners statements like " No security - No Taxes", their enthusiasm was unparalleled.
8) People wanted to protest and this was their way of protesting, info is that the police station was not aware of the peace march earlier in the day. All roads were jammed at 6 pm from Cooperage Bandstand, Mantralaya junction upto the Regal junction going upto nearly Sassoon Dock on Colaba Causeway alternatively known as Shaheed Bhagat Singh Road.
9) Volunteers offered water to people at the march, the area outside the Yatch Club - just before the right turn to the Taj is littered with thousands and thousands of used water cups. Very thoughtful.
10) Radio stations reported that there were television stars at the location as well, well in a sea of thousands of people they were unmolested, everyone around them behaved peacefully and the mood was sombre.
11) As you can see in the pictures posted by Tejas, people had bought T shirts with slogans proclaiming their love for Bombay/Mumbai (each one to his/her own)
12) I have studied in colaba, lived in colaba, family has businesses there, friends are there, its been a part of my mental anatomy, this time it all was different, its like each one out there was a visitor to my house/home and they all wanted to protest against the government's apathy.
13) The one very single message each one wanted to send out is that this time it is enough, we need justice done, even apart from justice a change in the style we govern ourselves, most important the way we chose who rules us needs to change.
14) People were lighting candles as late as 11 pm in the night, right opposite Regal, just outside regal on the road, near the barricade on the promenade diagonally opposite the Taj.
15) College students were buying Tshirts on the way to venue was hilarious, on the road a friend brings them a shirt, they take out their wallets and pay them by the side of the road.
16) One moment etched in my memory, a middle aged man walking down from Taj on BEST marg along side Wesley Church crossed the road, he held the Indian Flag in his hand, removed the pole from the flag, carefully held the flag and folded it and started walking. The respect he had for our country's flag and the care he took to fold it back was very very very visible.
That, my friends, gave me immense pride in my being there. I was not alone, though I walked alone there, cousins were around at their various businesses.
17) People themselves were taking the responsibility of managing traffic despite no cops, they did a great job. Each one of you out there, if you read this blog, I love you guys for your traffic management skills,
18) Drivers of cars were for the first time very very careful, no aggressive behaviour, no cutting lanes, there were also a lot of people walking between the cars, each driver made sure that he/she did not run over someone's foot as traffic was inching a few inches every few minutes.
19) All in all over ten thousand people would have attended the peace march between 4 pm to 11 pm and people were yet coming there.
Was a great experience, I would not like circumstances for the peace march to happen again, but then Bombay came together, today for a reason, the reason is simple, each one of us there is fed up of the way we are governed.
Each one wanted to say that now onwards the misgovernment is going to end and were there to protest the handling of the entire episode of the past week.
Regards,
M M
Manishji you have brought tears to my eyes. Very well written! Don't know what to say!
keep it up. God bless India. I'm proud to be a bombayite!!!
Tejas, nice pics & Manish, great narrative. You've captured the essence of it I think. I was glued to Times Now last evening after I got home because they covered this extensively.
There were some amazing slogans & banners & the frustration of the citizens came through very clearly. They interviewed a LOT of people - I was wondering if you were also interviewed Tejas?
Felt proud to be a Common Man, what more can I say!
The writing is on the wall for all those demonic politicians and good to see people stand out in large numbers there Tejas. Manish! a very moving narrative and today in Bangalore Mirror, I happen to see some demonstration pics from Islamabad where those morons were stamping and treading our Indian Tricolor and also Israel's National Flag and it was very sad to see that. Damn those morons, why cant they simply understand its the enemy within their country that is the epicenter of global terror.
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