While celebrations of Ganesh festival takes off in Mumbai and Mumbaikars embrace a season of euphoria, which is expressed in million voices and in a million ways, the United Nations’ representatives from 192 countries prepare to come together in New York for hair-splitting discussions on various world affairs in the annual General Assembly meet.
The Big Apple wears a festive look, thanks to the mélange of attires and potpourri of languages spoken by the delegates and heads of states. Perhaps Ganapati and the United Nations have something in common.
Although Mumbai and Los Angeles are official sister cities since they are home to Bollywood and Hollywood, there is much more in common between Mumbai and New York.
They are like two brothers, more so in the convergence of activities on two famous venues of the megapolises — the Dalal Street and the Wall Street. If Mumbai is the financial hub of India, then New York shares a similar status for the world at large.
Every up and down of the stock market in New York affects the world economy. Similarly, the fate of investors at the Mumbai stock exchange has had an impact in some of the biggest corporate houses in India.
New York took the British colonial name to shed its Dutch past ‘New Amsterdam’, and Mumbai got rid of its colonial ‘Bombay’ stigma only a few years ago.
The gigantic awe of the skyscrapers of Manhattan sometimes makes us feel as if those are not a creation of mankind, but of some aliens. Mumbai also boasts, perhaps, the tallest high rise in the country. NYC, the largest city in the US, is home to over 8 million people, and Mumbai accommodates more than 14 million, cutting across all socio-economic barriers.
If the Mumbai’s Marine drive is symbolic to the fast pace of life, the FDRDrive along the Hudson River allows the visitors and residents of New York a similar spirit that took a huge beating since the 9/11 strikes.
Mumbai, too, has seen the worst kind of terror attacks among all cities in India, thanks to 26/11. The 9/11 ushered in an era in terrorism, which struck with impunity outside the Indian subcontinent.
For instance, there is conclusive evidence now that Pakistan-born US national David Coleman Headley was a 26/11 mastermind who travelled many times between New York and Mumbai with a sinister plan to destroy many lives and symbols of modernity.
While Indian seers announced to the world the message of unity and peace — (the entire world is one big family) — the founding fathers of America envisioned a free and just world. While the US repents the decimation of native Americans by many of their forefathers, Martin Luther King’s ‘dream’ has finally been realised after a long struggle. Many of the social evils of India – — inarguably an ancient civilisation that had been accentuated due to periodic invasions and colonisation — are also being healed slowly but certainly.
While horrible maladies like terrorism, poverty, discrimination and injustices in the name of race, colour, creed and gender continue to wither away at the foundation of our civilisation, religious dogmas, authoritative and dictatorial forces still dominate much of the world today.
So much so that the deceleration of the progress of the civilisation — drenched in blood of crusades, jihads, slavery, revolutions and wars — seems to be unending. This is the key reason for Indians and Americans, especially the policymakers and leaders of the two countries , must leave aside the thought process of the bygone era and come closer to help building a new world order of peace and progress, where action should speak louder than words.
So much so that the deceleration of the progress of the civilisation — drenched in blood of crusades, jihads, slavery, revolutions and wars — seems to be unending. This is the key reason for Indians and Americans, especially the policymakers and leaders of the two countries , must leave aside the thought process of the bygone era and come closer to help building a new world order of peace and progress, where action should speak louder than words. President Obama’s India visit can be very significant in this light.
Amid this backdrop, a group of people prepares to celebrate their achievements and glory in a New York hotel. The NFIA, one of the oldest platforms of Indian-Americans in the Land of Bounty, is rejoicing on its 30 anniversary. It’s high time to raise a toast for all those who have contributed so much to the world’s oldest and largest democracy.
