Middle class should reset its mindset

By Suraj Kamath


I’ve lived in Mumbai all my life except for the past year. It was strange when I heard about the blasts. What struck me was that I wasn’t surprised. We seem to be a city that gets pounded all the time. I wasn’t surprised again when I heard that things are getting back to normal. I felt the grim pride that every Mumbaiite feels, the knowledge that we simply cannot be broken.

But I know that the people who have lost their loved ones in this attack are only feeling shock and devastation. I have no words to offer them, because words are useless in such situations. Action would be so much more worthwhile, but we don’t know who did this, and I’m not sure if we ever will know completely. All I can say is that we must prevent this from happening again.

I’ve lived in Singapore this past year, and what strikes me is the efficiency and safety of this place. The intelligence is amazing, even given the understanding that its easier to police a small island rather than a huge country with a ridiculously large population and a shockingly corrupt system. Singapore makes you realize what can be done when a responsible, visionary government holds the reins of power sufficiently long to make a difference.

The only idea I can think of is for the middle class to vote. We have to shake off our apathy, our aspirational, blinkered lifestyle and take an interest in public affairs. It is not a matter of changing the system right away. It’s simply about having a voice, about making the politicians understand that we matter. If we can do that, we can push for better laws, better intelligence and greater transparency. Right now we’re ignored, and what’s worse, excluded. And it’s our own fault.

I support the idea that NRIs should be given the right to vote. We love our country and our homes as much as you do, no matter how much you ridicule us and think that we’re divorced from the ground realities. We want to see India progress as much as these countries that we live in and we understand that political stability is the key to peace and prosperity. Give us the right to vote, and we will take the responsibility. But without the resident Indian middle class taking up the burden of choosing an empowered, responsible government, I think Mumbai and India haven’t seen the last of such attacks.