Mumbai

WordCamp India

Standard

We had an immensely successful WordCamp Mumbai last weekend. With more than three-quarters of the year left, I think we need another WordCamp in Mumbai. What better way to have another WordCamp this year than have WordCamp India.

First, I’ll explain why Mumbai is the key (and maybe only) contender for organising the first (WC India in 2009 was more of a local event, it should have been WC Delhi) WordCamp India.

  1. We have been the only consistently organised WordCamp in India since 2014.
  2. Only Indian WordCamp to have more than three edition (that too back to back)
  3. We are arguably the best-organized WordCamp in the country (Year after year)

We are the biggest WordCamp in India. (WC Pune was never big, they just extrapolated numbers to show they were big)

So here’s the long-term plan for WC India because countrywide WordCamps should help not replace local ones but rather complement them. For the first year or maybe two Mumbai will take the burden of organising WordCamp India. Thereafter another city’s active WordCamp organising team can take over and keep moving the event around. The local city organiser can assume the role of Lead Organiser or I can fill in the post when asked too (because I am awesome).

For the 2017 WordCamp India, I proposed my name for Lead Organiser because

  1. Who else than me
  2. As mentioned, I am awesome
  3. I have been Lead Organiser for more WordCamps in India than anyone else.
  4. I don’t think I can be anything less than the Lead Organiser.
  5. This WordCamp can’t be awesome without me support
  6. As my co-organizers know, if not allowed to be lead-organizer I can seriously do harm to the Lead Organiser (anyone remembers Sanat)Still, we should be open to the idea of having another Lead Organiser than me, so if anyone else would like to be Lead Organiser they are welcome to come forward but do keep point no .6 above in mind.

    If you’ve read so far and maybe guessed today being 1st of April, this is some kinda joke. I would like to confirm your suspicion.

    I am still undecided on having a WordCamp India, mainly because we need more active WordCamps and meetups in the country before we bring in such a colossal distraction. I say colossal distraction because I think most (not all) interested parties in WordCamp India or even WordCamp Asia, want it not to further their local communities but to catapult their own relevance on a national or international stage. So once they have their way they will ignore the local scene, or ask for its sacrifice for the greater good *cough* (business interest)

    While the discussion WCNL is hot, I think people are fast to pity the projected victim and accuse big brother; and over time this will be used as an excuse that in spite of having willing people (Guys who talk about organizing a WC India but will not raise a finger) Central doesn’t want a WordCamp India. WordCamp India can definitely happen, it can happen because we have an active and vibrant community here in Mumbai. But for it to sustain we would need more active and vibrant communities to pass the torch to. Who knows in a few years WordCamp India can become a tool to reignite past WordCamps like WC Baroda and help build an active community there as well.

    Side note: I am a (not so active) WordCamp Deputy. This is my personal view and none of this should be taken as what WordCamp Central thinks about WCNL.

Late for the movies

Standard

So yesterday I randomly decided to watch Matru ke bijlee Ka mandola in one of those paid previews (8pm show)

Then today I finally left my bike at the garage to fix a mud guard broken for over two months. The mechanic really took long and I got my bike only at 7.50… So I was running late for the movie.

While going thru a short cut, an inside road parallel to link road, I heard this girl scream, when I looked I saw this guy going behind that girl and grabbing her. My first thought was they knew each other and this guy was just fooling around but then it struck me this guy was just running away. I shouted at him to stop but he kept running all the while smiling like he achieved something. I chased him and tried knocking him down to get him to stop, I ended running over his leg with front wheel and breaking his bone into two just above the ankle.

While my friend went after that girl to check if she was ok and if she would want to kick this guy in balls or even complain to the cops as we had caught him. But she said she didn’t want to get involved with the cops.

Meanwhile I tried to get a crowd gathered and tell them what this guy had done and not let him escape, he on the other pleaded innocence and showed everyone his broken leg, but the fact that he was stoned and his story going from “kaunsi ladki” to “sirf dhaka laga” convinced people that he deserved a beating. I even tried calling 100 but was on hold for really long, so finally a few sensible people decided that he had enough a punishment with that broken leg and the girl didn’t want to take anything further so we should just let him go. But some locals managed to get through the cops and didn’t let him as a police van was already in the vicinity.

The whole point of this post is that:

1. we just drive by and such pervs get their way because we are running late or just don’t wanna get involved; but the feeling I got by teaching this guy a lesson is so satisfying that I don’t even remember how the movie was. Time isn’t that valuable, think of it this way that because I stopped and got involved, someone will stop tomorrow for my family members.

2. Some might blame that girl for not wanting to go to the cops, but she’s the one who has to continue to walk on the same road everyday, what if this guy comes back for revenge.

3. Police helpline should have a faster response time.

4. This all happened just outside silver oaks in Malad. I seriously think while their manager stood there watched what happened and then went in, could have just called up the local cop station. They surely would have a no.

5. This whole protest in Delhi has stirred people’s minds and they are pissed, on a regular day if I would have caught this guy, I wouldn’t see this kind of anger and people wanting this guy behind bar they would have just beaten him up like they would someone caught stealing but this anger was different and if the government doesn’t do anything concrete for women safety they will have to pay for it.

Occupy Mumbai

Standard

On my way back from work today I was happy to see that the potholes near Liberty Garden, Malad had been filled. I always thought that if the BMC couldn’t fill up these potholes outside their own ward office, of what good they were to this city… But my joy was short lived further down the road near SNDT college the potholes were still there, each almost 5inches if not more deep.

So it is obvious that they just filled the potholes across a small stretch for Dahi Handi, a quick job which would not last more than a week so that they don’t get any complaints from the politician sponsoring Dahi Handi outside liberty garden tomorrow.

This particular stretch from Marve Road to liberty garden is a perfect example of how the BMC maintains our roads, layers after layers of hack job tar is added which mostly gives way and leave crazy potholes. Here you will not find single stretch of road even as little as 1 ft long where you find the road evenly paved.

Everyone knows about the kind of money that these politicians put in during BMC elections because once they win or even come second, no matter which party they belong to they can start dealing in and negotiating in BMC tenders, funded by our money which they pocket and thus we get these shabby roads.

Occupy Mumbai is my call to people who feel we deserve better to come together to voice it out and TAKE WHAT WE TRULY DESERVE.

Sign up for #Occupy Mumbai here

follow this call on @occupy_mumbai / Occupymumbai.org / Occupy Mumbai on FB