An excerpt from the chapter: 'The Significance of the Day'

Mumbaikars were a lot more different when it came to observing important occasions. Corporate houses were gearing up as part of their statutory corporate social responsibility. They were all ready to showcase their concerns on this day, and why not. It was helping them improve their social standing, their business concerns and only Gods knew whether it was a sensitive issue, close to their hearts. They were all poised to engage in a myriad and innovative range of self-promotional activities. There were to be paintings on the walls, photo-exhibitions, bicycle rallies, plantation drives, pollution under control check-ups for cars and what not.

A renowned hotel was planning to organize a rally-cum-plantation drive, and in their attempt to earn the maximum share of credentials, they had been advertising their concerns much in advance, almost a month. It was made mandatory for a section of the staff deployed in self-serving interests to be present on this day in the spotless white T-shirts exhibiting their company’s green name and logo. All were made to ready themselves for the show with their placards, sun-boards and banners, bearing awareness messages and slogans, exhorting passersby for their support. And, even with their company’s prominent logo, they were supposed to try hard not to look self-serving during the entire exercise.

The day was looking like most mass-entities were out to derive maximum share of kudos in support of the noble cause. For some cycling-enthusiasts it was the most opportune occasion to kick-off their idea of promoting cycling to work. In their enthusiasm, they were not even giving a damn to their very own ground realities. Only washer-men, milk-men, newspaper vendors and ‘dabbawalas’ were the seasoned and humble ones depending on their black, locally made bikes for their daily business. 

And with poor road surfaces, potholes, missing pavement blocks, heat, rain, traffic, coupled with its low-status image, the idea was impractical, a huge misfit in a place fond of projecting sheer flamboyance.