Atleast 19000 cessed buildings in Mumbai are just that. Every monsoon nearly a dozen buildings collapse in the island city and over the year around 100 buildings in the city partially or fully collapse. Every building leaves behind a story of mangled bodies, shattered families and government negligence. Syed House near Crawford market was no different. 6 lives were lost on the 12th of November as part of the building collapsed. And soon angry mobs gathered demanding why the BMC had never taken cognizance of their complaints about a new construction happening nearby which weakened Syed House's foundation. It's a story repeated across the island city especially in the areas like Dongri, Kalbadevi, Mohammed Ali Road, Bhendi Bazaar and other areas close by. Most of the buildings in these parts of town are more than 70 years old and built indiscriminately without any consideration to fire safety or any other laws. As a result, the areas look like huge ghettos. Anyone who thinks Mumbai...

Chechi, satyam paranchal valare veshamathilanu. Graduation nirthittu jolikku vanatha (Didi, I truly am in deep trouble. I didn't even complete my graduation before I joined here). That was the first reaction I got from a Malayali Jet cabin crew member I met outside Raj Thackeray's residence in Mumbai. Jet had just announced 800 lay offs and these confused youngsters had come to seek some help from Raj Thackeray whom some described as a 'youth icon.' As I stood talking to them, more horror stories followed. "I don't care about losing this job, I know I'll get another. But it was just the way they terminated us. That hurts." This was the most common refrain. There were reports of employees who were waiting for their pick up cabs, which never came. And when they called up the office, they were rudely told that they had been derostered until further notice. One of the girls I spoke to was at office and was completely ready...

When the news of a Noida CEO being lynched trickled in, a colleague remarked, "Marx might be happy to see India today. It's a throwback to the days of mill workers going against their bosses. Socialist revolution, eh?" It was a remark made in context of the current scenario across India. Public anger is finding its way on to the streets more often than ever before. And its anger no more. Its mob fury. The war between the economic classes is out in the open. Singur is a case in point. The mighty Tatas have been forced to reconsider their decision to roll out Nano from there. All thanks to consistent and unbending protests by the locals. Keep aside the politics of it. Things have come to such a state that in Maharashtra the government went for a referendum on whether a Reliance SEZ should be started. The hitherto quiet 'aam aadmi' is becoming more and more assertive and in some cases violently...

This is the age of reality television. Any entertainment channel would tell you that. But I am sure during the trust vote these channels have suffered from low TRPs. Thanks to the reality drama that unfolded in the parliament. It had all the ingredients of a good reality show. The goal - The PM's seat. Now lets look at the contenders. Contestant number one is Manmohan Singh - reigning king. He remains quiet, and makes his points only after consulting with his PR and political guru. He feels his dignified approach is all that's needed to convince people. In a reality show you would probably call him an underdog too and though you don't know how much he is capable of; your heart goes out to him and you think maybe he should win. But deep down you are not sure. Contestant number two LK Advani - was number two in the previous contests also. He lost each time because people couldn't...