I am in Mumbai again and it is a bit different this time. I have a guard!
Now, these are young and mild-mannered Indian guys. Not particularly intimidating or strong, and they don't have guns. Honestly, in a rage I could probably crush these guys myself. So, what would a crowd of marauding Marathis do to them?
What are marauding Marathis, you ask?
In Maharashtra, the state where Mumbai is, there is a long-standing political movement called Shiv Sena (also known as MNS) headed by a guy named Raj Thackery. This movement is one where the Maharashtrians are standing together against foreigners. But these days in Mumbai, "foreigners" are Indians from other states, especially Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. There have been some recent serious acts of violence against these fellow-Indian foreigners lately. Very sad. India is India. This kind of violence and fear-mongering is ugly and I hope it stops soon.
Recently, Raj Thackery was thrown in jail by the state. Thus the escalated tensions amongst his dragoons and cohorts.
The likelihood of any danger to me is no bigger than any other time I visited Mumbai - and we always feel very safe. But, Mumbai does have a bit of a tension in the air, and the guards smile gently as they escort me from here to there...
Fascinating, fascinating....
