1. The document profiles three individuals from Mumbai - Sachi Maniar, a 21-year-old job hopper, Deepak Chalke, a 34-year-old rehabilitated slum dweller, and Adolph D'Souza, a 47-year-old citizen activist. 2. It discusses how the Mumbai Marathon has become a yearly event that many Mumbaikars plan their routines around, with people training outdoors on weekends and weekdays to prepare. 3. It highlights one businessman, Rajiv Sethi, who joined a running group after seeing a friend complete the marathon, and has not only lost weight but found community and made positive changes to his social and personal

1. MUMBAI
FIRST
THE NEW COOL COMMUNITY: THE NEW FELLOWSHIPS
1. SACHI MANIAR (21),
JOB-HOPPER
. THE SARVAIYAS OF GHATKOPAR, 2. DEEPAK CHALKE (34), 3. ADOLPH D’SOUZA (47),
AGGRESSIVE VEGETARIANS REHABILITATED SLUMDWELLER CITIZEN ACTIVIST
the party has shifted to wide open spaces.
Shah is one of a new breed of Mumbaikars whose
yearly routine now revolves around the third Sunday
of January, when the Mumbai Marathon is held.
Shah, who jumped on to the bandwagon last
June, does outdoor training from six in the morn-
ing every weekend, apart from the regular routine
on weekdays. The businessman is joined by a group
of 25 to 30 runners, who plan their runs and egg
each other on to achieve something they thought
was impossible a few years ago.
Says Rajiv Sethi, a 46-year-old entrepreneur who
joined the group after watching his friend Atul
Maheshwari (44) successfully complete the
marathon, “I have not just lost weight but brought
about a total change in my social and personal life.”
Sethi and his wife Sarika have, in turn, inspired
their children to follow a fitness regime. And employ-
ees of Sethi’s Gemini Group are planning to par-
ticipate in the 2010 marathon.
Since the first edition of the marathon in 2004,
the response of Mumbaikars has been so over-
whelming that the organisers were forced to intro-
duce a cap of 10,000 runners for the two compet-
itive races.
So what draws so many to the race? Rujuta
Diwekar, who trains at least 150 people from October
onwards, and 25 to 30 through the year for the
marathon, attributes the enthusiasm to the high
that completing a task like a marathon offers. “It
has even changed the way regulars party and
socialise. Instead of late-night parties, they now
gather for breakfast meetings and even organise
treks and cycle tours for vacations,” she says.
Shah adds that he now prefers to meet his friends
in the morning rather than late at night and that
7. HARRSHALI ZINE (24), 6. HARISH IYER (30), this change in outlook has also helped him discov-
. HITESH AGARWAL (25), er who his real friends are, he smiles.
FILM ASPIRANT QUEER
FILM ASPIRANT ABHIJEET KULKARNI
■ abhijeet.kulkarni@hindustantimes.com
GROUPIES
Adam (58) is tending to her plants in a makeshift
CITIZEN ACTIVISTS “When Citispace launched an aggressive cam- MALL
1 2
4
enclosure at the entrance.
These women have known each other from a
time when the building they live in did not exist
They are not always able to bury their differences,
but citizen activists are learning to join hands for
paign to save Mumbai’s open spaces, all of us, includ-
ing local ALMs, AGNI and residents’ forums came
together to fight for the cause,” says Aggarwal.
ATTENDANTS
9 3 even in their wildest dreams. When they lived in a greater power Though he does add, “Of course, we don’t always In a few minutes, a shopper spends a sum equal
5 ground-level makeshift dwelling in the shantytown manage to set aside our differences.” to a mall attendant’s monthly salary. But the lat-
of Dharavi. And shared the common predicament From citizen activist to politician is a leap of But there is no doubt that joining hands is where ter considers himself lucky to have a job
7 7 6 of making their way to the creek before the break 3 faith, but Adolph D’Souza (47) decided to greater citizen power lies.
of dawn, tumbler in hand. And holding their bowel take the plunge. After working with AGNI “There is a way for citizen activists to become May 19, Tuesday, 10.30 am: From the east
JOB-HOPPERS Twenty-four-year-old Bandra boy Raoul Hirani
says he wants to be an athletic trainer (think Andrew
Leipus), and he's been trying out various ways to
8 movements till it was dark again.
What do you value most in your new homes, I
ask these women who have been given pucca homes
and the Juhu Citizens Welfare Group for seven years,
until 2007, D’Souza decided to contest the BMC
elections as an Independent candidate to become
politicians and do good work, but it's a difficult
one,” says Dr Patel Shah, an ophthalmic surgeon
who also organises health and eye camps in rural
5 entrance of Phoenix Mill, they come in fours
or fives.
They walk with quick, purposeful steps towards
For the restless and dissatisfied, a new job is a earn money till he gets a post-graduate trainer's ing a psychologist, a scriptwriter and a journalist. under the slum rehabilitation scheme. Their one corporator of the K-West ward in Andheri. areas for the poor. “If the city’s numerous citizen their respective stores — they have their uniforms
hop, skip and career jump away degree from a foreign university. But a few months into any job and she has an irre- answer: the toilet and the privacy it brings. “It’s much easier to address issues and get work movements can synergise together, it will be a great to change into, their hair to tie into neat buns, their
He has, rather effortlessly, jumped to three call sistible urge to quit. Right now, she says, “I have writ- At Parel Shiv Smruti, a cooperative society of done when you are part of the administration. After way forward.” shoes to buff.
In the last 10 months, Sachi Maniar has centres (spending a few months in each) and, in a ten a screenplay — which is half-complete.” rehabilitated slumdwellers at Worli Naka, Deepak all, power helps,” he says. SAI RAJE 10.45 am: The shops start lighting up, a CD is
1 worked as assistant casting director in Yash leap of imagination, worked as a journalist for a city SUMEET KAUL Chalke (34) recalls how, as a child, he would play It is this logic that also seems to have inspired ■ sai.raje@hindustantimes.com inserted and cloying instrumental adapta-
Raj Films for two months, freelanced in tabloid — all in less than two years. cricket in the open spaces around the slum he lived the Loksatta people’s movement for democratic tions of Eric Clapton and The Righteous
MARATHON
■ sumeet.kaula@hindustantimes.com
another production house where she worked on “In call centres you're paid for the training peri- in here. “These homes are suffocating,” he says. reform. A citizen activists’ initiative since 1996, the Brothers begin to play.
AR Rahman’s Jiya se jiya video and first freelanced
and then worked in Footcandles, an ad production
od too, which sometimes lasts two months,” he says,
with a straight face. Training over, he quits. “It's REHABILITATED The new residents are suspicious of their neigh-
bours and stay aloof. Chalke recalls: “A man killed
group decided to formally turn into a political party
in 2006. “Just working as a good NGO was not
RUNNERS
The clock strikes the magical hour of 11.
For the next 10 hours, the attendants will
house.
The Vile Parle resident has, in the same time,
toured rural India, volunteered with NGOs and
difficult to stay in a call centre for long. It's quite
brain-dead,” he says. “But I enjoyed my stint in the
newspaper.”
SLUMDWELLERS his son in one of the flats here and no one knew of
it till it was too late.”
Since the ex-slumdwellers are largely clueless
enough,” says Jayashree Shirali (34).
Rishi Aggarwal (34), a passionate crusader for
Mumbai's mangroves, contested the Lok Sabha The third Sunday of January is the date that brings
stand smart in air-conditioned rooms, ready
with a carefully prepared sales pitch and
smile, to sell you whatever you want.
helped in a play production. For youngsters like Hirani, jobs are only an ad- Their new homes can be suffocating and lonely, about the functioning of a cooperative society, the election this year on a Jago Party ticket from the a motley group of runners together If they are lucky, they will make a sale Photographs by
She is 21. hoc state of being till they make that big jump to the neighbours are aloof, but the women are grate- developers have not passed on to them benefits like Mumbai North-West constituency. “Being elected that is probably worth half their monthly HEMANT
“I need to see new faces,” she says. For Maniar, their dream careers. ful for one facility — the toilet the conveyance of property accruing to them. In by the people gives you the ability to ask the right Sunday mornings are about lazy cups of tea, salary. PADALKAR
her dream job will be “one which earns me good Kalpana Singh (name changed on request) has Parel Shiv Sandesh Cooperative Society, Pravin questions and understand policy much more close- 4 leisurely newspaper-reading, heavy brunch- “Patience,” says Abhay (30), who manages
money and is fun and meaningful.” But she also con- hopped, jumped and skipped jobs and careers with Akbari Khatun’s grandchildren are not around Dalvi (32), who lives here with his sister and par- ly,” he says. es, and if you are a social animal like Janak a jeans store, “is the single most important
cedes that she is willing to earn Rs 5,000 less if she an astonishing regularity too. The 32-year-old has 2 in her 225 sq ft flat on the Sion-Kurla link ents, is fighting the developer to get the society its Now citizen activists-turned-politicians have Shah, sleeping the whole day after a night of par- quality for a store attendant.”
finds a satisfying job. tried her luck in the media (reporting, content writ- road in Dharavi. But their coloured scribbles due. He gets no help, he says. “In the slum, every- the numbers to form a lobby group of their own. tying. Like the other attendants, he wears a pair of jeans
8. MITESH SHAH (36) [WITH UDYATI (5)] In a city that famously never sleeps, the dreams ing, technical writing), entertainment (scriptwrit- are all over the wall of the 80-year-old’s one-room- one would rally around one person fighting for their Adolph D’Souza, Rishi Aggarwal and Surendra How many of us would be willing to turn this lux- and a shirt from the store, but only because it is
NEW-AGE DAD of its young citizens are difficult to map. And for ing, screenplays), teaching (in various city colleges kitchen home on the seventh floor. rights. But people are not united now,” he laments. Srivastava of the Loksatta Party, for instance, are urious routine on its head? Shah did. The 44-year- provided as a uniform. With salaries ranging from
some, ambition means constant impatience with and several subjects) and BPOs. Two floors below, Suman Sonawane (60) is cook- MINI PANT ZACHARIAH closely networked and have often worked togeth- old garment exporter still values his Sunday rou- Rs 6,500 to Rs 12,000, a pair of jeans that costs Rs
the job in hand. In 10 years, she has seriously considered becom- ing in her tiled kitchen. Her neighbour Zulekha ■ mini.zachariah@hindustantimes.com er to tackle issues. tine. But it now begins at the crack of dawn and 1,500 and more is a luxury they can ill-afford.

2. THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2009
INSIGHT
NEW-AGE DADS
They're changing diapers, wiping kiddie
tears and organising themselves into single par-
ents' forums WHICH IS
THE NEW
Mitesh Shah (36) was there when his
8 daughter Udyati played with blocks on her
first day at the playgroup. He was also
holding his little Udi’s hand as she walked into
the “big school” for the first time, tears stream-
COLLECTIVE
ing down her cheeks.
Once the Breach Candy-based home furnish-
ings exporter is back from work, it's ‘Udi time’
again. “First we play chess according to Udi's
rules. Then I read out a story of her choice and
hug her till she falls asleep,” he says.
4. ATUL MAHESHWARI (44),
IN TOWN?
And since wife Binny, an interior designer, gave
MARATHON RUNNER birth to their second child — Madhav is now a
month old — Shah is devoting as much time to
his care. “I am terrible with diapers but I can
burp Madhav and put him to sleep,” he proclaims.
With women moving from the kitchen to the
boardroom and the decline of the joint family sys-
tem, parenting has become a joint responsibili-
E
ty and fathers have undergone a transformation.
Besides, life in the maximum city is so compet-
itive that children need the mentoring of both
parents so that they can keep up, points out father-
By Sumeet Kaul
of-two Vinay Khetan. “My wife Deepa helps the
kids with homework and I read to them from
encyclopaedias so they know even what they are ighteen years after India opened up its economy to the
not taught at school,” says the export consultant
who sacrifices television time to spend time with world, citizens of the country's most global city are
Divya (10) and Shreya (6) every evening. finding new ways to move ‘separately and intricately
Khetan doesn't want to miss out on his chil-
dren's best years the way his father did. “He over the same territory,’ as Gillian Tindall put it in her
worked hard to support a family of five. He did- book, City of Gold.
n't even know I was doing a double graduation.
He just paid the fees,” says Khetan. New bonds have formed, newer groups emerged in
Shashank Lad (43) , who has been looking after response to the peculiar pulls and pushes — the servic-
his 14-year-old son Varun since his divorce in
2003, says, “My wife was always more interest-
es-driven economy; the stock market; Bollywood; an
ed in socialising. I used to take care of Varun, so astonishingly efficient, even if stretched-beyond-endur-
5. MALL ATTENDANTS he wanted to stay with me. I gladly took custody ing capacity, suburban railway system; migrations from
of him.” Lad is an active member of a single par-
( FOR REPRESENTATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY)
ents’ forum that was set up two months ago. rural Maharashtra and the towns of Uttar Pradesh and
Around eight fathers and 30 mothers meet once Bihar, and beyond; the city's unique longitudinal topog-
a month to discuss parenting issues. “We've all
For 27-year-old Sapna (name changed) howev- solicitation,” as the website puts it. Today, the become friends. It’s good to know you’re not the raphy — exerted on and by this gigantic metropolis.
er, a pair of jeans symbolises a quality of freedom group organises regular parties that are open only one bringing up a child alone,” he says. Even the Mumbai of Raj Kapoor's time, the Mumbai
she has wrested for herself after taking up a job to people of all sexual orientations, as well as NEHA BHAYANA
at the mall. Her salary of Rs 5,000 is barely enough treks, picnics and parent meets. Lesbian groups ■ neha.bhayana@hindustantimes.com
of Awara and Shree 420, the indifferent yet aspirational
to get by on. Yet she considers it a good day if she such as LABIA (Lesbians and Bisexuals in Action) city, spawned communities — the dabbawallah, the
makes a sale of five souvenirs that ironically, cost
as much as her monthly pay.
and Rainbow Pride, also conduct film screen-
ings and social meets. AGGRESSIVE stockbroker, the tinsel town struggler — which only the
“I see people spend the kind of money in one
day that I earn in one month. But I have a dif-
ferent life, with other responsibilities,” she says.
However, there are also many for whom being
queer is a deeply personal — and sometimes
lonely — struggle. “It's tougher because we are
VEGETARIANS speed and dynamism of a restless city could create.
They still thrive, evolving with every decade, coming to
Sapna is a single parent and also supports her a very small crowd. I join a group keeping in They don't allow meat-eaters into their build- terms with changing realities.
college-going brother. She considers herself lucky mind the fact that I want to meet someone and ings, try to get them out of their strictly vege- There are, of course, powerful community ties if one
to have a job. get into a relationship. But sometimes the organ- tarian localities altogether. And they're not
But Abhay reveals the uncertainty that plagues isers say that the group isn't meant for dating,” ashamed to admit it goes by ethnic, religious and linguistic yardsticks: the
his profession: the franchise he is working for is says Saira, a 25-year-old commerce graduate, south Indians of Matunga and the Parsis of Colaba, for
shutting down operations in India within the next who is a lesbian. Kavita Joshi, 32, was unfamiliar with
few months. But Doctor says, "There is a vast middle-class 9 the rules of South Mumbai living. So instance. But the now-no-longer-so-new economy and
Newcomer 19-year-old Sana doesn't worry that is fairly out. There is a Bollywood gay scene, when she moved into a flat at Malabar the opportunities it has created has led,
about job insecurity, though. She works as an which is quite insular. Because of the call cen- Hill, she assumed she could continue with her
directly or indirectly, to newer groups THE NOW-NO-LONGER-
attendant at a British clothier’s store where the
average cost of a pair of pants is a quarter of what
tres, you also have these young, independent and
self-identified queer people. Now, there are a lot
carnivorous ways. “I like my Bombay Duck,”
Joshi admits. But after word about her non- and associations, even if some of them SO-NEW ECONOMY AND
she earns in a month. “It's not like I can't buy of people living their lives on their own terms." vegetarianism quickly spread through the don't consider themselves part of a col- THE OPPORTUNITIES IT
lective: the rehabilitated slum dwellers, HAS CREATED HAVE LED
these clothes. But I'm saving up for my marriage VIDYA BALACHANDER society, she was gently informed that it was a
next year,” Sana says. ■ vidya.balachander@hindustantimes.com ‘strictly vegetarian’ building. Joshi decided to
8.30 pm. Time to shut shop. Sapna changes out respect her neighbours’ religious sensibilities, the job-hoppers and the mall attendants. DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY
of her uniform and sprints to the exit. Abhay
makes sure all the clothes are in place. Sana picks FILM ASPIRANTS but continued eating her morning omlette —
even though she had to travel 2 km to buy the Mumbai is trapped by the sea. The TO NEWER GROUPS AND
ASSOCIATIONS
up her faux designer satchel and walks towards eggs. “I thought that would be kosher enough demands on its infrastructure mean a
the station. Networking doesn't get you roles; finding out for them,” she says.
DHAMINI RATNAM about auditions does. But fellow strugglers Not quite. constant conflict between the
■ dhamini.ratnam@hindustantimes.com will not tell you about auditions; it's each man A building maid saw the eggshells in her inevitability of growth and the staying power of its
to himself dustbin and informed the society chairman.
THE QUEER Teeshay Shah (25) did a three-month act-
“That's where I drew the line. I refused to
stop eating eggs but just became careful
sprawling shantytowns. From this eternal struggle has
emerged a very tiny percentage of slumdwellers now
COMMUNITY 7 ing course at the Kishore Namit Kapoor
Acting Institute three years ago. Luckily
for him, he landed a character role in a film nine
about hiding the shells,” she says. A year later,
she moved to Bandra.
After multiple restaurant closures, vegetari-
rehabilitated in apartments. The stories of job-hoppers
and mall attendants are linked to the diversity of jobs a
How Mumbai's lesbian, gay, bisexual months after completing his course. The day ans-only buildings and localities and meatless new Mumbai offers.
and transgender community creates queer- shooting was wrapped up, he got cast in a sec- supermarkets, Mumbai’s herbivores, in their
friendly spaces ond film. Neither film has released as yet. So Shah newest avatar, are an aggressive and demand- Gay rights’ activism and the greater acceptance the
is still at it, trying to persuade directors to meet ing lot. “It’s also a power thing,” says Manish lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has
Harish Iyer, a 30-year-old event manag- him, attending dance classes and looking out for Kasliwal, president of Young Jains of India, a
6 er, realised that he was gay when he was auditions. society that, among other things, advocates veg- here as compared to other Indian cities are signs also
an adolescent. Ridiculed in college, he “You would not even know about the auditions. etarianism. “Gujaratis and Marwaris (the city's of a maturing of democracy. In a way, Mumbai has
found it difficult to make friends. Till he joined No one helps you; you have to build up a contacts primary vegetarian demographic) are also some
Gay Bombay, an online forum for queer people, base. And when you get to the audition, you have of the richest communities. If they're the ones
always thought itself as separate from the rest of the
and a whole new world opened out to him. to wait for three hours with 300 other people,” giving these restaurants and builders business, country and a strong, locally-driven citizen activist
“An enormous sea of anonymous well- he says. “That is why you have to be self-obsessed.” why won't they adhere to their rules?” movement is the flowering of the idea of citizenship of a
wishers reaches out to you after you join the Gay Contrary to popular belief, newcomers like him Juhu resident Rajesh Jain (36) agrees. “I
Bombay website,” he says. Soon, Iyer had gath- rarely attend parties. “I don't believe network- have friends who, rather than sell their flats to city or a city-state: India is somewhere out there, but
ered up the pluck to attend his first Gay Bombay ing happens at such places. You have to be pre- non-vegetarians, will sell them to vegetarians we need to segregate out garbage first, fight for the
party. It was a watershed moment for him. pared to get up early and spend the whole day for less money. It's because they're wealthy
“The first time you go to a Gay Bombay party, like a dog hungry for a piece of meat,” he says. enough to exercise that choice,” he says. open space in our neighbourhood.
you use a pseudonym,” he says. “Slowly and steadi- Harrshali Zine (24) says she goes only to work- But restaurateurs have a different opinion. The Mumbai marathon is a twin celebration — of fit-
ly, you unveil your true identity. When you attend related film parties. “The whole day I struggle, Kitty Sarkar, who runs the posh Ammbir
your second GB party, you are more confident. going around auditions, doing dancing and med- restaurant at Kemps Corner, is straining to ness and the city. The idea is global and urban: A city is
You make friends you want to stay friends with.” itation at home and jogging six kilometres,” she break free of the constraints of operating in a not just a place to live and work in, but to be celebrated.
For Iyer, finding a support group was the first says. Zine worked in Dubai for three years man- vegetarian-owned building. “The owners made
step towards coming out to friends, family and aging a chain of restaurants, before returning to us agree that we wouldn't sell beef,” she says.
But there are fissures. Cultural crosscurrents test
co-workers. But for others, coming out of the Mumbai last August to do a crash acourse inact- At the other end of the city, in the Gujarati beliefs carved in stone.
closet might be a less fraught decision, thanks ing at Anupam Kher's acting school. Two months enclave of Ghatkopar, the vegetarian vigi- A community of vegetarians desperately holds on to
to a recent judgment by the Delhi High Court ago she got cast in her first film. “The paypacket lantes have turned their guns on the small-
decriminalising gay sex. “Queer people will now for newcomers is not that great. And no parent time egg and meat sellers who operate near its notion of purity, stepping into non-vegetarian zones
have a basic level of confidence,” says Vikram wants their daughter to be in this line,” she admits. the station. “The few meat-eating families with a new-found assertiveness, sometimes bordering
Doctor of Gay Bombay. Like Zine, Hitesh Agarwal (25) is under pres- have also moved out. We're trying to get the
The judgement is sure to further empower sure to return to the family business in Surat, police to make these people also leave,” says on aggression.
the queer community in Mumbai, a city that has despite landing a role after he completed his Mihir Sarvaiya (36). His biggest fear is that Mumbai, the city of glamour and stars (even if the
historically been more queer-friendly than other acting course at Whistling Woods International the influx of immigrants into the city will spoil
cities. "The queer community has always been that has cost him Rs 12 lakh. this veg-only haven. “I'm scared that they'll reality is different for a lot of its residents, continues to
drawn to large, cosmopolitan cities like Mumbai, He’s hoping his parents will allow him to carry start buying property here. I don’t want my attract youngsters — outsiders with dreams of becom-
New York and London," says Parmesh Shahani on, but keeps his problems to himself. “Two of my children to grow up with them,” he says.
(33), author of Gay Bombay: Globalization, Love roommates are actors and we don't tell each other And why would that be? Because, he says,
ing the ultimate insiders. Chances that strugglers, who
and (Be)longing in Contemporary India. about auditions,” he says. “Actors are very inse- you can always tell when someone's not a veg- have been around since Bollywood, will become the
In 1999, Gay Bombay started organising get- cure and they are not willing to help each other.” etarian. “It shows in their psyche, in their per- next SRK are as slim as a potboiler's storyline, but
togethers where gay men could “discover that NAOMI CANTON sonality. They're more aggressive.”
there's more to being gay than casual sex and ■ naomi.canton@hindustantimes.com RIDDHI SHAH that's the promise of Mumbai, the city of dreams.