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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Mahayuti marks it with sweeping civic reforms

Mumbai: Marking a decisive shift from historical administrative opaqueness to a new era of civic accountability, the ruling Mahayuti alliance completed its first hundred days in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) by showcasing a comprehensive report card of twenty-three major policy decisions. Addressing a crowded press conference at the iconic civic headquarters on Thursday, Andheri (West) MLA and Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam boldly declared the end of the “systematised...

Mahayuti marks it with sweeping civic reforms

Mumbai: Marking a decisive shift from historical administrative opaqueness to a new era of civic accountability, the ruling Mahayuti alliance completed its first hundred days in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) by showcasing a comprehensive report card of twenty-three major policy decisions. Addressing a crowded press conference at the iconic civic headquarters on Thursday, Andheri (West) MLA and Mumbai BJP chief Ameet Satam boldly declared the end of the “systematised cartelisation” that had allegedly plagued the civic standing committee for decades. Flanked by Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde, Leader of the House Prabhakar Shinde, and Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi, Satam outlined a governance model now strictly rooted in public welfare rather than contractor appeasement. He emphasized that the era of political “understandings” and backroom deals has been entirely abolished. Satam revealed that over the past three months, the civic administration successfully scrapped tenders worth a staggering Rs 1,100 crore following vigilant objections raised by BJP councillors regarding heavily inflated costs. In a bid to institutionalize this transparency, the BMC has now made it mandatory to procure all municipal school stationery items and hospital medical equipment exclusively through the central government’s e-marketplace (GeM) portal. Furthermore, the alliance demonstrated significant fiscal discipline by revising the long-pending Gargai Pinjal dam project, a crucial water supply initiative stalled since 2015, effectively saving the civic exchequer Rs 270 crore while accelerating its implementation to secure Mumbai’s future water needs, Satam said. Taking aim at the city’s infamous monsoon woes, the civic body has partnered with experts from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) to prepare a comprehensive blueprint aimed at preventing chronic waterlogging. Simultaneously, the city’s surface. Infrastructure is undergoing a massive overhaul, with work on 1,900 kilometres of roads already completed and an ambitious target set to concretize ninety-three percent of Mumbai’s entire road network by 2027. To address acute space constraints and the hazards of construction waste, the administration has introduced a stringent debris removal policy and floated an innovative proposal to construct underground parking facilities beneath municipal playgrounds. In a landmark public health initiative, the BMC will now provide free Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines to girls below fourteen years of age to actively combat cervical cancer. On the educational front, municipal schools are being modernized with dedicated budget allocations for establishing cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence and robotics laboratories. Civic accountability has been further enforced through the shocking exposure of a massive racket involving 87,000 fake birth and death certificates, leading to a severe administrative crackdown.

The Soul of Bharat on the Big Screen

Mumbai: April 4, 2025, my heart feels heavier than it ever has. The news hit me like a monsoon storm—Manoj Kumar, the towering legend of Bollywood, the man who painted patriotism across our screens, is no more. At 87, he slipped away at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, leaving behind a reel of memories that flicker in my mind like a projector that won’t stop spinning. As a movie fan who grew up with his films, I’m not just mourning an actor—I’m grieving the loss of a piece of my soul, a piece of India itself. They called him "Bharat Kumar," and oh, how he earned that name.


I remember the first time I saw ‘Upkar’ (1967). I was a kid, sprawled on the living room floor, eyes glued to our old TV. Manoj ji played Bharat, the farmer who gave everything—his dreams, his love—for his country’s soil. That song, “Mere Desh Ki Dharti,” wasn’t just a tune; it was a heartbeat, pulsing with pride and sacrifice. I’d hum it walking to school, feeling like I, too, could be that noble, that selfless. He won a National Film Award for that one, and rightly so—it wasn’t acting; it was living.

Then there was ‘Shaheed’ (1965), where he brought Bhagat Singh back to life. I’d sit there, popcorn forgotten, as he roared defiance against the British, his eyes blazing with a fire that could’ve lit up the darkest colonial night. It wasn’t just a film—it was a revolution on celluloid, a call to remember the blood that bought our freedom. Manoj ji didn’t just play the martyr; he became him, and every time I watch it, I feel that lump in my throat, that sting in my eyes. It’s no wonder it snagged three National Awards—his passion was a gift to us all.


Oh, and ‘Purab Aur Paschim’ (1970)—how do I even begin? He directed and starred as Bharat again, this time wrestling with the clash of East and West, showing us the beauty of our roots while the world tried to pull us away. I’d laugh at Saira Banu’s antics, then choke up when Manoj ji stood tall, singing “Hai Preet Jahan Ki Reet Sada.” It was a blockbuster, sure, but it was more—it was a love letter to India, penned in his signature hand-over-face style. That move, mocked by some, was his shield, his quiet strength, and I adored it.

And who could forget ‘Roti Kapda Aur Makaan’ (1974)? He directed and starred as Bharat—again, because who else could?—tackling poverty, injustice, and the gut-wrenching struggle for the basics of life. I’d watch, fists clenched, as he fought for the everyman, his voice cracking with raw emotion. It wasn’t just a movie; it was a mirror to our society, a cry for change. Seven Filmfare Awards across his career, they say, but this one felt like it carried them all—his heart bled through every frame.


Then there’s ‘Kranti’ (1981), the epic that had me on the edge of my seat. Manoj ji as the freedom fighter, leading Dilip Kumar and Hema Malini through a storm of rebellion—it was grand, it was gritty, it was everything Bollywood could be. “Zindagi Ki Na Toote Ladi” still echoes in my ears, a reminder of the battles he fought on screen, battles that felt so real I’d dream of joining the fight. He didn’t just direct that film; he sculpted a monument to resilience, and I’d cheer like a fool every time he outsmarted the British.


As I sit here, flipping through these memories, I can’t help but feel cheated. Manoj Kumar wasn’t just an actor or director—he was family. Born Harikrishan Goswami in 1937, he carried the Partition’s scars from Abbottabad to Delhi, turning pain into purpose. He gave us over 50 films in a career spanning four decades, snagging the Padma Shri in 1992 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2015—honors that felt too small for a man who gave India its cinematic soul. His last role in ‘Jai Hind’ (1999) might’ve flopped, but it didn’t dim his light in my eyes.


I’d read how he met Bhagat Singh’s mother before ‘Shaheed’, seeking her blessing—can you imagine the weight of that? Or how PM Lal Bahadur Shastri urged him to make ‘Upkar’ after the 1965 war, handing him “Jai Jawan Jai Kisan” like a sacred torch? That’s who he was—a man who didn’t just entertain but carried a nation’s dreams.


Manoj ji, you weren’t just “Bharat Kumar” to me—you were the uncle who taught me pride, the friend who shared my anger, the poet who sang my hopes. Your films weren’t movies; they were my childhood, my rebellion, my tears. I’ll miss you like I miss the India you dreamed of—flawed, fierce, and forever ours. Rest in peace, sir. Om Shanti.

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