Mumbai and monsoons share a very
puzzling relation. The average Mumbaikar beaten down by the summer heat,
eagerly awaits its arrival. They also welcome its arrival by having fun in the
first rains, to heading out to hill stations as soon as the first rains arrive.
But this festive spirit is short lived, as the early light showers give way to
heavy downpour, the citizens can be seen wearing a weary look. As an implied
rule goes, Mumbai has to be brought to halt by heavy rains at least once every
monsoon. Even after pumping in crores of funds and putting in years of efforts
the solution to the problem of flooding seems far-fetched.
This year, however, the first
three months of monsoon turned out to be feeble, one more time the MET
department’s prediction proved wrong. But just as we thought the monsoon would
pass away without causing any major disruption to our lives, we were proved
wrong. On 3rd September, the rain gods decided to put our lives in
disarray as heavy rains lashed the city with vengeance. By afternoon it was
clear that the rains had no intention of stopping. People started leaving
office early to avoid being caught in the heavy traffic and rush in trains. All
attempts to outsmart and outmaneuvre the rains turned futile for many. All major
roads were choked with cars. As luck would have it the train services came to a
screeching halt as tracks were submerged under water in many places, leaving
stranded commuters to take to the roads which were already full of traffic.
Just when the citizens were
giving up hope and cursing the BMC for their situation, technology came to the
rescue. Social media – Twitter and Facebook turned out to be the saviours for
Mumbaikars. Frustrated, angry and hapless citizens turned to the social
networking site Twitter to let out their frustration and to call for help.
These calls for help didn’t go unnoticed. Those, who were in a position to help,
did come to the help of those stuck in the deluge. Help came in more than one
way. Some helped by retweeting (RT) the messages so that the messages reached
those who could provide help. Some gave out their contact numbers and
whereabouts so that people nearby could reach them for help. What authorities
couldn’t do, the social media did!
We wish to talk about two
particular Mumbaikars who, through the use of social media, played a big role
in helping people find a way out of the mess. Netra Parikh, a social media
marketer, and Divyanshu Asopa, co-founder of 21fools.com. While Netra was
retweeting all tweets by the hash tag #mumbairains to her large network of
followers, Divyanshu prepared a spread sheet which helped people carpool and
find their way home. We spoke to both Netra and Divyanshu to understand how
they helped other Mumbaikars. Here are the excerpts from the interviews –
Netra Parikh – @Netra
Discovering Mumbai (DM): Where
were you on the 3rd of Sept? Did you get stuck somewhere?
Netra: I was in my office when the heavy rains struck.
DM: What spurred you into action
to help commuters who were stuck?
Netra: I saw people asking about
whether trains were delayed, then asking if anyone is ready for carpooling and
that’s how I started to RT. Then I got direct tweets from tweeters who were
either stuck somewhere or needed any info.
DM: How instrumental was twitter
and other social media in reaching out and helping people? Would it have been
possible if these tools were unavailable?
Netra: Since we had this twitter
as a tool, why not make use of it; else I would have done nothing sitting in my
office. But this gave me little chance to help people, in whatever scope I
could. Mumbaikar endures in any situation, with or without any tools :)
DM: What do you think needs to be
done to ensure Mumbai doesn’t drown every time it rains heavily?
Netra: Let our BMC and Maharastra
Govt work towards the overall drainage system. Also the BMC Disaster Management
should learn a lesson and if they can come up with some plans to handle this
kind of situation if at all arises in future.
DM: What do you love about the
city?
Netra: The spirit and the warmth
of Mumbaikar :)
Divyanshu Asopa – @TheDnote
DM: Where were you on the 3rd
of Sept? Did you get stuck somewhere?
Divyanshu: I was in my office-cum
home in Kandivali East
DM: What spurred you into action
to help commuters who were stuck?
Divyanshu: I felt that there were
many people who needed help and there were many who can help.
But they were not
able to connect to each other
DM: How did you go about helping
other people? How did the idea to use a spread sheet occur to you?
Divyanshu: I use public spread
sheet every day to connect with my writers from 21fools so I knew that it will
work out if people fill the excel sheet.
DM: How instrumental was Twitter
and other social media in reaching out and helping people?
Divyanshu: Twitter was very
helpful. People can connect via searching some particular keyword (place) and
get in touch with them.
DM: Would it have been possible
if these tools were unavailable?
Divyanshu: Yes! This all worked
because there are good people out there. If goodness does not exist then that
might be a problem. These are just tools. It’s the people who helped.
DM: What response did you get
from people for your work?
Divyanshu: Well, the spread sheet
got mentioned in several online blogs and many newspapers.
DM: What do you think needs to be
done to ensure Mumbai doesn’t drown every time it rains heavily?
Divyanshu: Better infrastructure,
proper drainage system. Simple
DM: What do you love about the
city?
Divyanshu: It’s the people whom I
love. Their goodness, honesty, helpful nature and the way it accepts people
from all over the country.
 |
| The spreadsheet created by Divyanshu |
Discovering Mumbai thanks these
two awesome Mumbaikars for the efforts they took in helping stranded commuters.
This is what they call – Spirit of Mumbai!
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