Mumbai (मुम़बई) [ mŭm´bī' ] n. Resilience. The ability to recover quickly in the face of an adversity. Also, the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and is the most populous Indian city. Mumbai is located on an island off the west coast of India. With an estimated metropolitan population in 2005 of 17 million, it is the third largest metropolitan area in the world.

Even the highest rainfall ever recorded in a day in India could not keep the irrepressible Mumbai spirit down. I know it’s a terribly overused cliché to harp on about the resilient Mumbai spirit, but then like it or not, the spirit is a reality!

Oh yes, the infrastructure collapsed and stayed collapsed! Services that should’ve swung into action either did not do so at all or were woefully late in acting… either due to the lack of planning or the lack of mobility. Despite BMC’s assurances that no water-logging would take place this year, almost the entire suburban expanse was under water. Local trains and BEST buses were non-functional. Electricity had been deliberately cut off at places to avoid fires due to short-circuiting. Phone landlines were erratic… as were the cell-phone networks. Flights in and out of Mumbai had been cancelled. So in a way, Mumbai was crippled… no doubt about that!

But the engine and the spirit that keeps Mumbai humming is not in its infrastructure or the administration or not even in the development plans. The spirit that moves Mumbai is in its people. And however corny it may sound, it is the truth - a truth that was readily apparent on the ground over the last two days. Stories of courage and kindness were seen in action over the last couple of days. Sheer optimism and a tremendous belief in themselves are two of the most abundant qualities of Mumbaikars and they shone through once again. Whether it was helping people cross flooded streets or directing traffic out of harm’s way or distributing water and biscuits to people trudging along the railway tracks or keeping a watch on water levels that threatened partially submerged vehicles with passengers inside. Adversity had made heroes out of ordinary folks… like it always happens in Mumbai.

The cynics that the news channels are, all they could concentrate on was the failure of the administrative machinery. The worst of the lot was ‘Star News’. It was constantly beaming stale pictures of water logged roads and announcing the crashing of Mumbai’s ‘Shanghai’ dreams. All it concentrated was the question, “Why?!” rather than asking themselves “How” they could help make an actual difference on the street level. The SMS services offered by these news channels are a mere farce! With electricity and cell-phone networks down or erratic, tickers scrolling at the bottom of the TV screens are the last thing people stuck on the roads are going to refer to! These are merely ways to generate revenue since each SMS is charged at a premium rate rather than the usual Re.1 charge. At the same time, the FM channels served us well by disseminating essential and latest information (area-wise flood warnings, traffic situations, SOS calls from listeners, etc.) on a continuous basis. A tip of the hat to the FM channels and rotten eggs on the faces of the news channels!

This city moves on the heartbeats of its fearless denizens. Trains and buses may move bodies… but its the soul of the ordinary Mumbaikar that keeps this megapolis ticking!

Makes me proud to claim that, Mee Mumbaikar!!