Maximum City

I am slowly wading through this book by Suketu Mehta. I was hoping to use this book as a guide for my trip to Bombay. But, I am now thinking this book might be more useful as a guide to what to avoid in Bombay. Or maybe a door stopper. It is pretty hefty and might come in handy to ward off predators.

I am only about a fourth into the book and so far the narrative has concentrated on local politics in Bombay, particularly the rise of the Shiv Sena. Amongst other things they have something serious against Valentine's Day. They claim that they want to keep the youth pure but fully endorse Michael Jackson. However, they were not so impressed with Savage Garden. But then again, not many people are.

Somewhere in the book, the author talks about how the rise of the Shiv Sena and other political parties of the masses marks a shift in the holders of political power in Bombay. Compared to the British educated, priviledged upperclass politicians who played a prominant role in the past, the new politicians like Bal Thackeray are a new breed -- poorly educated, unscrupulous and lacking in vision.

The author suggests that the priviledged in India have played a part in this transition by their non-involvement in the democratic process. The upper classes typically have very low voter turnouts and rarely run for public office. It seems like they have washed their hands off of politics and denegrated it to a menial task, meant to be taken care of by the lower classes and subordinates. Presumedly frustrated with the state of things at home, many have opted to forsake the burden of inherited priviledge to seek out a new life abroad.