Bombay Unplugged

Ganpatibapa Morya !

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All festivals aside , Mumbai is most Mumbai during the 11 days when Ganpatibapa graces it with his presence . The unending sound of the dhol , the spectacular lazim dances , the joy on every face . It's not just an ordinary festival here in Mumbai , it's an emotion , it's much more . The bare footed walks to Siddhivinayak , the 8 hour lines of Lalbaug are all part of this emotion . Mumbai may not come to a stand still during a war , but it sure does during these 11 days . Every household , every religion celebrates this one festival in unison . The joy on the faces of the eldest and the youngest signifies the deep , long lasting impact the festival makes on the city as a whole . The tears , the grief during visarjan furthers the very argument . During this phase of emotional imbalance in the city , one profession or one lane in Dadar faces a boom in business . Dadarchi Phool Galli , Mumbai's oldest and India's largest flower market , witnesses a daily sale of more than 100 metric tonnes of flowers , making it the third largest of its kind in the world . Out of the visually brilliant variety of chrysanthemums , bougainvilleas , roses , lotuses , mogras , one flower that serves as a mandate in every house , in every Garland is the marigold . This , is the story of Aum Kadam , the man who held the monopoly in the marigold market . Kadam , in his white safari , an imperialistic maharashtrian , a typical mumbaikar , began as a small time florist but was now west India's largest dealer of marigolds . However rich , however affluent , the man was probably the most humble and disciplined . Politicians , autocrats , executives , everyone famous wanted to be seen with him in public due to the respect the man commanded . As many well wishers , there were double the amount of haters . Kadam , unconsciously or choicelessly , had so much hold over the market that every other florist was outshadowed by his glim . A little something happened , It reached a stage where people even attacked him , thus the occasional police protection . The man though , was scared of none , threat calls or mob attacks . He was a devout follower of Ganpatibapa , a firm believer in the powers of the almighty . He was also the prime funder of Lalbaugcha Raja , Mumbai's most visited and renowned Ganpati mandal . During ganpati , when normal florists doubled their prices to feed off the desperation of the customers , Kadam provided flowers to the 20 most visited mandals or stalls for free . Maybe it was this heart of gold that had saved him from the unscrupulous attempts of murder . A bright festival time morning , as tradition , Kadam completed his daily accounts and set off for Lalbaug where he would spend the rest of the day at the feet of Ganpatibapa , doing Sewa or selfless charity . Kadam was so popular , so well known and had so many untold , unrevealed stories where he helped so many families , some people after doing Darshan of the almighty , even touched his feet out of sheer respect and admiration . He was a messiah for uncountable households . He was a faithful , staunch believer . He considered himself as nothing more than a medium for the betterment of conditions for various people . However , it was not all a fairy tale , the horrors grew . It was only him till date , but the flower mafia now began targeting his family as well . Mafia , flowers ? Well , Mumbai has an established mafia and it's own cartel leader in almost every profession , in every line of business . Whether it is waste management , water supply , medicinal production or flower selling , every profession at the very apex was diseased with political interference and had its very own ringleader . Kadam , with his volume of business was the highest in the hierarchy , but his soft heart and god fearing attitude didn't allow him to practice what every mafia lord did . Gaitonde , the rose dealer ; assumed this role . He had every quality to be at the top , no fear of nature , no expectations , no feelings ; business , his religion ; money , his god . He would fall down to anything , to be up there , he was really in it with some commitment . Murder of the competitors , kidnappings , emotional assaults on other zonal leaders , even having international mafia relations , he was however , a well wisher for Mumbai , a patriot for his homeland . His means were wrong , his works even wronger , but everything he did , was for his city . Was for Ganpati Bapa . He trained under Kadam long time ago , before entering the rose market , and learned the knacks of trade from Kadam , god of the business himself . But there's this thing with such people , they hate being second . Kadam and his pupil , Gaitonde met every visarjan on the ferry boat to pay their last respects to bappa . Kadam , hated what Gaitonde had turned into whereas Gaitonde didn't lose a single opportunity to prove his worthiness to Kadam . It was a strong gossip , that Gaitonde was planning a coup . He would do what he was best at , with his own teacher , Kadam and emerge as the marigold market monopolist . Well Kadam was unaffected as it was not the first rumour of this sort , left for the visarjan without any additional protection . Gaitonde , on the other hand , was taken aback by the very news , and saw this news as an opportunity . With his gunmen , he left for the ferry boat . Lalbaugcha Raja was taken 300 metres into the sea , to immerse , due to its size and adornment . Both the victor and the vanquished , were aboard the ferry . A little something happened , bullets were fired while firecrackers were burnt . Gaitonde was dead . Kadam or his men had killed him . Gaitonde , on the onset of the journey allocated his men to protect Kadam , his teacher , his mentor . The noble Kadam on the other hand , carried his pocket pistol and seized the opportunity when time was most right . 150 meters into the journey , Kadam deceptively killed Gaitonde amidst the commotion . Seemed as though the city was celebrating his death along with the festival , his supporters , crying . Whatsoever he was , he was a patriot . " Gaitonde's men turn on him " was the headline in every newspaper article , no one even suspecting the noble Kadam . " Nothing can happen to the invincible - The story of Aum
Kadam " was published . No one knew what was going on , everyone unaware of the reality acclaimed Kadam to be a real time god and his respect doubled . All this while , the man being claimed so godly was a fraud . A little something happened , the 20 most visited Ganpati Mandals , had gunpowder in their flowers and all it took was one matchstick to let Mumbai ablaze , followed by mass riots , killing 300,000 . The police kept speculating , but no one could join the dots . After 10 days of presidents rule in the city , there emerged a leader , a popular , loved leader running for the office of chief minister . In his white safari , kadam went up the dias , made his share of fake promises and ended with a signature " Ganpatibapa Morya ." From Virar to Churchgate , from milkmen to garbage cleaners , from the Dewans , to the Hindujas , everyone hailed his name . The man who won with the largest majority , acclaimed next to god , orchestrated serial attacks and ran the Mafia all this while . Mumbai was truly in deep shit . Ganpatibapa Morya , indeed .

Even the best , end up being the worst . Even the most noble , end up being the most ignoble . Even the most honoured , do the most dishonourable .  Even the most Kadam's end up being Gaitonde's . Indian politics in a nutshell .