At a recent event to felicitate the volunteers who aided the victims of the 7/11 tragedy in Mumbai, director Ashok Pundit lashed out at the general perception of Mumbai as a city that overcomes every shock.

Organized by Cinemax and Youth for People, the event was meant to focus on the spirit of the Mumbai people. However, Pundit, known for directing out-of-the-box movies, insisted in his speech that words like "spirit" were being used by media and politicians to cover up the helplessness of the people of the city.

"After every calamity Mumbaiites get settled within hours and return to their daily businesses. But it's not their spirit which drags them on, it's the lack of option. If they don't go to work what will they earn, and in a city like Mumbai which runs 24x7, one cannot think of wasting one whole day. Families who lose their loved ones also have to return to work," Pundit said.

He pointed out that the event should ideally have been held at Shivaji Park, a bigger venue, facilitating more people to attend it. Also, it should have been initiated by the government.

The only way to solve these problems, Pundit said, was to make the governance accountable for any such disaster and "raise our voices and ask why it happened". -Jayant Mishra