There are some views in Mumbai that should come with an entrance fee. Marine Drive at sunset. The Gateway standing proudly against the sea. And the magnificent view from the iconic Air India building. You stand there, look out over the Arabian Sea, and immediately feel capable of earning another crore. Or at least paying your electricity bill on time.
Which is why I nearly dropped my cup of coffee when I read that this splendid building is to become government offices.
Imagine taking a thoroughbred racehorse and using it to pull a vegetable cart.
A businessman looks out of that window and says, "What new idea can I create today? How can I build something better?"
A babu may look out of the same window and wonder whether it is already lunch time.
I know, I know. There are hardworking government officers, and many of them deserve every bit of praise. But governments also have a remarkable talent for placing themselves in the most expensive real estate while asking everyone else to tighten their belts.
Surely there is another way.
If Maharashtra desperately needs money, why not sell that spectacular property to the highest bidder? Let some international company, luxury hotel, or financial institution pay what it is truly worth. Then take every government department, every file, every cupboard, every leaking water cooler, every stamp pad, and every dusty typewriter still somehow surviving, and move the whole lot beyond Dahisar.
In fact, keep going a little further.
Anyone who wants a government signature will happily drive there. We already spend half our lives travelling through Mumbai traffic. Another thirty minutes will hardly matter. A few extra kilometres will not finish us.
Look at the United States. The country's commercial heart is New York, but the government functions from Washington. The businessmen make money in one city while politicians make speeches in another.
Nobody insists that every ministry must occupy Wall Street.
Mumbai's prime business district should remain exactly that. A business district.
The Arabian Sea should be inspiring entrepreneurs, innovators, architects, designers, and dreamers. Every square foot there should be generating wealth, employment, taxes, and fresh opportunities.
Instead, we may soon have dusty files enjoying one of the finest sea views in India.
I can almost imagine a newly arrived government file whispering to an older one, "What a lovely sunset."
The older file replies, "What! All it’s been doing is yellowing my pages while I wait for approval."
Cities are built not merely by beautiful buildings but by wise decisions about how those buildings are used. If we truly wish to strengthen Maharashtra's finances, perhaps we should allow our finest addresses to create wealth instead of merely providing spectacular scenery for paperwork.
After all, even the Arabian Sea must occasionally wonder why it is spending every day performing before people who are only watching the clock..!
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