May in Maharashtra

Today is Maharashtra Day. The state completes 50 years and so we have its house of cards – Mantralaya – decked up.



Today is Labour Day. I had taken this picture on one of my trips to the interiors:



If the state can get enlightened instead of merely lit up this girl has hope. Maharashtra has known many truly genuine trade union movements. It is interesting that a few metres away from the seat of the state government, the Vidhan Sabha, there are large office complexes and vendors selling vada-pav and sliced fruit and juices to those working there.

Despite all the noise against them, the UPite and Bihari will still come to Mumbai and Mumbai is the showpiece of Maharashtra. Sometimes people laugh at it, sometimes people throw stones, but it is no coincidence that the lavni is the dance form of the state. And it is kick-ass. It is partly about women catering to demands of men, but those men are from the working class. It is invariably about a winding down after a hard day's day. There is playfulness and joie de vivre.

So Halla Bol and Jai Maharashtra...dislaat bai dislaat