When a peacock reveals your ‘crass’

As the rain swept the city this week, the peacocks came out to strut their stuff on Pedder Road. Representation pic/Ashish Raje

People truly say the craziest things to get noticed, or get likes and views. I was accused of using Orry last week (IYKYK) to finally get known as a journalist, and called auntie in the process, and I truly did bask in the traction it gave my account - so I get it. The lure of the views and likes is addictive. And if you get the eyeballs of not just the masses, but also the elite, well, you've got it made.

Let me explain. As the rain swept the city this week, the peacocks came out to strut their stuff on Pedder Road - the home to business tycoons, billionaires and cultural figures. We in mid-day debated if the peacocks were AI, but it seems like they weren't. Encouraged by the dreamy weather, they just came down from their refuge in Malabar Hill and Doongerwadi (Tower of Silence) and delighted whoever saw them.

It prompted a fashion magazine editor to post on Instagram - "In an extreme case of South Bombay aesthetics, peacocks have been spotted on Pedder Road". I want to stop here, because this is where the post should have stopped. But sadly, it didn't. It went on to say, "Meanwhile, the rest of you plebs get pigeons and crows. Nature knows your tax bracket". Yes, she said this - in this economy, and at a time we are all rueing the tax we are paying (whatever bracket it may be in)! It takes guts to say this. She uses the word "you", so I guess she also stays in SoBo, and it's us whom she is addressing. I stay in Goregaon West, where only cats, rats, and snakes pop by once in a while. The rest of you can figure out where you fall on this scale. The comments on this post are aplenty, but most (SoBo gang) shy away from agreeing with her wholeheartedly - I'm sure most are afraid of being called elitist and insensitive - leaving only laughing emojis instead. Good on them.

I think it's a fashion magazine requisite to have the nerve to put out your unfiltered thoughts with such confidence. It reminded me of a time, some 12-13 years ago, another fashion journalist, now editor of another world-renowned fashion magazine, had posted on Facebook: "Who let the Lokhandwala in Bandra?" It had hurt my Goregaon-dwelling heart then as well.

But my question is this: how can you stand up for LGBTQIA rights, civic rights, labour rights, promote unknown fashion designers, work on getting the karigar their due, mourn the kids dying in Palestine, have book clubs, talk about the environment, and put feminists on your cover - when you are still obsessed with where someone stays in this city?

My years as a journalist have shown me that many who live in SoBo inherited their homes, many living in disputed buildings, many living in apartments rented by corporates. How many of SoBo dwellers actually bought their homes with their hard-earned money? In a conversation with journalist and author Siddharth Bhatia last year, I also learnt that many buildings in SoBo have squatters, who have been living in corridors and terraces for years, paying rent to cooperatives. SoBo belongs to them as well.

I am sure the fashion editor who posted this terribly misplaced post truly thought it was funny, albeit a bit of a roast. And she may read this column and feel like I felt like watching the latest episode of Latent: Comedy is surely dead thanks to censoring. No one can make a joke anymore!

But the real question I want to ask is, is your "cool factor" dependent on your "tax bracket", and if you stay in SoBo or not? No, not really. It depends on how you show up in the world every day. CRED founder Kunal Shah is cool, and he grew up in Lohar Chawl in Kalbadevi. Simran Shaikh, a wireman's daughter, who fetched a massive R1.9 crore bid in the Women's Premier League, grew up in Dharavi. Johnny Lever, the funniest man ever, also spent his childhood in Dharavi.

To me, the coolest women I have met in my 24 years of journalism are a bunch of Muslim girls who played basketball in the NBA - the Nagpada Basketball Association. Their star player, Afsana, lived in a shanty which rested on the wall of the basketball court. I still remember her enthusiasm and positivity as she handed me a Thums Up and samosa when I visited.

By the way, peacocks also roam freely in Goregaon East, Powai, and Borivli. Just FYI.

See you next time.

Ranting and raving about all that's trending on social media, Aastha Atray Banan is an author, creator, podcaster, and the Editor of your favourite weekend read, Sunday mid-day. She posts at
@aasthaatray on Instagram.
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The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper.