Dear Raj,
Forgive me for writing to you in English, but sadly I don't know Marathi, just as you don't know Bengali, which, by the way, I am fluent in. I have been observing you for years. I have seen your anger; your boorishness; your enormous potential which you yourself squattered away; your constant abusing of those belonging to an ethnicity that is not yours.
I have seen your workers threaten people; I have seen you call people names in the most despicable manner; I have seen how your folks have retained a stranglehold over Bombay or Mumbai through hooliganism rather than development.
But, very few have had the courage to tell you on your face what they all say behind your back. So, I thought I would do the honours.
You are essentially a bully. And a bully is actually a coward. He uses abuse and threat as his weapons of mass destruction and not intelligence or guile. Are you surprised you lost the recent elections horribly? I am not. I was certain you would lose and I am glad you did. Bombay needs respite from political parties that tolerate and even encourage thugs and hooligans. We have seen enough of them. People don't want to be beaten up; traders don't want their shutters down every time you or your party is miffed. The days of bullying people into voting for you are over, my friend. I suggest you get yourself a spanking new coffee to smell or a divine reality check. I was delighted to see how you rustled up members of the film industry to come and discuss Mumbai's Development Plan with you: let me tell you a secret: no one was there because they wanted to be there. They were there because they are too aware of the consequences of their absence. That was an evening of social terrorism and not one laced with affection.
More recently some louts belonging to your party forced Anamika Khanna to change the venue of her show from the Bhau Daji Lad Museum to the Palladium, only because those dolts thought the fashion show should not be held in a museum that was part of Marathi tradition.
When did Marathi tradition to encourage your workers to threaten people? Another sign of cowardice: if you had the courage you should have gone to court. We do have a robust judicial system in this country, in case you've forgotten. Have you travelled abroad? Have you not seen how museums like The Met or the V&A allow fashion shows to be held on their premises only because they chronicle contemporary times? But then what would you know abut museums? I haven't seen you contribute to a museum's development, but yes, your people will allow for the destruction of the spirit.
Take on people who can fight you. What's the big deal in threatening a fashion designer? Try stopping Narendra Modi's cavalcade or Amit Shah's rally. I will salute you then, but you are the kind who fights those who can never fight back. Bala Saheb was very fond of you. He treated you like a son but there must have been a reason he favoured Uddhav to head the Shiv Sena?
This is not meant to incite you: it is designed to help you introspect. You are youthful, and a brilliant orator. Use your intellect as a knife to pierce poverty and impoverishment and not as a knife that cuts people's aspirations.
Yours truly,
Suhel
