The municipal elections in Mumbai are over, the banners have been taken down, the loudspeakers have finally fallen silent, and the city has returned to its favourite sport: complaining. I am part of a WhatsApp group of reasonably educated, well read, English speaking citizens who proudly discuss world affairs, stock markets, health tips and the best place to buy gluten free bread. Which is why I nearly dropped my phone when one gentleman asked a question that stunned me with its sheer brilliance.

“How many Hindus got elected?”

That was it. That was the great municipal  post-election analysis.

From that one question, I could clearly imagine how this enlightened citizen voted. He did not walk into the booth thinking about flooded roads that turn into swimming pools every monsoon. He did not think about garbage mountains that look like they might soon qualify as hill stations. He did not think about pavements so crowded with hawkers that pedestrians are forced to walk on the road and practise daily near death experiences.

No. He voted asking a far more spiritual question. Who does your God look like.

This was a municipal election, mind you. Not a theological conference. Not a pilgrimage committee. This was about drains, roads, water supply, waste management and whether your car survives the next rain.

But somewhere along the way, we have mastered the art of asking the wrong questions. And then we sit back and wonder why we get the wrong answers.

When it rains and Mumbai floods, we do not say, “Ah, the drains were not cleared.” We say, “But how many people from my religion got elected?” As our car hits potholes, we proudly reassure ourselves that at least the right religion is in power.

When garbage piles up, attracting dogs, rats and politicians equally, we do not ask why waste management failed. We ask if the garbage is secular enough.

When pavements disappear under illegal stalls, we do not ask why laws are not enforced. We ask whether the hawker chants the correct prayer.

And the saddest part is that this question came from an educated person. A person who has travelled abroad, praised clean cities, admired efficient systems and returned home only to vote based on divine preferences instead of civic competence.

The tragedy is simple. As long as we keep asking what god a candidate follows instead of what work he can do, we will keep living with flooded roads, broken footpaths and potholes.

Gods do not fix potholes. Corporators do. Or at least they are supposed to.

Municipal elections are not about heaven. They are about manholes. They are not about salvation. They are about sanitation.

Until we understand that, we will continue asking the wrong questions, celebrating the wrong victories, and receiving the wrong solutions. And then, standing knee deep in water, we will lift our eyes heavenward and wonder why God is testing us.

He isn’t. He is simply waiting for us to ask better questions…!

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