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After
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This is what I saw en route a small detour that I had of Bandra yesterday. No matter what the High Court says and what the State Government Guarantee's, the retailers, shop owners and multinational bigwigs are not taking any chances with MNS. That speaks volume of the power wielded by the stick and coercion.
On my way to the popular eating joint Stomach, I happened to see something which was markedly differently to what I was normally used to. The Vodafone Store which was previously known as Hutch, and known as Orange before that had now taken a new 'Avatar'. Vodafone had gone in for a major alteration to its look.
As soon as you cross the signal at Lucky and head towards Globus, you will now be greeted with Vodafone, written in Marathi, almost unrecognizable from its more renowned brand name, which defined its style and overall look and presentation. The difference was so glaring that it didn’t hit me as the same store where I had been to so often in the recent past for various reasons, which I'll withhold for some other day.
It didn’t take me much time to figure out the reason for such a, seemingly unwarranted redo. It was the clearly the result of the diktat, order, request or demand; whatever you may call it from the MNS supremo Raj Thackeray, who had asked all the shop owners and retail outlets to use the Marathi language for their hoarding, signboard or any other signage that they use. He had also made sure to let everybody know that those who erred to heed his advice were in store for some serious backlashes and repercussions.
Although, some looked at the stance taken by the MNS as just a publicity gimmick nothing short of showboating, and considered the suggestion rhetorical were in for a rude shock. Soon shops started to be pelted with stones, with staff and employees attacked, while threats of dire consequences began to do the rounds.
This move by the Vodafone seems strange when you consider that the High Court had come out strongly against the actions of MNS and the asked the State to protect the safety and freedom of the shop owners. This was in response to the petition filed by the lobby of the retail shop owners. Even Raj had decided to stay quite after the order. Obviously the order was too little too late for some of the bigwigs in Bandra.
My only hope is that this episode won't set a precedent that others will like to emulate, not least the MNS itself who would gain heart from the results that it was able to garner through this agitation and try to replicate it in some form or the other, only bigger and more ambitious, and effectively hold the public of Mumbai to ransom.
As soon as you cross the signal at Lucky and head towards Globus, you will now be greeted with Vodafone, written in Marathi, almost unrecognizable from its more renowned brand name, which defined its style and overall look and presentation. The difference was so glaring that it didn’t hit me as the same store where I had been to so often in the recent past for various reasons, which I'll withhold for some other day.
It didn’t take me much time to figure out the reason for such a, seemingly unwarranted redo. It was the clearly the result of the diktat, order, request or demand; whatever you may call it from the MNS supremo Raj Thackeray, who had asked all the shop owners and retail outlets to use the Marathi language for their hoarding, signboard or any other signage that they use. He had also made sure to let everybody know that those who erred to heed his advice were in store for some serious backlashes and repercussions.
Although, some looked at the stance taken by the MNS as just a publicity gimmick nothing short of showboating, and considered the suggestion rhetorical were in for a rude shock. Soon shops started to be pelted with stones, with staff and employees attacked, while threats of dire consequences began to do the rounds.
This move by the Vodafone seems strange when you consider that the High Court had come out strongly against the actions of MNS and the asked the State to protect the safety and freedom of the shop owners. This was in response to the petition filed by the lobby of the retail shop owners. Even Raj had decided to stay quite after the order. Obviously the order was too little too late for some of the bigwigs in Bandra.
My only hope is that this episode won't set a precedent that others will like to emulate, not least the MNS itself who would gain heart from the results that it was able to garner through this agitation and try to replicate it in some form or the other, only bigger and more ambitious, and effectively hold the public of Mumbai to ransom.
Some of the Other's who Fell in Line include.
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