Finally, I was done with my sandwich. My left toe was upraising the knee all the time to level my unevenly stuffed bag on lap from keeping the sandwich to slid down in an event of abrupt breaks. Now it was time for it to be little loaf. Besides, I was too anxious about the unwanted but highly anticipated attention from the co-passangers around me due to the smell of that grilled sandwich I was stuffing in my mouth. To make the matter worse all that was underneath the thick sheath of grated cheese. I had opened it up in that hermetically sealed compartment of metro. But now I could let loose of my self consciousness. There was not gonna be any munching sound anymore, nor the tang of anything toothsome. The empty sandwich box went inside my bag. I Got rid of the cheese dispersed over my bag, lap and mush. Drank water. And I was ready to get down as soon as my station approaches. 

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       ‘Next station, Magic Bricks Western Express Highway. Doors would open on the left’ said the monotonous voice from the speakers. I was looking at the nice smiling couple with the two kids, happiness overflowing on their face, as now they have found their dream home. That glowing digital billboard of some real estate developer had rendered their faces more glorious. I looked at the door. The station name was blinking over the door frame and people were clustered to get down. somehow these usual things caught up my idle mind unusually. The name was still blinking in front of my eyes.

 

       The entire metro is branded. Not just from outside but from inside as well. And not just banners or stickers. They have colorful movements on the glowing digital screens inside the compartment to not to loose out on a chance to steal the attention in those brief moments of commute. It wasn’t enough that they also had the adverts playing from the speakers. How can they not leverage the only sense of humans which can not be voluntarily shunned!

 

       Its not about advertising but where it’s taking place. Under the appeasing grounds of ‘revenue generation’ the public transport has been relinquished for commercial influence. Additionally, the Mumbai metro is a consortium between the commercial(70%) and the government (30%). Either the civic body lacked the sufficient funds or its just barmy idea at the nub to turn Mumbai into Shanghai at superficial pace. 

And for the better or worse, its not just our ministry, these things are happening in many other democratic countries as well. And that too at larger extent. 

 

       How does it feel to imagine police department, which is there to protect you, has its efficiency  propped up by some private entity and cops roaming around the city streets with their vehicles as billboards? There have been incidences about police officers proposing such proposals and they had local governments supporting this. There are public beaches where lifeguards are sponsored by corporates saving government ass from spending more.

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       There are also examples of municipalities in democratic countries  boosting coffers by selling rights to advertise in jails. Even government schools are allowing advertisers to advertise to kids in return of funding for various facilities. Civic responsibilities like installing playgrounds were also carried out by corporates in return of gaining rights from the governments to advertise in there, to the citizens. 

 

       There was this telecommunication company which was accorded with a tag of ‘official wireless partner of the city.’ This company provided, from training to devices, to the local law enforcement officials and other municipal staff in return to the rights to advertise. Even the fire safety department was not an anomaly to this. Officers did express their willingness in making the firetrucks the billboards. There are parks, natural trails and wilderness areas given to corporates to advertise themselves, in return of their sponsorship for projects like reforestation. In fact now, there is even a firm established to act like a broker between the government and such corporate sponsors.  In many cases, government entities seems very welcoming to such kind of fundraising.

 

       And these all are the examples of things happening in democratic countries. Even though these things are happening in first world, what any different are we doing here? We have metros now, they had subways. Branded all over. And we can’t say we are prone to all the developmental shit in India. Even though we are way back in time, compared to them, thats exactly where we eventually are heading. Cultural aspects might have trembled India’s developmental process in the past, or even in present, but such things rarely to get affected or opposed on cultural grounds. And I’m not seeing any other ground on the basis of which municipal marketing could be voiced against, at least in India. And wherever it has been criticized, it was rendered ineffective. In fact, this thing is growing. The day isn’t far ahead when India would get plagued by it. In fact, it has already taking its baby steps in the form of metro stations naming rights. In other cities having metros, it is not even recent. Interestingly, it all goes long back to when I was a child and used to find my favorite biscuit ad at the back of Mumbai's public transport (BEST)bus tickets. And even before Mumbai metro, I recall hearing ad jingles played in Mumbai's railway compartments. 

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       In a nutshell, where is our society heading? We gave birth to an institution called government, elected few among us to carry out the civic duty, ensuring the safety and implementing law and order. And now, these duties, responsibilities are being outsourced to private entities. Would capitalism dominate the existence of democratic governments? Clout have always had its way irrespective of whether its democracy or monarchy, some level above up there everything goes hand in had. But now, municipal marketing seems to be more moralistic and overt way to make the line thinner between consumers and citizens. 

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       How much funds are essential? Would the answer be the same had the question asked few decades ago? Why? Because, what a human can do to make life more advantageous has changed drastically over a period of time. The answer to the above question is always subject to the relative situation of other humans around us (other nations, other societies). It's subject to the progress overall humanity has attained. The things (Civic utilities. Or even materialistic things) which were enough to keep humans contented few decades ago, are way less than what is required for today’s populous. Besides, we need to be shoulder to shoulder with other communities around us with respect to overall advancements as a society and as a contender for potential disputed situations. So, if that’s the case, we all are gonna eventually strive for betterment. And not every countries economies are growing with the pace of this avidity of continuous betterment. The only alluring option governments might get to resort to would be municipal marketing. 

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       Just imagine a world where many civic paradigms having subsistence on private bodies. Standard of living of citizens would certainly improve, but it has also given rise to undeniable possibility of partisanship from governing body towards the sponsors. In addition to that, it could give rise to the rivalry among the corporates to gain maximum control over the market. What if the sponsorship costs surpass the total funds government could acquire through taxes? I might be risking slippery slope argument here but what if I say, there seems no practical reason which would invalidate the existence of slope and societal vulnerability to tumble down? 

There could be many ‘if’s but no ‘but’s. 

 

       Here is a crucial question: What if a country would not be governed by respective civic departments but the corporations, excelled in respective fields, catering the nation with particular services in return of exclusive territorial rights to market and sell? Democracy and Capitalism could be seemingly heterogeneous terms but what if former is replaced by later? Unlike democracy, it would be easier to quantify the rationale behind choosing a particular corporation among many, to carry out and take care of civic ventures. But is that what ultimately we are aiming for?

These and many such questions might engulf ones mind. But the answer lie only in the time to come...

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