Smruti Koppikar
When the Siddhartha Vihar Hostel in Wadala was brought down, floor by floor, in early February by the BMC, a piece of Mumbai’s history associated with Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar was obliterated.
Articles by Smruti Koppikar
Lockdown is painful but may be Mumbai’s best chance at tackling Coronavirus
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON MAR 19, 2020 04:30 PM IST
If Mumbai is completely locked down, it will resemble a ghost town not unlike Wuhan from where photographs and videos were shared in late January.
Epidemic of fear and panic about CoVID-19
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON MAR 11, 2020 11:47 PM IST
Whether a city manages to ride out an epidemic with minimum loss depends partly on its good fortunes, partly on its administrators who manage information and health networks, and partly on its citizens
Mumbai’s story: Vicious riot and elusive justice
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON MAR 05, 2020 01:03 AM IST
In Delhi, policemen were either mute spectators or predators as mobs wreaked havoc and violence on innocent citizens.
Communal riot and inter-ethnic tapestry of cities
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
PUBLISHED ON FEB 27, 2020 12:13 AM IST
A city is never the same after a communal riot or pogrom; it does not completely heal, it does not go back to being quite the tapestry it used to be
The malice in making protests and protesters invisible
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON FEB 20, 2020 01:32 AM IST
The city police attempted this with Mumbai Bagh too in a way citing traffic impediments and bringing pressure to bear on the women sitting-in, slapping notices and FIRs on them and volunteers, profiling protesters and visitors.
A Mumbai cabbie and Kejriwal’s free pass to hate ideology | Opinion
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON FEB 13, 2020 09:34 AM IST
The AAP did not take on the BJP ideologically; Kejriwal did not substantively disagree on Shaheen Bagh protests or CAA-NRC.
Civic budget talk: Coastal Road a misplaced priority?
UPDATED ON FEB 05, 2020 11:10 PM IST
Pavements do not get prioritised in the BMC’s tasks lists perhaps because its movers-and-shakers do not use them
Shiv Bhojan could be game-changer if Uddhav is watchful
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON JAN 29, 2020 11:50 PM IST
The Shiv Bhojan is as basic a meal as can be — a serving of chapatis, a vegetable, some rice and dal for Rs10 per thali or lunch-plate
How to redefine nightlife in a city that never sleeps
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON JAN 23, 2020 12:03 AM IST
Mumbai, at its heart, is a commercial city; its rhythms do not cease at night and never will.
Mumbai Police must refine the art of policing
PUBLISHED ON JAN 16, 2020 12:03 AM IST
The sensitivity that the force showed towards protestors needs to be extended towards women and children too
Make no mistake, Mumbai is mostly political and non-silent
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON JAN 09, 2020 12:07 AM IST
Silence speaks volumes, silence is political too.
2020 brings hope that Indians will reclaim a composite nation
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON JAN 02, 2020 12:04 AM IST
It’s a year that carries hope and aspirations of millions – hope for a gentler and more just future, aspiration to be any kind of an Indian that one wishes to be with freedom and joy.
2019: When city streets became protest sites
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
PUBLISHED ON DEC 26, 2019 12:29 AM IST
The urban space turned into a site of spontaneous and electrifying protests against governments.
De-citizenisation by CAA-NRC drills through India’s soul
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON DEC 19, 2019 07:24 PM IST
The purpose of CAA-NRC is ostensibly to weed out illegal immigrants from three neighbouring countries but implicitly threatens Indian Muslims as well as all Indians who do not possess documents of their ancestry here.
Gender equality: Global concern, Mumbai’s ignominy
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON DEC 12, 2019 12:41 AM IST
Despite anecdotal signals of women breaching barriers and breaking ceilings in several domains, the bias exists.
Dear parties, ignore women and urban voters, face NOTA
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON DEC 05, 2019 01:16 AM IST
Three trends among many in the electoral basket stand out because their significances go well beyond this election.
Some takeaways from Maharashtra government formation
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON NOV 28, 2019 03:24 AM IST
The shenanigans are confusing, but there are some takeaways.
Uddhav’s ambition, Gandhi’s dilemma, and Pawar’s pattern
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON NOV 21, 2019 06:35 AM IST
The question is if Sonia Gandhi can trust Pawar enough to not throw the Congress under the bus in the months ahead if this government becomes a reality
Why Mumbai can’t honestly say ‘Let’s move on’
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON NOV 13, 2019 11:13 PM IST
In the new-normal Mumbai, religion has come to play a greater part than it did in civic and personal matters
Mumbai Story: From sea unto sea?
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON NOV 07, 2019 12:09 AM IST
The city’s geography and future is being threatened by rising sea levels as an outcome of global warming
The meaning of the 2019 mandate
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON OCT 31, 2019 12:49 AM IST
The BJP-Sena divided the state’s 288 constituencies between themselves, went to voters with their record of the last five years, and asked to be re-elected.
Why Mumbai’s voter disinterest is a disgrace
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON OCT 24, 2019 12:08 AM IST
We will not ‘doob maro’, will keep asking questions this elections
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
PUBLISHED ON OCT 17, 2019 12:55 AM IST
When the dissonance was pointed out by sections of the media, when the link between Article 370 and Assembly election was questioned, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “doob maro”.
The Aarey battle has invaluable lessons for Mumbai
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON OCT 10, 2019 12:00 AM IST
Civil society can and does stand up for causes, even in a city like Mumbai with the crushing demands it makes on people’s time and energy. Aarey is a good example of how citizens found common cause and rallied around together.
Invoking Gandhi, the icon; Ignoring Gandhi, the idea
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
PUBLISHED ON OCT 02, 2019 11:38 PM IST
Gandhi, the man, must have been fascinating. Gandhi, the idea, even more so.
Election minus contest, unipolar politics isn’t good news
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON SEP 26, 2019 12:48 AM IST
The gradual disintegration of opposition parties has meant that the contrarian or challenger voice does not get reflected in the Assembly
Mumbai’s many tongues and linguistic swagger
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON SEP 19, 2019 01:48 AM IST
What else is Bambaiyya Hindi if not a unique, grammar-free, syntax-free and reference-free mix of Marathi, Gujarati, even Urdu mixed with Hindi? It is voiced by Bollywood characters on the screen but the dialect – it is that, a dialect – is heard zillions of times more on the streets of Mumbai.
Battle for Aarey is a battle for Mumbai
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
PUBLISHED ON SEP 11, 2019 11:52 PM IST
This column rarely repeats an issue in successive weeks, but Aarey is too precious to lose even an inch of.
Mr CM, take Aarey and you set up Mumbai for more floods
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times, Mumbai
UPDATED ON SEP 05, 2019 12:19 AM IST
The Tree Authority meeting, which saw a split of eight to six in favour of the proposal, seems to have had its share of slyness, politics and confusion
Citizen activism can’t replace Mumbai civic body’s responsibility
By Smruti Koppikar | Hindustan Times
UPDATED ON AUG 29, 2019 12:09 AM IST
Citizens, however well-intentioned and resourceful, must not plug the gaps in a way that allows the BMC to get away easily
