Let?s watch a Broadway show called Times Square circus and crime.
Act 1.Overflowing with digital billboards and neon lights, New York?s Times Square at night looks like Las Vegas, the vibrant US gambling city. An amphitheatre seating gallery has been built under the famous Coca Cola advertisement landmark where people sit only to watch other people, illumination, billboards and street entertainment events. In 12 degree Celsius temperature, a very handsome, muscular playboy in just a V-shaped underwear and cowboy hat is creating showbiz, singing with a guitar. He reaches out to the women, and poses erotically for a souvenir photograph they carry back home. Sometimes he does a tango dance with a woman. The woman?s companion clicks a picture while she happily gives him some money that he puts inside his guitar as though it were a piggy bank. In return he gives her a post card to remember him by; in fact it?s his business card. Police presence is high here, but they have a very public-friendly attitude.
Suddenly a beautiful woman passes by, with a picture of President Barack Obama in a billboard hanging on her neck. She has a tray of condoms at the bottom of Obama?s smiling face. She?s proudly selling ?Obama condoms?. Men and women open up their purses and buy Obama condoms with no qualms. You may argue that this shows genuine liberty in the hands of American people, that anyone can brand even an intimate product like condoms with the President?s face and openly sell it on the street. Perhaps it could mean the President is passing on a friendly message on AIDS prevention. That?s breakthrough action. We can never imagine that any politician in India would allow his or her name to be associated with AIDS; in fact AIDS is a subject we fear continuously and try to hide its existence.
Suddenly in another corner, a highly decorated pink collapsible van, almost like a festival float, drives in slowly. Dramatically made-up poster girls give live demonstrations of a colour cosmetic brand. Women come and sit on gaudy chairs outside the flashy pink van to experience what it feels like to be made up and look like Hollywood stars being watched by adoring crowds. In such ostentatious surroundings there is unexpectedly the irony of homeless people carrying their worn out luggage in trolley bags.
Act 2. As my colleague and I were walking down Broadway through Times Square, I was telling her about how the advent of terrorism has made European countries like France change even their street dustbin systems. They now use huge, transparent, plastic bags as dust bins on the streets so everything discarded inside is visible from the outside. We reached Juniors restaurant on West 45th Street, had a quick bite and stepped out at 7 pm. Suddenly the police had cordoned off the Times Square area with a yellow ribbon to stop passers by. I always carry my video camera to record social aspects when I travel so I was covering this incident even as it unfolded.
Act 3. We were made to walk back towards 8th Avenue. Lots of cameramen started to shoot the scene. The police first used a yellow ribbon, then pushed us back a little more. The original yellow ribbon spot now had a red ribbon. We smelt danger. Suddenly fire brigades were bracketing the road. Ambulances started to make their appearance.
Manhattan?s Broadway, the theatre district, was about to swing into action at 8 pm. A few young actors and actresses were seen trying to negotiate entry to the barricaded streets. An actress was pushed aside by a burly fire brigade man, and she fell down on the road. A rumour ran through in lightning speed amongst the public that a building on Times Square was on fire. Part of the public speculated that terrorists have struck while others ran for cover. The cynical ones suspected that the police were running a dummy test to keep themselves busy. My colleague and I were totally blocked on 8th Avenue for nearly three hours. In a corner of 45th St and 8th Avenue, I spotted a woman police officer. She whispered to me that they are expecting some heavy explosion somewhere in Times Square. At 10 pm. we were allowed to walk in the periphery of the heavily populated Times Square area, now totally vacant and eerie.
Conclusion. On returning to my hotel I got the news from CNN at 2 am on May 2 that it?s no more a hallucination of my Broadway show, it?s a reality show. I was dining on 45th Street, even as the action happened between the 44th and 45th Streets. A robot was directed to conduct investigations and defuse any bomb in the suspected car which had smoke spewing out from it. This was the real Broadway show in the heart of Times Square with NYPD (New York Police Department) as the actors. The curiosity of the masses was still high. Everybody wanted to watch the show from the sidelines, and it certainly was a hit in real life. Only in America can you see things so spectacularly. In the world-famous Times Square, where the New York Times originated, unique things can happen, from entertainment to catastrophe. We were enjoying the different acts, and saw the face of the policemen change from indulging people?s fun to controlling them towards safety without causing panic so as to ensure that Times Square will never become a deserted place in future.
It?s commendable that they controlled the vast crowds with skillful and sensitive police work.
A recent American TV programme I saw had an administrative authority request citizens to help by immediately reporting whatever suspicious moves they see, as it?s not always possible for a central source to detect acts of terrorism. It?s a good suggestion that we can take up in India to save our people?s lives.
?Shombit Sengupta is a creative business consultant to top managements. Reach him at http://www.shininguniverse.com