Sunday, June 12th, 2005
The light side
I have been travelling a fair bit in the last couple of months. Each time I return to Mumbai, I find the newspaper war has intensified. The Times of India, Mumbai Mirror, DNA and Hindustan Times are gobbling up print, outdoor, radio and television ad space in a bid to capture reader mind share.
Since billboard space seems to be running out, Hindustan Times has clambered on to the scaffolding put up by painters outside the Heera Panna building near Haji Ali. The billboard covers nearly half of the building’s width and nearly 15 floors of the building’s height.
The billboard is big on impact and I’m certain it means big bucks for the housing society. But will someone spare a thought for the poor residents whose share of natural light has been snatched away by this monstrosity?
The message on the billboard must be particularly ironic for these residents. It reads LET THERE BE LIGHT.