NAVI MUMBAIKARS MAKE A MARK ON THE INTERNET
The online social networking bug has caught on the citizens here in a big way. Hordes of people are joining social networking websites to make new friends and keep in touch with old ones. Not only that, they are also joining or creating communities that are related to Navi Mumbai and its different nodes, in some or other way, on these sites. These sites offer interesting information about the communities related to the satellite city. There are hundreds of such communities flooding the sites as also thousands of patrons. “There are communities and groups for dating singles, schools, college campuses, cars, bikes, religious and linguistic communities, sport enthusiasts, residential neighbourhoods, gays and lesbians etc. Members discuss topics and share their views on the forums of all these communities. Opinion polls can be conducted in these communities, besides networking with like-minded people for business and hobbies,” shares Devina Sharma, an engineering student from a city college.
The social networking websites have become hugely popular in India and people in the city are not any less hooked on to this craze. The fact can be judged by their sheer numbers. There are tens of thousands of active Navi Mumbai denizens on these websites. Suraj Uchhil, a young guy who has just graduated, says, “I have joined the groups of my alma mater, my college, Navi Mumbai and my node. Earlier Orkut was the most popular but Facebook soon overtook as the numero uno choice of the people here.” Tech-enthusiasts have communities like Linux Users while football freaks have Manchester United and Arsenal. Professionals have their own spaces. Journos, builders, interior designers, architects, real estate agents, engineers and pharmacists all gather at their particular forums and groups. Students, job-seekers, trekkers, teenagers, those staying in hostels, popular hotels and joints, posh neighbourhoods, malls, people interested in dating and love, all have a group to call their own. Hundreds of gays and lesbians in the city and its adjoining areas have come out of the closet in a big way and joined their respective communities on Orkut and Facebook.
Another interesting space to watch out is the forum of a community named ‘Navi Mumbai v/s Mumbai’ community. Religious groups like Muslims, Jains, Christians and linguistic groups of Sindhis, Oriyas, east-Indians, Malyalees, Bengalis, Marathis, try to retain their identity by having separate communities to interact with members of their group. There are groups promoting spiritualism. Car and bike owners and racing enthusiasts also network through these sites. Anirudh, a student and the owner of 'New Bombay Bikers', tells, “My community is a place for all motorbike enthusiasts in our city. Anything and everything related to bikes is discussed in our community. The focus basically is on performing stunts. I personally know many of the members in this group and we meet up regularly.”
Another interesting point about many city-related communities is that they usually praise the city and its nodes for their beauty and well-planned layout. Communities like Navi Mumbai Rocks and Kopar Khairane Zindabad show how much the citizens like the ‘city of the 21st century’. Vashi, Kharghar, Nerul, CBD Belapur, Juinagar, Seawoods, Kopar Khairane have groups named after them.
Shrikant Lavhate, an engineer and owner of the Kharghar community, informs: “Most of us know that these networking sites are the best place to hangout online. Most of the discussions on our forum are about Kharghar and its related issues. Any newcomer to this place or anyone planning to come here asks about places, accommodation, rentals, hotels, classes etc and gets a very good response.” He further adds, “Many times, people are unaware of events happening in the city. So there comes the role of our community. We update them about the happenings in our city. Kharghar is a town known for having so many engineering, medical and management institutes. So, youth from different places reside here and they comment on issues regarding this place in our forum.”
Most of the old and new educational institutes – be it a professional or degree/ junior college or a school/coaching class – groups related to them exist on these popular websites. Engineering colleges like Ramrao Adik, Lokmanya Tilak, Datta Meghe, Fr. Agnel’s and others like Navi Mumbai High School, ICL Jhunjhunwala College etc are just some of the large number of such communities. Reunion parties are organized with the help of these groups and some nostalgia is shared on their forums. Tells Rahul Muley, a software engineer by profession, “I created the CBD Belapur community and we discuss a lot of topics here. The numbers have only swelled up over the years.”
Indulge, a cool lounge bar at CBD Belapur, has thousands of members in its online group, who are regularly kept informed about upcoming events and attractive schemes and discounts. There are some other groups related to the alumni groups. With so much happening, we can confidently claim that Navi Mumbai has created a place for itself in the virtual world too! |
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