BYOB-every law-abiding Mumbaikar must know by now-is short for 'Be In Your Own Bedroom'. This new full form of the party acronym for 'Bring Your Own Bottle' was among Mumbai Police's many light-hearted virtual New Year's Eve gifts to citizens that ushered in 2021 on a smooth, joyous note.
To implement the state government's Covid-19-induced night curfew prohibiting gatherings of more than five persons from 11pm to 6am, the police had posted the tongue-in-cheek BYOB poster on its official Twitter handle @MumbaiPolice, asking people to stay at home instead of partying outside during those restricted hours.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJdYhQblvnY/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link https://www.instagram.com/p/CJdYhQblvnY/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading On both Twitter and Instagram, the Mumbai Police prevailed with their quickfire, woke comebacks to cheeky Mumbaikars. "What if I reach her place by 11pm and stay there overnight?" a man on Twitter asked the police. "We hope you have taken her consent else we have an alternate accommodation for the night in mind for you!"came the reply.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CJcwHiTFSfG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link https://www.instagram.com/p/CJcwHiTFSfG/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading It has been five years since the launch of the now-legendary official handle @Mumbaipolice, that reels in the youth by milking movies such as Sholay, and Netflix shows such as 'Narcos', trending topics and puns for their public service memes on various social issues such as women empowerment. On Friday, January 1, the account, which is monitored around the clock by a social media cell known to respond quickly to complaints via private chats, has crossed a fan base of 5 million, much higher than that of even the New York Police Department (NYPD). Clearly, satire works in cosmopolitan Mumbai, as evidenced by posters such as the recent New Year's Eve message that screamed: "Where's the party tonight? Not late on the dance floor."
A different strain of the same sentiment showed up on Mumbai Police's Instagram account which has over 2.5 lakh followers. Here, the police mined a standard party pick-up line for laughs. "What's the plan for tonight? Your place or mine?" asks a generic, anonymous party animal on a social media messenger chat. "You At Your Place. Me At Mine!" was the answer. Another message was even more sanitised. Here, the police resorted to a 90s Bollywood theme while insisting on a virtual New Years' party with the family. In it, a bunch of animated people-couples, children, elderly-peeped through a laptop screen as the tagline read: "Hum saath saath hai!"
In fact, Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, also drilled home safety on New Year's Eve with flair on his Twitter handle: "Socially distance yourself from the hangover of 2020 and make a fresh start to the new decade!"
Feor being in its own bedroom after 11pm, the city received a pat on the back at the end of 2020. "You were good tonight, Mumbai," read a Twitter post by the police. "That's a great beginning to the year."