Everything, or everybody, was on the move in every
direction;
there was no place to stop, no place to dawdle,
You either moved on or got mowed down. - Kalpish Ratna
there was no place to stop, no place to dawdle,
You either moved on or got mowed down. - Kalpish Ratna
For a long time I have wanted to
describe Mumbai as it ought to be described; but I have been too lethargic to
strain my encephalon to pry facts and narratives, marshal them, and dish them
out in a baroquely coherent way. However overcoming dawdling finally I had a
dash to explore and define what exactly mesmerizes me so much about this harbor
city!
On a sojourn to other cities
there are some places which you can't stop rambling about. They simply amaze
when you are exploring them. But the city that you are living in, or the roads
that you travel by each day - they take you by surprise? Hmmm, a bit difficult to believe right? Actually, it is not so difficult if
you live in a city like Mumbai.
People are very opinionated about
Mumbai, either they love it or detest it. Usually, the ones who detest it have
their reasons; it’s too crowded, congested, smelly and filthy. Well, that’s
okay. Everybody has a different view point. However the ones who love it (like me) have an interesting perspective. If
you have a sight for it, dexterity to glance beyond the rush hour, ghetto and
unwelcomed lodging spaces, there’s this charming city awaiting to win your
heart. You
come. You see. It conquers.
Every single day, you experience
something new. Each time you step out, you spot something neoteric, brisk,
beautiful, vexatious, thought provoking, irritating but at the end of the day
when you ruminate about those events, you end up finding them amusing.
One thing I absolutely like about
Mumbai is Marine Drive; the entire stretch at night is an object of devotion in
itself. Just stand at Marine Drive and let the breeze kiss your cheeks.
Usually sea depresses me, but strolls or sits by seaside; the water drops draw
to their beauty, as splashes of water hit face gently once in a while. While
waves touch your soul deep inside.
A ride around Queens Necklace,
Colaba and Fountain at night is so vivid. More so if it's drizzling. The
raindrops lift spirits instantly and you discover the beauty of the monsoon in
this city, it’s unlike anywhere else. The swirling aura of Juhu beach reminds
of various Hindi films that you have seen over the years.
And there’s that modest side
about the city in contrast to its glamour quotient. Just the dirt, the grime,
the rustlers, and the blighted area, all of this makes me more aware as well.
It is quite amusing to drive them around in the car and listen to irked and
aghast outburst one moment, to cry of disillusion the next and then to
enthusiastic and loud laughter (And they
are Greek, so no hiding of emotions!).
What instinctively connects you to
Mumbai is the vitality of the people. They are buoyant and hustling. They seem
to wriggle the worries off their shoulders. From the moment it is dawn till the
time sun goes down the horizon. It’s a pleasant buzz all through that keeps you
alive from within. Instead of leading peaceful life people bring in turbulence
to a level where the word peace itself finds it impossible to exist. Comfort
means getting a space to stand in the train without getting your foot stamped
even once.
Despite the exploding population;
the variety of jobs available for a man to survive; the efficiency they have to
execute them is mind boggling to say the least. And off course there’s that
Mumbai’s fighting spirit that everyone is pretentious about, I think this
fighting-spirit officially qualifies me to say I am a Mumbaikar, after all. And
for me that is Mumbai in a nutshell.
Mumbai is not a city, it’s a fascinating cavalcade of life.
