I hated her. The very first time I saw her. Dirty, dishevelled, and in rags. She is not a lady; nor a girl. I am talking about Mumbai.
Setting my foot on Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, I did not expect to see what I saw. Thousands of people thronging the platform- some waiting for the train, some wandering aimlessly, beggars pestering men and women, labourers slugging away at their cart and so on. Though I have earlier lived in Pune and not new to large crowds, this was something different.
The sweltering heat, the dusty roads, varied pungent and putrid smells from open gutters and carelessly thrown garbage overflowing from the containers, and the most loathsome of all- hordes of people- all these create a very distasteful impression of the most dynamic city in India. I could not feel at home here. I always felt on the edge. It was as if I was an outsider to the scenes happening around me.
Then why is it that people mention Mumbai as a go to place for all at least once in their lives? As if it’s a pilgrimage. Why does anyone who wants to earn his daily bread come here? As if it’s the only choice they had. Why does living in Mumbai and living anywhere else in India is different? Many near ones told me of this. You don't get answers to these questions unless you have lived here. I wondered about them in my daily commutes to work and at times when frustrated being here. I have actually cried on my choice for moving from Pune to Mumbai. Pune- the blissful paradise- cool ambience, less crowded, laid back lifestyle, comparatively wide roads for riding bikes and in general a serene existence- I had left it all to come here- this shithole of a place!! I know it sounds extreme, but then that is what I felt back then.
Now, I feel at home here. Standing at the doors of the local trains feeling the rush of air on your face is no more a misplaced adventure (It is dangerous though). The never ending hordes of people no longer overwhelm me. You find a way through it. Amidst the crowd of darshan-seekers at Siddhivinayak in Dadar, I have felt peace and protected sitting for hours together in the sanctum. It was as if Ganpati Bappa listened to my internal musings. I have enjoyed spicy vadapavs with sweat dripping from my forehead. Felt refreshed with a cup of strong and sweet filter coffee at Satkar early in the morning. I actually began enjoying my life here.
This city has a peculiar routine to it. Right from 4 in the morning to 12 in the night, the pace is unstoppable. I was stunned when once returning from Dadar to my place in Vikhroli by the last local of the day around 11.50 PM, I found it jam packed as is the norm you find in the peak hours of the day. I remember once when returning with a friend from a late night movie show around 1:30 in the night, I assumed we won’t be easily getting an auto rickshaw for our place. But we got one right outside the cinema and at the applicable rates of the night; no haggling for the fare. Though there are instances where you cannot but wish this city to be less crowded: like, you are stuck in traffic and suddenly you hear the sound of an ambulance siren with its immediacy and you just wish for the road to clear, because there are hoardes of vehicles as badly stuck on the narrow pathway as others, unable to move. That moment unsettles you and makes you secretly wish never to get stuck like that yourself or for any of your near ones. It’s plain overwhelming. You feel helpless.
I feel amazed at how Mumbai has everything for its citizens. To get away from the city blues, just head towards the Marine drive promenade or any of the getaways that the city has to offer. Be it the Juhu Chowpatty or the Versova beach (There are other beaches too that I am yet to explore). You feel like having a good meal, no need to go anywhere, you will never have problems with finding a good place to eat. Feel like having typical South Indian food with none of its essence lost? Just head to Matunga on the central side. With eateries like Ramashray, Mani's Lunch home or the roadside Aiyyapan's or the aptly named Cafe Madras, you can satiate your cravings for a good Southern snack. I have frequented these places like none other. Matunga also has shops for beautiful flower garlands and the ambience is very eclectic which you can find nowhere else in Mumbai. For a city hopper, Mumbai has numerous places that can engage your discovering spirit. I have wandered into places like medieval age Mount Mary's at Bandra, the ancient Walkeshwar temple near Altamount Road, not too ancient Haji Ali Dargah at Mahalaxmi.
Once having wandered in the bylanes of Mumbai Central, I was transported to the days of the British Raj when those houses with European architecture with beautifully carved wooden window sills and perched balconies protruding out must have been built.
You will be amazed when roaming through the small lanes and bylanes of South Mumbai. Keep your eyes open; who knows what will you see next?
The one experience that still refreshes me and which I suggest you to experience is getting drenched in the monsoon showers on the Marine Drive promenade. You may ask- What’s so special about it? Feeling the rains soaking you with the Arabian Sea in its mad fury beside you and enjoying a cutting chai with your friends is what the fun is about(Thanks to my friend for the opportunity). People get there just to enjoy the showers with their families. Ahhh!! Mumbai- How did you become what you are? Wish I had wandered more.
Having said all this, one wonders- how is it then that some people find it hard to continue living here? It is because this city is not for the faint hearted. If you are one, this city will teach you how to be strong; though some sights here can unhinge even those with a strong constitution.
How else can you explain the pain you feel when seeing a man living off of tidbits of food and by a railway station with nothing to his name but a few articles which he hopes to sell? How can you not feel pained to see people living in so small a house that can barely contain a person? I have seen families, a particular example comes to my mind of a family of four nearby, staying in a cramped room with no space to stretch your hands without touching others. I have seen people living by open gutters and garbage whose stench can make you giddy several kilometers away. Even the garbage you dump every day is a source of income for many families here. No doubt then that this city is called the Maximum City where every experience you have can stretch to the greatest extent possible, both on the plus side and on the minus side. But still the city throbs. Even now when it is difficult to find an open space in the city and the far flung suburbs, there are thousands who come here to earn or live their dreams. You will be awestruck by the dynamism and activity of Mumbai.
Why is life in Mumbai different from any other city in India? What I have felt is that this city accepts everyone who comes here. Slowly and gradually, it takes you in and makes you one with it. No one leaves empty handed. Don't get amused if you find yourself eating a vadapav or dosas or idli-chutney with your bare hands on a small paper plate alongside a daily wage labourer or an autowala or a man in an SUV. No discrimination, just the need to feed yourself before the hard days' work in the minimum possible time. My journey here has been one with lots of upheavals and some truly great time spent with many friends here. I fell in love with this city. The outsider in me now felt one with the people here. Mumbai accepted me and I accepted it.
I spent a comparatively short amount of time here, just two years, but now I will cherish those days which brought a whole new experience to me. On my final departure, the song which captures the gist of any Mumbaikar's existence and which to this day sounds as true as when it was sung, was on my lips, as my train raced through the suburbs and my eyes tried to capture the final views of my life in Mumbai-
Ae dil hai mushkil jeena yaha
Jara hatke jara bachke
Ye hai Bombay meri jaan!!
PS : I am sorry could not post some pictures of Mumbai the way I saw it. But I promise to put some as soon as time permits.
