Mumbai...
Suketu Mehta's Maximum City....Shantaram's playground.. home to sixteen million people.."twice the size of NY " according to Rudi Guiliani- ...glamourous yet dishevelled..rich yet poor...aloof and still friendly...the city of never ending contrasts... that is Mumbai for you...
Several images of Mumbai abound in the mind..but some of the more enduring ones are --
The mad rush in the local train at 8:00 a.m and the rush at Bade Mian's joint at 2:00 a.m..boy..this city tells you how to work hard, and play harder ...In fact, the manner in which a Mumbaikar plans his leisure hours seems to be as systematic as his approach to work...which itself is an irony !
..active until the wee hours...one can find an auto at any time of the night...and not think twice before stepping in..in fact..if the auto guys see three four guys standing together at night when the streets are empty, they stop and ask if you need a ride !
The slums ..they really are as bad as they appear on TV...one of the first sights that greets the eye when the plane is touching down - not quite recommended for sore ones - the slums have grown to an extent that they now encraoch upon the airport land...
The food...is mostly sad...really ...The Chinese Dosa, the extreme example of India China friendship - Hindi - Chini bhai bhai I guess -- noodles stuffed into the Dosa..!! The Vada Pao Dosa..as if the Vada Pao was not bad enough..Yikes...Similar such culinary monstroities abound and flourish under the guise of innovations..and one is best advised to steer clear of anything that purports itself to be one...the strange part is that people actually like them..or perhaps they are too hard pressed for time to be choosy, so they eat anything..
Mani's lunch home - Matunga -- the closest one can get to authentic cuisine from the South...Cooper Hospital mess - my daily sustenance..
The people -- Fight Club's single serving friends -- abound here -- as long as they have the time to spare, the people here are very nice..not rude, listen patiently...yeah..there are some who insist on speaking Marathi...but then one can always cajole them to speak Hindi anyway..one lasting impression that I will never forget -- Post July 26/7 when the city was submerged under 944 mm of rainfall in one day...ordinary citizens in Bandra - were directing traffic..ladies were giving food, water and coffee to motorists stranded on the road...it was really an inspiring sight..one definitely recommended for the sore ones !
I think I 'd better rein in my enthusiasm before it runs away with me :-) ...more in the next communication...an unusual experience at the beach
Suketu Mehta's Maximum City....Shantaram's playground.. home to sixteen million people.."twice the size of NY " according to Rudi Guiliani- ...glamourous yet dishevelled..rich yet poor...aloof and still friendly...the city of never ending contrasts... that is Mumbai for you...
Several images of Mumbai abound in the mind..but some of the more enduring ones are --
The mad rush in the local train at 8:00 a.m and the rush at Bade Mian's joint at 2:00 a.m..boy..this city tells you how to work hard, and play harder ...In fact, the manner in which a Mumbaikar plans his leisure hours seems to be as systematic as his approach to work...which itself is an irony !
..active until the wee hours...one can find an auto at any time of the night...and not think twice before stepping in..in fact..if the auto guys see three four guys standing together at night when the streets are empty, they stop and ask if you need a ride !
The slums ..they really are as bad as they appear on TV...one of the first sights that greets the eye when the plane is touching down - not quite recommended for sore ones - the slums have grown to an extent that they now encraoch upon the airport land...
The food...is mostly sad...really ...The Chinese Dosa, the extreme example of India China friendship - Hindi - Chini bhai bhai I guess -- noodles stuffed into the Dosa..!! The Vada Pao Dosa..as if the Vada Pao was not bad enough..Yikes...Similar such culinary monstroities abound and flourish under the guise of innovations..and one is best advised to steer clear of anything that purports itself to be one...the strange part is that people actually like them..or perhaps they are too hard pressed for time to be choosy, so they eat anything..
Mani's lunch home - Matunga -- the closest one can get to authentic cuisine from the South...Cooper Hospital mess - my daily sustenance..
The people -- Fight Club's single serving friends -- abound here -- as long as they have the time to spare, the people here are very nice..not rude, listen patiently...yeah..there are some who insist on speaking Marathi...but then one can always cajole them to speak Hindi anyway..one lasting impression that I will never forget -- Post July 26/7 when the city was submerged under 944 mm of rainfall in one day...ordinary citizens in Bandra - were directing traffic..ladies were giving food, water and coffee to motorists stranded on the road...it was really an inspiring sight..one definitely recommended for the sore ones !
I think I 'd better rein in my enthusiasm before it runs away with me :-) ...more in the next communication...an unusual experience at the beach
2 comments:
Hey there, nice blog you got here.
Sure, friends in Mumbai might be
single serve, but having lived in several parts of India, I can honestly claim that Mumbai has the friendliest and the most helpful people amongst all.
It's the only place where if you stand at a station looking lost, someone would come and ask you if you wanted help, the only place where a woman would rather be shouted at (for paying the fare late) than get off without paying the fare, the only place where complete strangers would come to your help, the only place where the cab-drivers would return your change. Of course, examples of people being apathetic abound, but on the whole, my experience of Mumbai has been undoubtedly good.
nice post...i completely agree with u..me too love the city...:)even before going there it was my fav city..:)....i love the pace of the city and the space ppl give to each other....the spirit of the ppl there makes up for the crowded LTs....revive this blog....its tells a lot about you...:))
Post a Comment