Mumbai- Through my Eyes

The philosophy about Mumbai and Mumbaikars

In my tired body, drowsy eyes, and sleeping ears, enters air hostess’s sniffing voice, “ Deviyon aur Sajjanon, kuch hi der mein hamara vimaan Mumbai land karega, kripya apni kursi ki peti baandhe rahiye”. (Ladies and gentlemen, we’ll be landing in Mumbai shortly, please keep your your seat belts fastened)

While I am asleep in my economy class seat dreaming about my Mumbai, I open my eyes to see the dream fulfilled.

As I peep out of my window, I see the yellow dots of lights arranged in curves around a dark pitch (and that’s the sea shore)…. honking noises of the traffic jam along SV road and twinkling dense lights as I cross over the slums. That noise and din on the road that carries so much peace in its own; that charm; and that sense of security.

I get tears in my eyes to see this. Out of joy. For all that Mumbai made out of me.

I was neither born, nor brought up in Mumbai. Mumbai is neither my parent nor my friend.
Mumbai is just an employer for me, with innumerable opportunities with the right amount of compensation. 

I stayed for five years in Mumbai.  Mumbai has filled my belly, my pockets, is in my blood now and even my subconscious. But, a vacuum of a landless island city remains. Probably some things are never owned. 

I remember, the times, when I had just heard about Mumbai, in the media, movies. I was excited to see what was the city all about. 
My first question was-to whom Mumbai belongs to.
I was replied, “Mumbai is nobody’s”.
I thought, they could say- Mumbai is everybody’s.

I have lived with both the concepts here. The first one as a punishment. The second one as a penalty for others’ blunders!

Mumbai is like a wonderful station, where one likes to halt, make some money, only to go back.

Mumbai is neither an ailment nor an ointment. It runs on with the strategy of no solution, but phenomenon city. 

Mumbai is like a stern robot God- who works only on one principle- God helps those who help themselves. 

We always discuss the problems of staying in Mumbai. We always concentrate on what we want and we don’t get. But Mumbai makes you realise the little sweet nothings give out so much pleasure… 

Imagine the day when you got a window seat in the train on a breezy evening.
Imagine the moment when you cancelled your interview and enjoyed getting drenched in the Mumbai rain at Marine Drive, with a loved one. 
Or, the day when you see what you always dreamt of- actually occuring before your eyes. 

Seeing an old friend, while crossing the signal.. Friends are friendlier here if they are lesser reachable. 

Mumbai is the most mobile city with most immobile people… most dry city with maximum humidity.
You travel 80 kms to and fro to your workplace everyday, but will never get time to see an ailing friend 2 kms away from your place. That's about the truth of Mumbai.

Mumbai is a close- ended shelter. That's the permanence about the city. 
You know that you can come back and go off anytime you want- but at your own will, you never will. 
We never are able to fathom, when the right time to be over with is. There is an extra bit always clinging to the moment that we don’t want to let go- opportunity and love are two most common examples. 

Mumbai is a city of opportunity, money and ‘no-question’. You are not answerable to anybody- not even God. And, we seldom get time to ask questions from ourselves- we are either busy asking others, or answering theirs. 

Mumbai- holds a black magic wand that governs the life of its beings- either ways.
People come small here and die in the big hospitals; some paupers come and become serious money makers, some dream and some fulfill; some bodge their destinies and end up dodging. 

Mumbai- for sure is a city that belongs to everybody…