I moved to Mumbai, the maximum city, 3 months ago. And truly, the city lives up to its many names and titles. I’m from Bangalore and have been to other ‘cities’ in India, but Mumbai has been different. On my first day in the city, I moved into the apartment my husband had rented out, and thank heavens, it was way better than my cynical imagination expected it to be. The locality was extremely pleasing too (again, my imagination had expected a dreary scene). The first time I went to work, I took the local train and got off at Dadar station. And good God, I panicked. The crowd overwhelmed me. Obviously, I’ve been in crowded places earlier, but this was different. I mean there wasn’t a square foot of space which was empty. And people were moving ahead with conviction, while I stood there clueless. I felt lost and direction less (like some other times in life when I have no clue where I’m heading or I don’t know which path to choose).
Once I got over my fears and quickly made myself at home, I started to notice the sights, smells and sounds of the city. My daily commute to work became a time of observation and reflection! I saw the small huts, tenements spilling over, encroaching, sometimes so close to the passing train that I could see the lives of the people inside. I wonder how the people dealt with the constant noise! As the buildings were stacked up like a pile of match boxes, there seemed to be way too many windows, staring at me with their rusty old eyes!
The walk from the railway station to work has been an interesting one. With hawkers occupying most of the ‘footpath’ meant for pedestrians to walk on. There are a variety of things for sale, from toys to clothes to lemons and Kiwis! There’s a narrow strip of the footpath, on which we ‘walkers’ can walk.
For a couple of days commuting to work was like an adventure! Water logged roads, trains that took an hour to traverse a distance that usually took 15 minutes. And it was at such a time, that I imagined that a giant water wave would submerge the train in which we were travelling. Thank fully none of that drama happened, and the rains have not been too much of a trouble. Yet, the Mumbaikars warn us, “Monsoon is not done yet, beware!”.
Despite these minor glitches, the city has some unique characteristics which amaze me! At twelve AM, I feel safe, I can travel within the city, use the local trains. This is a new feeling. Absolutely new! There are women from different backgrounds comfortably perched in the local train stations, travelling fearlessly at hours that most of the country would consider ‘odd’. Youngsters have no qualms in interacting with the opposite gender. Colleges do not have a dress code. Girls dress ‘un-conservatively’ are bold and outgoing. It’s heartening to see all of this!
Well, the best part of the city is its numerous promenades by the ocean. Marine drive being my favorite! I could sit there for hours, just like the hundreds of others who do. It’s therapeutic, this place. The tripods, the skyline and the sea with its boats and waves.
Well, it’s just been a couple of months since I moved in. Explored some eat-outs, met a few friends. Saw a play at the TATA theatre. Set up a home with my partner. So far, so good! Let’s see what more this city has in store for us! The newbie doesn’t feel so new to the city after all.
