While I spend my Sunday afternoon reading Suketu Metha's Mumbai, as described in his book Maximum City, I'm inspired to write about my one-year-old Mumbai. It's surprising that my own city Ahmedabad has not been able to leave such an indelible mark, as this maximum city has.
My tryst with Mumbai began when I started working here from June last year. I was intimidated by the 35 sq. km area that it covered. I stayed at a relative's place the first two months quite close to office so I didn't really understand the difficulties that other non-locals and commuters kept complaining about. It was only when I started living out on my own in a rented apartment, did Bombay start sinking in. Money drives everything here. For example, the amount of adulteration in food is inversely proportional to the amount of money you're ready to shell out.
This city has given me some of the best and worst experiences of my life:
Friday night hangouts with friends, The Vagina Monologues at Prithvi theatre, the awesome foray into South Bombay, hanging out with KK at Bandra, the April One Party, the Water Kingdom trip, my first cricket match at the stadium, a million trips to R-City mall for movies, the Mumbai rains, my first trek, travelling via empty locals: all these constitute the unforgettable moments here.
Haggling for everything, the house shifting disaster, the harridan- our ex-landlord, loneliness in one of the world's most populous cities, the arrogant rickshaw wallahs, travelling though crowded locals and buses and the monthly nightmares encountered while paying bills are things I wish I could avoid.
However, each day throws a new lesson which I have now learnt to pick up and move on. There have been times I have cried my heart out and times I've laughed till my stomach hurt. There is no need to meditate in a cave in the Himalayas or anywhere else to understand yourself. Stay in Mumbai independently for atleast a year and it will teach you the art of living.
My tryst with Mumbai began when I started working here from June last year. I was intimidated by the 35 sq. km area that it covered. I stayed at a relative's place the first two months quite close to office so I didn't really understand the difficulties that other non-locals and commuters kept complaining about. It was only when I started living out on my own in a rented apartment, did Bombay start sinking in. Money drives everything here. For example, the amount of adulteration in food is inversely proportional to the amount of money you're ready to shell out.
This city has given me some of the best and worst experiences of my life:
Friday night hangouts with friends, The Vagina Monologues at Prithvi theatre, the awesome foray into South Bombay, hanging out with KK at Bandra, the April One Party, the Water Kingdom trip, my first cricket match at the stadium, a million trips to R-City mall for movies, the Mumbai rains, my first trek, travelling via empty locals: all these constitute the unforgettable moments here.
Haggling for everything, the house shifting disaster, the harridan- our ex-landlord, loneliness in one of the world's most populous cities, the arrogant rickshaw wallahs, travelling though crowded locals and buses and the monthly nightmares encountered while paying bills are things I wish I could avoid.
However, each day throws a new lesson which I have now learnt to pick up and move on. There have been times I have cried my heart out and times I've laughed till my stomach hurt. There is no need to meditate in a cave in the Himalayas or anywhere else to understand yourself. Stay in Mumbai independently for atleast a year and it will teach you the art of living.
