Well recently I had been to Mumbai..Bombay..for about 10 days. One, at this part of the year, it was quite foolish, maybe I was about a week early, or the monsoons were a week late, because the weather that said hello, wasn’t very pleasant. The hello was rather sadistic, complete with an evil, perilous smile. I had flown Air India both ways, which seemed quite foolish given the recent trend of events! But yes, with a couple of mute prayers myself, and literal, loud prayers of a couple of Tam co-passengers, all was well. Save a minor wobble on landing at Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport. (Yes, Air India can mess it up. Anytime. Anywhere.)
@the Gateway of India
The sight that greeted me, right outside the domestic airport, spoke a thousand words. I'm not too sure if its like that everyday, but here it is-behind me, a posh GVK managed state of the art airport, to my right a horde of 100+ taxis, of black and blue (a.k.a. "Cool Cabs") behind which were 200 or more autos. But even before you could get past this part, rather think of reaching this part, a minimum of 10 drivers mill around you.
"Kahaan jaana hai?? Bhaiyya.. Kahaan jaana hai??"
Fending them off, a big task in itself, oh by the way, I forgot my left side. The defining side. There were a row of colourful hawkers, couple of travel agent shops, an open drain, and a Dabbawallah walking past, managing an amazing balancing act, and clusters of people hustling and bustling. It sort of captured Bombay, at a glance.(The crowd..the double decker)
The drive home was equally "scenic", and The essence of this marvelous city, which never ceases to amaze me. About how life goes by, unaffected by an environment so unique to this city. The characteristic elements that can be identified with this city are innumerable. The moment one of these terms come up, Mumbai it is! Be it the local train system, the Dabbawallahs, the perennial crowd, BEST buses, double-deckers that too, the beaches, the Gateway, The Taj Hotel, BSE, Bollywood, the Shiv Sena, temples and tonnes more, clearly define this wondrous city. And to top it all, half the land is reclaimed from the sea.
I shall continue my actual travails of wonder-city in the next post. Keep reading! And commenting?...!
He he, welcome to Insomnopolis macha. M on the last leg of my visit to the same city. And you are right, the weather is not conducive to enjoy the city to the fullest. And I guess the 'scenic' too was a little sarcastic, and I don't blame you man, especially if you had the misfortune of coming within a mile of Dharavi on the way to from the airport. Just returned from a long drive to Lonavala, Khandala (of Aamir Khan fame!) and it was a let down without the rain. But still, this trip truly was scenic. Alas, I shall be return to Somnopolis (forgive the cheesiness, plz) in a couple of days. Hope the monsoons arrive and you get to enjoy Mumbai.
ReplyDeletewhat is 'mumbai...bombay..' supposed to mean huh??
ReplyDeletei think its the name of some local deity, Mumba Ai.. somethin lik that anyway.
ReplyDelete