I took a taxi from Lower Parel to Worli. The fare was Rs.67. Since I was coming from Bangalore, I gave Rs 100 to the taxi driver and headed to my office. The driver called me back. He refunded me Rs.30. I started walking again. He called me again and refunded the Rs3.
This is why I love Mumbai.
It was Holi morning. I had to come to the office. My taxi fare was 70 bucks again. The driver had no change. He went ahead and bought Rs 10 worth of Vada (a typical Mumbai snack) and returned the balance to me. When I was leaving The driver took his plate of Vada and offered me half. "Boss, ek lelo, Holi hai!"
This is why I love Mumbai.
It was my first night on Marine Drive. Rainy days have begun. I was sitting on the rocks with my friend. And suddenly it started to rain. Oh, I can't even tell you how much people here love the first rain. It was 3am, I saw a group of 3 girls, all dressed in their short LBDs, probably coming back from a party. They got out of the car. And he started getting wet and dancing in the rain. And no, not a single guy called them.
This is why I love Mumbai.
Just across the road from where the girls were dancing was an old traditional Muslim couple. They were completely wet. The rain came down like nothing I had ever seen. Still, they sat there enjoying the sea view and holding hands. They were 60 years old.
This is why I love Mumbai.
Every time I took a local train, I realized that there was always a seat for another person. From the outside it always looked impossible to get inside. But "we" always fit in those small wagons.
That's why I loved Bombay.
Every time it rains here, I wonder if the city stops. It's literally like all hell broke loose. I saw the platform overflowing with rainwater. Then when I reached my office, I saw everyone come to work. People somehow manage to live here, no matter what. The best part is that they do it with a smile.
That's why I loved Bombay.
There used to be a couple, just below my first apartment, on the street. They had nowhere to live. They were homeless. I took a taxi to my office from the front of their tent. I saw an old man reading a newspaper, sipping tea, and I saw her wife brushing the hair of one of the street dogs. I never saw them sad in their happy little home (tent?). The wife always wore a little lilly in her hair.
That's why I loved Bombay.
I was at Dadar station. It was 9 in the morning. Needless to say, this is one of the busiest hours. I saw a couple cuddling on the platform. They were probably saying goodbye to each other. From what I later found out, the girl was moving to another city by long-distance train. And then I realized I'm one of the few people watching it. Everyone else is busy with their own train.
That's why I loved Bombay.
The city is an infrastructural mess. The air is so polluted at times that I couldn't see the top of my own building because of the dust. The place is so overcrowded that there is probably more room in a first world country prison than Mumbai. Still, I saw a 26-year-old Punjabi guy, dressed in formal wear, heartily returning from the office on a bicycle. I saw a Jaguar stuck at the same traffic light. And they happily coexisted side by side.
That's Bombay's "bare, sheer raw acceptance of the truth" for you
I saw thousands of tiny houses. Houses the size of the washrooms of my place in Calcutta. Yet I never saw a permanently sad face in any of those windows. People ran, people fought, people fought for their dreams. "You don't live in Bombay, you fight in Bombay."
Mumbai is still the city of dreams. Mumbai can give you respect, happiness irrespective of your caste, creed, gender and economic status. As the tea stall owner near my office used to say... "Ambani bhi petrolpump pe petrol deta tha.. To hum konsi maal hai?"
And that my boyfriend is the main reason why I will always love Mumbai.
Story By Unkown
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