Bombay Days: A beginning

“There will be lot of traffic, an almost insane crowd, so be careful.” An experienced friend of mine advised when I was sitting with him a day ahead of my departure to this city of dreams. I replied with a little hubris of a newly employed MBA student, “dost, I am flying. Not going by train. So don’t worry.”

His experienced face curved a smile, perhaps at my naiveté. “There is not much of a difference in Mumbai, between the two.”   I did not pay much attention to this short remark and bid my adieu to him. It was only early next morning that I realized what he meant when he said that there is not much of a difference between a railway station and an airport when we come to Bombay.

To a first timer, it is chaotic, confusing, crowded and even callous all at once. This makes one go numb for a few minutes, however, as soon as one merges with that crowd, some of the things start making sense.  The best part of this crowd is that it gives ample space to everyone to find an identity. Whatever you are, wherever you are from, you will be able to relate with this crowd if you just have the knack to look around and find a link that can connect you to this city.

One may find links to connect to this city in multiple ways. The first morning it makes one think that perhaps the city wakes up way lot earlier than one does. This realization may come through the newspaper guy, or the professional tea-stall owners neatly ready as if they are there since long time, or the vendors selling flowers or boys cleaning vehicles or taxi drivers busy reading newspapers. It is only after some days that a newcomer realizes that this city perhaps, never sleeps.   

Initial days go in adjusting with the pace of this place. Ones with low self confidence will always feel being overtaken by almost everyone every moment. Not being able to board a desired compartment of the local train seems like a defeat to the really sensitive ones, however slowly it dawns that, this happens to everyone.  

Soon pace of local trains replace the pace of your life. One learns that trains are the best places to read newspapers or listen to music. Wisdom of travelling against the crowd is also enlightening. This one adjustment puts the newcomer rookie at par with some of the more experienced lot. Just as the rookie is celebrating this victory over the pace, some further nuances start surfacing.  And so the sense of victory starts fading a little bit, giving way to new dissatisfactions and challenges to overcome.

One learns that taxi-drivers won’t come for short distances easily and taking care of one’s belongings in trains is easier said than done.  And though you have got used to the pace, the travelling does take a toll on health in some way or the other. Slowly the fascination for WADA-PAV goes away and emerges the side effects of its overdose taken in first phase. J Humidity too starts irritating and so does frequent chants in local language, at every now and then.  

However, there is one thing which the newcomer has fully experienced by now, that is the complete freedom that the city offers to explore itself.  As one opens up a little the city just spreads its lap and lets you in, it allows one the most complete form of freedom of discovery.  

This freedom is addictive, in coming articles we shall explore various ways in which this addiction plays out.