Friday 4 October 2013

To Mumbai, With Love

I return again to this space after an unexpectedly long hiatus. The good news is that the break wasn't the result of a writer's block. Rather, it was my busy schedule that prevented me from finding time to gather my thoughts and penning them down. 


I have written about Mumbai so many times before. There are times when I wonder what more is there to say about this city that hasn't already been said before. It has been more than three years since I have lived here; and finally it is no more just a city of dreams or a city of unending ambitions for me.
When I first came to the city, I was one among the many aspirants who come to this place with starry-eyed dreams and believe this is the Mecca of making those dreams come true.

It has been three years and I am not sure where those dreams disappeared. In hind sight, I don't think I can even remember what those dreams were. It all seems like hogwash to me - a thing of a past that is so distant that no matter how hard I try to recollect, the only faint remnants of its existence is experienced in my heart in the form of piercing feelings.
Yet I seem to be in love with this city. It is difficult for me to pinpoint the reason. Do I love the city because it gives me my independence? Or is it the unstoppable life of the city that I am attracted to?
The people, here, are fascinating. They always seem to have new stories to tell; and some of the old ones are always eager to fill you in with tales of bygone days. But then people are interesting almost anywhere you go if you take the time to catch a glimpse of their world.

It is not the busy life of the city that attracts me. Living in Kolkata for almost seventeen years of my life has ensured that I prefer the slow life compared to the madness one sees while travelling in the Mumbai locals especially during rush-hours; and while Mumbai does have a charm of its own, nothing beats the old-world charm of Kolkata in my eyes. The way I see it, the crude, harsh tone of Marathi stands no chance of winning points against the melodious ring of the Bengali language. Forgive me if I appear biased!
Of course the one thing I absolutely love about Mumbai, apart from the beautiful rains, is Marine Drive - the entire stretch at night is an object of devotion on its own.
But is that reason enough to make me want to stay?
Of course not!

Acknowledging Mumbai as my "home" instead of being just the "current city of residence" was not an easy transition. But it happened. This change can be attributed to a lot of factors - my exciting work, my very messy but spacious house, my funny, travel adventures, my daily encounters with individuals that always give me wonderful stories to narrate about discovery and delight...This list can be endless. But one thing that truly makes this city feel like "home" are the wonderful friends I made who stood by my side and always sustained my belief that no matter how bad things were, "this too shall pass".
Sometimes I wonder, if it weren't for them, would I have survived the time I got stuck at Dadar-Matunga for more than four hours owing to the heavy rains? Would I have managed to take a leap of faith and resign from a job that did not seem fulfilling enough if I did not have their support? Would I have had the courage to embark on a road to a new destination I was absolutely clueless about? Could I have overcome the loneliness one sometimes tends to experience living alone in such big cities?
I don't think I could have survived any of that without them!

My old dreams may have evaporated but I have still not become a person who just goes on with the daily drudgery of life with no fun and zeal. Life is a journey and even though one may have to give up on past dreams and wishes as one advances, it does not mean that those are not replaced with newer goals and ambitions.
Mumbai has helped me evolve as an individual at many different levels - today, I feel more connected to my core. I have set new goals for myself and I am aware that I have the support-system I need in order to achieve them. Life is not a bed of roses and there are thorns that I need to look out for but I have faith - in the end, everything will be alright!
I guess this is the Mumbai spirit that everyone boasts about - no matter what disasters fall in your path a Mumbaikar always has a ready disposition to face and overcome all calamities. I think this new-found fighting-spirit that I seem to have recently discovered officially qualifies me to say I am a Mumbaikar, after all. 

25 comments:

  1. Divya , If you yr old dreams have evaporated then new ones will take their place. The eyes are always filled with dreams. Bengali language may be sweet but Marathi is not harsh as you mentioned. Its not my mother tongue but is a beautiful language.

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    1. Agree with you :) Like I mentioned, my old dreams have evaporated but have been replaced by new ones :D :D
      I have tried really hard but I still don't find Marathi even half as eloquent as Bengali (Bengali isn't my mother tongue as well!) :D :D But that's alright, it's just a personal opinion :) I am sure it is a beautiful language - all languages are :)

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    1. Thanks Dr. Desai - I will always remember you as the guy who helped me overcome my fear of injections even if it was at the expense of a mean prank **sigh**

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  3. You know what I love about you most? That you are very un-Bombay. The funny part is, that Bombay is the City of Dreams and when I think dreamy, you are the first person that comes to my minds. You are right in saying that we are always ready to face anything. But your 'stillness', if I may call it that, has a calming effect on me most of the time.

    Love you, always <3

    PS: I did try to teach you Marathi and though you seemed enthused at first, it sort of fizzled out. Let me know anytime you're up for it again.

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    1. :) :) I would be glad to learn Marathi from you again but I need some changes in your teaching methodology :P
      Making fun of me and my pronunciations is UNACCEPTABLE :(

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  4. Neither Bangla, nor Marathi are my mother tongue. But I have to agree, Marathi has a certain harshness to it, a roughness that jarrs a non-maharashtrian.

    Mumbai... never been there. So I guess technically I have nothing to do with this post. Still... ironically the post has a lot to do with me.

    In my life time,I have lived in 7cities for a long span( more than a couple of months) and in 3 others for a few months at a stretch. So I should be more used to accepting a new place as home. Yet... for me.. Pune is home.

    I took to Pune like a duck takes to water. The balance of modern and traditional I found there, the not so fast paced life. Most of all... a love for life which I found higher in that city than anywhere else.

    Home is where heart is. So even though I am from Jamshedpur, even though I am in Fremont... for me... home will always be... Pune.

    Jitu

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    1. Oh!

      And I did try to learn Marathi, when I first came to Pune. I had the DD artsy movie version of Marathi in my mind, which seemed very sensual to me.

      But the sensuality flew out of window...partly during my travels in the local trains. And partly, when I saw the way MNS was treating businesses that were either owned or employed Hindi speaking people.

      I started abhorring the proponents of Marathi language enough that it destroyed my enthusiasm to the language.

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    2. Glad to have support on the Marathi v/s Bengali front :-P and even more happy to see you stumble upon this space :)
      I visited Pune once but somehow found it difficult to like the city - it became difficult for me to even pass 3 days there...I guess to each, his/her own :) :)
      I take pride in saying that I consider both Kolkata and Mumbai to be my "home" - unfortunately, Bangalore never made that impact on me :D Found life there to be way too robotic!!

      Keep Visiting Jyoti :) :)

      Lots of Love!

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    3. Ha ha ha... My freinds in Pune, who are from Mumbai... they say they cannot get themselves to like Pune too.

      I guess, like you said... to each his/her own. :D

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    4. Ha! Ha! Just read your second comment on your failed attempts at learning Marathi - I remember finding the fisherwoman squabbling in their rough Marathi tone to be such a big turn-off. The fights in the local train have made me associate Marathi with being a language that is loud and annoying. I too do not like the discrimination made between Hindi-speaking and Marathi-speaking people but I guess that form of regionalism is prevalent everywhere...

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    5. Why are you surprised that I stumbled upon your space... don't I visit always?

      I accept i don't comment on each and every post... rather I comment when the post is something I relate to, but am surprised to know that you are surprised that I am here.

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    6. Ha!Ha! I did not tag you on this - yet you are here :D :D Hence, the surprise :) :) LOL!!

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    7. Oh!

      I always remove the tag... and always visit. :P

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  5. Loved reading this, and somewhere I could relate to this ... just like you I too left my hometown and have moved over to Gurgaon, and have started loving this place ... new dreams have formed and am all set to enjoy the beauty of this adventure ... perhaps I too will write about my new "home" someday :-)

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    1. Hoping to hear about your experiences in Gurgaon soon :) :) I am sure you will have new exciting tales to tell ;)

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  6. Nice to see you back after a while Divya :) Home is indeed where the heart is and the funny thing about heart is every new place has something beautiful of its own that appeals to us and makes that place special for us. I can understand what you mean when you say it was not easy to acknowledge Mumbai as your home, but like you said friends and the various experiences of life make each place special. And dreams add to the beautiful journey, newer ones blooming in places of old forgotten or fulfilled dreams:)

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    1. Absolutely correct Reshma! Good to have you back :) Every new place has something beautiful to offer but it is difficult to acknowledge every beautiful place as home!

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  7. Experience of moving frequently tells me that cities grow on you over time. Moreover places are more about people. If you have friends and loved ones, any place can be fun. So you are a proud Mumbaikar now!

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    1. :) I lived in Bangalore longer but it never grew on me despite the fact that I had more friends there and more fun things to do! And wherever I go, I feel fun follows :D :D But yes, I feel more of a Mumbaikar now than ever before :P

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  8. I love Mumbai too and there is a certain spirit of this city which you tend to admire! The city which never sleeps, never stops... It is really amazing how in times of crisis people come out and help total strangers, have experienced it personally. Enjoyed reading your post, Divya!

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  9. You may love or hate Mumbai but can never ignore the city, Divya:)

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    1. You can never ignore any city, Rahul :)

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