‘Aamchi Mumbai’ Rocks!

In case you are pondering that I have sharpened my spoken Marathi, let me assure you that it is nothing of that sort. As of now, my Marathi is restricted to ‘Zop ali’, ‘Kasha Kaye’, and ‘Changla aahe’. While I promised my fellow Maharashtrians here that my vocabulary is going to gain momentum, unfortunately, nothing of that sort ever happened.

But, that is not what I intend to explain, rather share today. What I am striving to share, is a subtle connection that I developed with this city. Mumbai. Unknowingly, this city has made it to my little collection of what I call truly ‘mine’. It would be unjust to say that this magical connection was discovered recently. The spark was ignited at the early age of 8, when I accompanied dad for his business trip.

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The city was busy then, it is busy now. Everyone here runs, they don’t stop. While on my first visit with my dad, I remember the sumptuous sandwiches we grabbed at Leopold Cafe. The cafe was jam packed, the stewards served with great care,
and everytime your eyes met, there was a warm smile,
accompanied by an amiable gesture, asking to help.

Now when I visit Leopold on a sultry afternoon,
seeking some respite from mundanes,
also looking for some magic to get rid of the void,
Leopold provides me just that, even more actually.
The stewards here are more well groomed and trained now.
They are affluent in their conversations and even adept at reading minds.
The other day, I tilted my head a little, the steward right across me
could decipher that I was thirsty and came running to fill my glass of water.
The hospitality of Leopold folks remain unadulterated.

Imagine in a city that holds a population of 25 million approximately;
how weird it feels when random strangers just smile at you.
I was appalled during my initial days in Mumbai.
I recall dashing against a woman once while boarding a train to Churchgate.
I don’t blame myself fully, as I took more than 6 months to interpret the commuting
‘Dos’ and Don’ts’ of the Mumbai local.
Now, getting back to the lady,
honestly thinking I was looking for a convenient
place to hide myself, only to save the harassment.
She came walking towards me wearing a smile,
leaned forward a bit, and said ‘SORRY!’
For a while I was petrified, and looked
forward to a fellow passenger to decode the situation.
My fellow nodded in agreement…

Okay! So this is what happened.
I board a crowded train, and while
striving to wade through the thick crowd,
dash against a lady.
She turns back, leans forward,
and expresses her sincere apologies!
Okay! But, wasn’t I the person entitled to apologise?
Before I could utter a word, she alighted from the train,
wishing me a good day ahead! And, I was dumbfounded.

Last to last week, my security guard came
knocking at the door at an odd hour.
On enquiring, I discovered that he got some
fresh made fish curry his wife made.
He further revealed that he had seen too many orders from Swiggy
this week at my door, and also cautioned me about the ill effects of it…
Now, could you think of any adjective that could suffice this humble behavior?

Last Sunday, while boarding an auto rickshaw back from the airport,
I was complaining about the heat waves of Mumbai to a friend of mine,
over phone. The auto driver overheard our conversation and told me,
“Are Madam! Sorry pata nahi tha app thand ki jagah se aaye hai.
Yeh lijiye thanda paani.”
(Madam, I am extremely sorry, I didn’t know that you came from a cold place.
Here, have some cold water please.

I couldn’t decline his warm request,
drank water and the breeze also felt calm and gentle.

It was Mumbai was welcoming me back.
The busy roads, the tall trees, the giant buildings,
all seemed to nod their head in unison.
I think abstract expressions are best felt and experienced.
To me at least.
And Mumbai gives me just that.
A huge reliance, an unidentified security and of course love in abundance.

Hail thee ‘Aamchi Mumbai’.