Majhi Mumbai Post 4

Every city has something of it's own. Something that truly defines the city. Like Kolkata has it's sandesh or rasgullas, Jaipur has it's HawaMahal, Delhi has it's brash abusive people, Chennai has it's idli-dosas...but what makes Mumbai special??

I know the obvious answer will be 'VadaPav' or even the Dabbawala! But i think it's a mix of everything. Mumbai, is a cosmopolitan city and no doubts about that. But what makes this city special is the interesting mix of everything. It's got a culture of it's own. It doesn't need a west, east north or south to borrow it's culture from. It s a hedonistic mix of all and the end result...i'm loving it!

The best part about living in a metro is that you are not bound by any religious sect or any other cultural norm. You're as free as free could ever be. You don't believe in something, that's your problem. If you do, well good for you! People don't bind you in shackles and ask you to do particular things, because if you don't some god or some 'parmatma' might get annoyed! It doesn't matter. What you do or what you don't depends on you. If you believe in something, and are more than sure about that, then there is nothing in the world that is going to stop you from doing it.

Ok now i'm digressing. But this is exactly what this city does to you. You start off with something and you end up someplace else. With only a certainty that even though your destination was different, the new one is guaranteed to be more enchanting. This is Mumbai. Nothing is less that SPECIAL!

Majhi Mumbai Post 3

So Mumbai has fabulous people, a great flower market, but that's not all that Mumbai is made of. When it comes to eating, i doubt any other city has as much diversity as this place does! Name it and ye shall EAT it! From Chinese, Lebanese, Japanese, Arabic, South Indian, Punjabi, Italian, Mexican, typical Maharashtrian to roadside chaat, dosawala ana, pav bhaji, mewad ice cream...this city lives to eat! What more no matter what time you hunger strikes, you shall be fed. I think hardly anyone will believe but there are certain restaurants or local street stalls that open only after mid-night! The workaholics or the night-sleep eaters who just can't get enough of the yummy meals that are served hot for absolute peanuts! The best part about eating at these local joints is that they don't burn a hole in your pocket, and second of all they are way tastier than the expensive, flashy, fake-rich-ambiance creating restaurants!! Another amazing fact about these places, they're always over-crowded! You'd go to such a place at 2 in the night expecting it be free and devoid of people, but surprise! It's overflowing with people from all over the city! At 2 in the night, people actually have the patience to stand in the line, just to savor the rich, heavily oiled/buttered delicacies probably cooked in a lowly kitchen that underscored on the food-inspectors rating! But nonetheless, it is a special place and people flock in to have a gala time!

So the next time you're in the city remember to stay hungry, because your stomach might get full, but your plate never will!

Majhi Mumbai Post 2

Mumbai at night is a different city all together. The lights, the sound of cars zooming past you, and the best of the lot, no traffic! Even the air has a certain new character about it. Even though the roads are as empty as empty could get in a city like Mumbai, there is a certain charm that holds you in its grip as you try to savor in the flavours of the night life.

The city that never sleeps, and believe you me, this statement absolutely holds weight. If this city has one thing to offer (of the many good things), it is the pure pleasure of being yourself in the dead of the night without feeling antsy about it.

As night befalls, one can see various creatures of the night come out to play. You have the regular party animals, the religious sect who walks to Siddhivinayak, the chaiwala anna, the cops, the drunks, the tuk-tuks, the workaholics, the lovers, the insomniacs, the daredevils...and a whole lot more! One thing that makes this city come alive at 3 in the morning, is the Dadar Flower market.

Truckloads of carnations, roses, marigold, jasmine...any flower under the sun, seems to make it to the legendary Dadar flower market. Located right across the station, the flower vendors get their scented luggage from far off places like Virar, Vasai or even as far as Dahanu. Just as one enters the stretch between Elphinstone and Matunga, one gets welcomed on a bed of roses, literally! For you have flowers strewn across the road making a blanket of petite scented loverlies! There is a certain joy in seeing these men hover around flowers like bees. One would be extra precious with something as delicate as a flower, but not these men and women. They treat it like any other vegetable, any other job. Afterall being a flower girl or a flower man is no pretty selling job.

This is one sight that makes up for all the tiredness, all the dullness that one may feel in the dead of the night. But come Dadar and there wafts a new scent in the air, making your headiness fly away, even if it lasts just for a few minutes!

Majhi Mumbai...Post 1

Mumbai...the city of dreams, a city that never sleeps...and a city where people understand 'humanity'!

Every now and then we hear that people have forgotten the meaning of 'humanity'. More so, have erased the word out of their dictionary. If that is how you feel. Then you haven't experienced Mumbai. If there is any city in this country that can teach you how to live, it is this. There have been stories about people not really caring a damn, or just too busy to even care about anyone else apart from themselves. But people here, no matter how busy they are have this tiny corner in their heart that still cares about their family, their colleagues, their neighbors, their dabbawalas, their peons, their drivers, their bai's, their watchmen, their sabziwalas, and practically anyone who is a part of their universe. I think this city's DNA structure itself is modified that way. So anyone who walks into the space, with dreams aspirations or whatever it may be, automatically gets genetically changed to fit in with the city and it's way of living.

Why i say this is because i have witnessed it. While travelling in the train, the lifeline, the bloodline, the heart of this city, i was lucky to have actually seen such a sight. It was quite a simple gesture but, it made my faith in humanity stronger. There was an old lady who got in and there was no seat available. But this young girl got up and offered her seat to her. These two didn't share any relation, but just belong to the same race. It just made me wonder that if people are actually sensitive and caring and loving, why is it that they hide this self under blankets of bad ethics? Is it cool to be bad? or what is it exactly?

Whatever the case, to each his own. And as they say, slow and steady wins the race. So even if the start is slow, we can atleast hope the trend spreads through like wild fire and we get to live in a better, brighter world and not just dream and pray for one every time we go to bed!