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June 23, 2015

An Ode to Mumbai, the City of Dreams.

Worli_skyline_with_BSWL_(cropped)

Mumbai—what can I tell you about my city?

That it is one among the cities that never sleep? Or that it is the land of dreams where every man, irrespective of his societal status, dreams to break the shackles around him ?

It fits every description perfectly and yet there is more to it than meets the eye.

Having just moved here two months back, Mumbai has become my home now. I feel an attachment to the city like I have never felt with anything else before. Not because the city has given me the pleasure of company, comradeship, glory or love, but because in every sense it has made me realize the beauty of life and its simple joys. The true sense of being independent and how every day promises to be a new adventure.

A few days in Mumbai and you will realize the importance of the local trains in the city. A local train late by 10 minutes would mean a little more than thousand folks late for office. So in a way the trains are the backbone for the financial capital of the country.

It was one of these train journeys that made me realize the true beauty of Mumbai.

My first week in Mumbai was a one of a kind experience. With hardly any friends and a place to stay, I was about to give up on the city of dreams. But luck went in my favor and amidst the ocean of people I found some good souls who not only found me a place to live but also cared for me to restore back my faith in humanity.

Much of my travel in the city was through cabs until I figured that wouldn’t go well with my wallet. My only option was to catch the local trains or the bus. Having seen half the city jam packed in the bus, I figured trains would be the way to go.

mumbai train

Little did I know that you would have to give Mike Tyson a run for his money if you had to enter the trains.

Getting on the train felt like a herculean task. My first train journey, which should have taken me 15 minutes to reach my destination, took me two hours, not because the trains were late but because of my inability to push and scrape my way through the crowd, who were hanging from the edge of the rails of the trains and conversing with each other as If they didn’t give a rat’s ass about it.

It took me close to a month to get a hang of the trains but when I did, I realized the beauty of this city.

I am not being diplomatic or joking around with you, when I tell you that the trains made me realize more about punctuality than any punishments school use to graciously award.

When people tell me about how beautiful Paris or New York or Dubai might be, I nod in silent agreement. Beautiful it might be, but it is no Mumbai. No other city can offer me the thrill of each day, the simple joys of each moment, the pendulum and busy life that makes you yearn for more and yes, the adventure of catching the local train at 9:15 a.m.

It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist for you to guess it would be jam packed, but we Mumbaikars (ah, yes that’s what we call ourselves) fight to survive each day and we live it, love it and consider ourselves lucky to be a part of it.

Words would not suffice to tell you about this beautiful city which is the culminating point of different cultures’ dreams and contrasts of life. The city where the poor and the rich go about happy with their own lives, dreams and adventures silently and enjoying each moment of it.

 

 

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Author: Rubin Roy

Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia Commons 

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